Responding to a request from several church council members, I have embarked upon a preaching journey through Paul’s Epistle to the Romans.  I will walk us through the most thematic passages of the letter and end the series the week before Advent starts.  In case you missed the first week of the series (September 25), here is a bit of background on Romans:

• The letter was written between 54 and 58 AD and is authentically Pauline.
• The letter is written to a church that Paul did not found but wants to visit.  He likely wants this church’s support for future missionary activities to the west.
• Romans is the longest of the Pauline epistles and was written at the height of his career.  It expresses the richness of Paul’s experience of Christ through the full maturity of his thought.  Interestingly, Paul’s epistles are listed according to decreasing size in the New Testament.
• This letter was carried nearly 1,000 miles by sea and land from Cenchrea, the port city of Corinth, by a deacon named Phoebe, one of Paul’s co-workers.  Phoebe, or a reader she brought along, read the letter to the church.
• Romans’ influence on Christian theology is the greatest of all Paul’s letters.

Be sure to come and hear about the various theological perspectives (salvation, justification by faith, redemption, etc.) that have been understood in Romans, including some newer perspectives that will challenge us to full participation in the gospel, enrich our faith journey, and ultimately transform us for the just transformation of the world.  I look forward to seeing you in church!

Rev. Sandi