Reading scriptures –
Romans 16:1-16
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, deacon of the church in Sancrei.
– Romans 16:1
“Don’t call it ‘just a list.'” This was sermon professor Fred Craddock’s advice when he talked about Romans 16. This collection of Paul’s friends, with names that are unfamiliar to many of us today, is not just a list. Every person here has a story highlighting the miracle of God’s grace.
Take Phoebe for example. Paul calls her a sister, and he commends her to his Roman readers as a diaconal servant of the church in Cenchreae, a port city near Corinth in Greece. Apparently he was a great help to many people in the city where a lot of travelers came and went.
To paraphrase this month’s theme, Phoebe was a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). After believing in Jesus as Savior, she was a woman who was “in Christ”, and the old Phoebe was disappearing while a new Phoebe was coming into expression. Through the work of the Holy Spirit in her, she was becoming more and more like Jesus, the greatest giver and helper. She was a constant reminder of resurrection life, pointing us all to God’s renewal of His entire world.
New creations, such as those named in Romans 16, do just that. They become a great help to many people because they are in Christ, the same Savior and greatest Helper of all.
Lord, thank you for including us in the gathering that includes Phoebe and all other believers. Make us like Jesus so that we can be a great help to the world, a sign of your coming new creation. Amen.
Author: Dave Den Haan
