December 13th Advent Reflection

Romans 1: 1-2 NRSVUE
Salutation:  Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures.

I would like you to read these Biblical verses ONCE. Then I would like you to read these verses a SECOND time and substitute your name for Paul’s.   Can you put yourself in this role? What does it mean to be a servant of Jesus Christ? Are we servants on Sundays or the whole weeklong? In vital ways Paul asks us to live as if we were set apart (or destined) to live into the gospel.  Maybe this was God’s plan for us from our beginnings: to be a vital scripturally- grounded part of generations of disciples, reaching back to the apostle Paul as our inspiration.  

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be like Paul, grounded in our faith in You, set apart to do your work of love and healing in our beautiful yet broken world.            

LO