Romans 16:1-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
Reading a list of names is not the most exciting way to end the 2015 Lenten Compact Fast Food Fast for Worker Justice! However, take a moment to list all the people who are commended for their hard work or for being Paul’s co-workers. What, if anything, surprises you about the list? What do you think their “hard work” entailed?
Think of the people who work hard around you. How will you acknowledge them and honor them today?
Tongue on Fire 
It occurred to me how serious this group of people was and how conferring trust and authority on them meant they were about Gods work of building the Kingdom – all at great personal risk to the church and the individuals. This was an underground network defying Rome (no matter about Paul’s instruction on obeying everyday law – preaching the Gospel was enough to get you killed).
Real growth is always exponential. A slightly Pre revolutionary situation is what we are in. The growth of the real liberating message is about to sweep away the passivity of the church or at least a half of it. God help us – we are on a collision course with the empire. (Spoiler alert: We Win!)
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