A salutation fit for the ekklesia of Rome

παυλος δουλος ιησου χριστου κλητος αποστολος αφωρισμενος εις ευαγγελιον θεου ο προεπηγγειλατο δια των προφητων αυτου εν γραφαις αγιαις περι του υιου αυτου του γενομενου εκ σπερματος δαυιδ κατα σαρκα του ορισθεντος υιου θεου εν δυναμει κατα πνευμα αγιωσυνης εξ αναστασεως νεκρων ιησου χριστου του κυριου ημων δι ου ελαβομεν χαριν και αποστολην εις υπακοην πιστεως εν πασιν τοις εθνεσιν υπερ του ονοματος αυτου εν οις εστε και υμεις κλητοι ιησου χριστου πασιν τοις ουσιν εν ρωμη αγαπητοις θεου κλητοις αγιοις χαρις υμιν και ειρηνη απο θεου πατρος ημων και κυριου ιησου χριστου (Rom. i.1-7)

Paul’s salutation is formidable. Some would call it long. While reading that passage this morning, immediately my mind went to the prologue of Brother Andrew and Al Janssen’s Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ. There, Brother Andrew recalled a correspondense he had with a Muslim political leader. He began the letter to the Muslim “Dear Sir.” In his response, the Muslim wrote, “Dear Brother Andrew. In the name of Allah, the compassionate and the merciful.”

Brother Andrew struggled with the response. Not in the idea of who Allah was, but with the unashamed proclamation of what, to the Muslim, surpassed the importance of anything else he could have said. For Brother Andrew, he felt the need to do likewise in his own response. When the time came, he wrote this:

“Dear _[name left blank]_. In the Name of the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”

We need to be conscious about opportunities we have to present the triune God to those around us. Sometimes we’ll miss them, but we should take those as chances to grow and adjust our perspective. Most of the time our witness of the triune God is nonverbal. But when we do speak, when we write, do we consider that our words—all words—have meaning and significance? And what we don’t say or fail to say may be just as important as what we do say.

Some thoughts this Thursday evening.