it'll be a long day of fixing

make something else yer mission

The farewell from Paul's letter to the church in Rome

It’s a strange thing to gather here on a perfectly good Saturday evening or Sunday morning, you know… 

Because we live in a world obsessed with getting things done. Don’t we? And, if you haven’t already noticed, nothing much ever really happens here. This is not the most exciting place to be. 

We’re continuing our way though heroes of the Bible. And you may have noticed our last two heroes, Ruth and Esther, never seemed to spend an awful lot of time in the church. They were too busy, out there, getting things done.

And we feel that same pressure, too. Don’t we?

We all have to-do lists miles long. And the temptation to use the 90 minutes or so church occupies on any given week, is no joke. Isn’t it? 

Today our hero is Phoebe. 

While, there are plenty of other women listed in Paul’s conclusion to his letter to First Lutheran in Rome:

Like Prisca; from Prisca and Aquila. 

And you can read more about them in Acts 18. But one of the things you’ll notice is how Paul mentions Prisca, the wife, first. Presumably not by accident. More than likely, Prisca was more well known to Paul and his companions; than her husband, Aquila.

There’s also Junia, from Andronicus and Junia. 

Paul describes them as prominent; not only of his band of grace hardened sinners, but even among the apostles…

And let’s not forget Mary, Rufus’ mother, Nereus’ sister and all the other women who were a part of the various house churches Paul mentions. 

But, it’s Phoebe we’re going to focus on today; because it’s Phoebe Paul calls a deacon AND benefactor, or in Greek, “patrona” - which means leader. Phoebe is the first recorded woman leader in the Christian church!

The trouble, though, as I suspect you may have noticed, is all we don’t know much about Phoebe, just her name and title!

Apparently she served in some sort of formal capacity at First Lutheran in Cenchreae. Cenchreae was a seaport of Corinth. And, you might remember, Corinth was Paul’s beloved, but often less than ideal church. 

So, Phoebe served in a place with a reputation for burning out their leaders. 

Good, old Phoebe, though, she held her own apparently!

Which only makes it all the more frustrating we don’t know more about her! Doesn’t it?

…But do you suppose it ever frustrated Phoebe herself?

Because everyone knew Paul. Paul was the one everyone had an opinion on. Phoebe, though, she just plugged away. She was a “good soldier,” as we say… 

And for all her effort, all we know is that she served in Cenchreae…

Do you suppose it ever ground her gears? Do you think she ever got irked over her lack of recognition? 

All the years she spent toiling away. Helping out whenever she got asked. But, for all her effort, all she ever got was a passing mention from Paul…

Now, of course we don’t know. Do we? 

Perhaps Phoebe was one of those people we all wish we could be a little more like; happy to help and perfectly indifferent as to whether or not she was recognized. 

Or, perhaps she was like the rest of us; a little too hungry for whatever kind of recognition she could get…

…Because let’s face it, whether we admit it or not, we all want to be recognized for our achievements a little too much. 

Isn’t that why the temptation to stay in and get a little more done on a perfectly good Saturday evening or Sunday morning looms so large?

Here’s the trouble, though; and you don’t need me to say this, but the trouble with our drive to achieve is, it never ends. Does it? A mere 90 minutes will never be enough to quench our insatiable thirst to achieve a little more…

I mean, Phoebe is mentioned in the holy Bible, of all places! Which is no small thing. But in our drive to accomplish more, we diminish even this honor by trying to pit it up against, of all people, Paul! 

Paul, who was insistent all efforts to achieve our our status are always, only ever futile!

It’s the same old problem all over again. Isn’t it?

And it’s exhausting. Isn’t it?

Our drive to achieve never ends. It shows up in the most unexpected places. It tries to turn the holy, into nothing more than yet one more place to prove ourselves…

…Which is why, maybe, the church is supposed to be such an UN-exciting place! Why nothing, as the world measures it, ever happens here!

Because in the church, the point isn’t what you do - it’s about everything God has already done, in Jesus Christ, FOR YOU!

…The pressure to do more, accomplish more, it never stops. Does it?

In many ways, it’s our modern religion. The means whereby we try and prove we are enough, that we measure up and that we’re worthy.

The only trouble with this religion of ours, though, is that it never absolves. Does it? It’s only ever demands more; a little more to do, a little more to accomplish. 

And we’re dying under the weight of it all…

The god of achievement never stops demanding! And you don’t need to look far to see the legions of those who are being crushed under the weight of his terrible demands. 

In fact, maybe you’ve even seen one staring back at you in the mirror. 

I know I have….

The desire to achieve, to make a name for yourself, is a false god. A kind of worship full of idols that can’t see or speak when we most need them to.

So listen up, you who have been laid low by those other gods; Jesus Christ has taken notice of you! He died to become God FOR YOU, even! What’s more he has even sent the Holy Spirit into these very words to create saving faith IN you!

The problem with our religion of achievement isn’t that it’s bad or immoral or anything like that. It’s that it never ends. 

But Jesus, he has come to bring an end to the law! 

And not just the capital r, religious law, either. But every law! Even the law of accomplishments!

If you’re here, when you could be out there getting things done; it’s probably because you’ve been laid low a time or two. Haven’t you?

After all, it’s those who are convinced they can satisfy the god of achievement who are out there, busy getting things done. But you, you’re sitting here like a bump on a log!

…Now, hopefully you’re here because you know this is the place to get a Word when you’ve been laid low. 

But maybe you’re here because you’ve learned, the hard way, that the god of achievement makes promises he can’t keep, and you’re searching for the God who can.

Or maybe, terribly, you’re here because the demands to achieve have snuck in with you here, like Sin did on the ark. And you think you have to be here to measure up before God

But, either way, God has the same Word for you! 

And that Word is freedom!

Are you ready for it? Because here it comes… 

On another UN-eventful day. In a place no newspapers felt any need to cover, all of heaven watched with bated breath as you were baptized!

And on that day, your name, like Phoebe’s, was written in a holy book; the Book of Life! And, like Phoebe, it’s just your name that was recorded. 

…But let me tell you, that’s more than enough! 

On the great, Last Day, the Book of Life will be the only book left! All other books will be put finally and fully away! Every other record of your accomplishments and failures will be blotted out forever; and all that will be left is the record of the day Jesus did everything FOR YOU! The day you were baptized. The day you were covered with Jesus Christ and his righteousness!

When your name is ready out of the Book of Life, you, like Phoebe, like every other saint whose name is recorded therein, will be raised from the dead! 

…And, you know, that can happen even now, you know…

If you’ve been laid low by the demands of achievement, listen up! 

I declare to you that, by simple right of your baptism, your name has been recorded in that great Book of Life! And as this Word makes his home in you the great, last day dawns! And all the freedom you will finally and fully have on that day is handed over to you! 

There is nothing more you must do, you see! That there is nothing left you must accomplish, you know! For Jesus has done it all, and handed it over to you! The One in whose name you are baptized has given you everything AND eternity, too!

So now to God who IS able to strengthen YOU according to the gospel and proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation and mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is NOW disclosed and made known to all, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory FOREVER!

And all God’s people say… AMEN!