Expecting to jump into a cultural context and ecclesial context which he was not familiar with first hand experience, the Apostle Paul writes his letter to the church (or churches) at Rome. It seems that the churches in Rome were disperate, spread out and theologically diverse at least in terms of their practice, if not their belief. And since Paul seemed to have wanted the church at Rome to be a base for his mission to Spain - since he was not one to be the renegade apostle he's sometimes portrayed as - he had a lot of work to do if he was to "unite" them under the Biblical vision of what God had done in Christ; the message he sought to preach.
Considering this "diversity" and Paul's desire to link it all together, it's interesting to see what Paul hones in on as he develops his story-informed letter. Is there a lesson for us, who live in diverse times, cities and places?
The central concern of Paul, I believe, is to get down to the narrative which unites all of God's people. That narrative is the Good News, or the announcement that Jesus is the Lord's Messiah and the rightful ruler of all of God's creation. This is Paul's greatest concern as he unfolds his letter and I believe we can read Romans as a sustained defence of God's narrative, the gospel. This is, above all else, what Paul wishes for his readers to grasp. His "if you don't get anything else I say, get this!" type of moment.
If the gospel - God's narrative - is the common thread of unity among this diverse groups of believers, how much more for us?
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