1. About the blog's name . . .

 About the blog's name . . .

Who was Phoebe? Why call this blog Phoebe's Sisters? Although she is only mentioned once in the New Testament (Romans 16:1-2), Phoebe was a remarkable Christian woman. 

Of the 27 people in the church in Rome that Paul greets in the last part of his letter, 10 are women. We know very little about any of these people, but he uses terms that convey his Christian love and genuine respect for the women and the work they do in the church. Phoebe, who is coming to them, is recommended in the highest terms, as a sister, a "servant", and a benefactor. Phoebe was from the church in Cenchreae, a port of Corinth (picture below) and was likely delivering the letter to the church for Paul.



Apparently single or a widow, she must have been wealthy or at least able to support herself and able to travel independently in a dangerous, arduous time. The trip from Corinth to Rome would have involved road and sea travel. Perhaps she was travelling on business. We don't know how she made her money, but she used it generously to help many people, including Paul himself. " She seems to have been powerful, influential, generous and sacrificial – qualities she used for God’s glory rather than her own. " (Ruth Perrin, 2009) As Jesus himself had modeled, she served humbly. This is apparent when Paul recommends her so kindly and asks the church family in Rome to help her in any way she needs. Paul knows she will not come pushing her way in, insisting on being treated as an important messenger from Paul.
Phoebe is a great role model for the competent, committed and generous sisters I see around me in the church today. So many acts of service, in quiet ways, and a willingness to use the talents, experiences, and life situations we find ourselves in to serve. May we all have the courage, faithfulness, and generosity of our sister in Christ, Phoebe! 

Recent media

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2. Fruit of the Spirit Series Introduction

Image
Welcome to our study on the Fruit of the Spirit!  Our study over the next several months will be guided more or less by some studies collected in a book called  Fruit of the Spirit: 48 Bible Studies for Individuals or Groups , by Phyllis J. LePeau, Jack Kuhatschek, Jacalyn Eyre, Stephen Eyre, and Peter Scazzero (2013, Zondervan Press). It's available as an e-book on Amazon.ca and I recommend you buy a copy -- BUT you do not have to have the book to participate in the study. I'll try to prepare us each week with one or more Bible readings and some questions to think about before class. Each of the fruit has several different lessons.   We're also blessed to be able to draw on some resources put together by a sister in Christ, Rebecca Hodges Turner, who has been leading a similar class on the Fruit of the Spirit (and who I got this idea from) that Irene Schlarb and I have been participating in for the last few weeks. (Rebecca is a Christian counsellor in Washington Sta...
Read more

3. Where do we start? Love

Image
The first fruit in our list is love. Each of us has a deep human need for love, whether we realize it or not. Failure to thrive (grow in a normal way) in young children can be a result of lack of love ( Stanhope R, Wilks Z, Hamill G. Failure to grow: lack of food or lack of love? Prof Care Mother Child. 1994 Nov-Dec;4(8):234-7. PMID: 8680203.)  Believer and non-believer, we look for love in many places. We long for it. As believers, we want the world to see and experience the love of God through us. The apostle John wrote, "No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1 John 4:12). As Jesus prayed in the garden just before his arrest and crucifixion, he said, "Righteous Father . . . I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known  in order that the love you have for me may be in them " (John 17:25-26)  But I can relate with Paul, who said, "For I do not understand my own actions. For I ...
Read more