Catherine Fink

Reading 9: What then are we to say? “What then are we to say?” St. Paul urges us to respond in kind to God’s overwhelming grace; but instead of using our mouths to proclaim God’s love, we often use our speech to hurt others, to render judgments, to gossip. Profanity is spewed at black professional […]

Reading 8: Peace with God When our children were little our bedtime ritual included family time during which both children talked about their days, we said prayers, gave and received blessings from one another, and then when I tucked them into their beds I filled their palms with kisses. Both children would hold the kisses

Reading 7: Revelation of God’s Righteousness Bouncing along the bumpy dirt road in a land cruiser, I looked out over the coffee fields of Nicaragua. I had learned so much in this week. I had met women who, due to the support of Lutherans, could now cook over clean gas stoves instead of smoky wood.

Reading 6: Flipping Frames: The Faithfulness of Difference In these verses we Lutherans often hear strong echoes of our Reformation confessions around justification by faith. But just what that those echoes mean in Paul’s world cannot be distilled so readily. An odd Greek phrase appears in verse 22, dia pisteos Iesou Christou. In Greek, the

Reading 5: Seeing our need It’s hard to figure this out. It’s hard to hear St. Paul say that God’s judgment and wrath are upon those who do not act righteously, that God will repay each one according to their deeds, and that those who do good will have glory and honor (2:6-10). We call

Reading 4: The Wrath Wrath is defined as ‘the emotional response to perceived wrong and injustice, ‘Often translated as anger, indignation, or irritation. Here we have the wrath of God on His righteous people; they have turned away from Him and are seeking pleasures to fulfill their desires. It’s the same for us today when

Reading 3: The Gospel is the power of God In Romans 1:1-17, the Apostle Paul provides a snapshot of the world in which he lived and interpreted in the light of his encounter with the risen Christ. First Century Rome, the cosmopolitan imperial capital, is described by Paul in terms of polarizations: Greeks and Barbarians,

Reading 2:To Rome, with love, from Paul Reformers reading Romans. Indeed they did! Martin Luther claims in his preface to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans that “This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is our purest Gospel. “He goes on to say that …therefore every Christian

Reading 1: Encounter the Word Open my eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus. To reach out and touch him and show that we love Him. Open my ears, Lord and help us to listen. Open our eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus. 

Would you prefer having a printed study of  “Reformers Reading Romans” to read Romans with us this summer? We’ve got you covered! Here is a compilation of all twenty-two readings. The readings will be posted daily on our website and on our Facebook page beginning July 9. Join us as we read Romans together this