Yesterday, the church commemorated the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, a day we celebrate Saul’s sudden, dramatic change from the evil persecutor of the church to Paul, history’s greatest evangelist of Christ. In case you missed it, no worries. You can read all about it.
Among Paul’s many gifts, he was a master of the follow up. If you didn’t understand his message or weren’t there at the time, you would likely receive a note afterward. As proof, take a look at the Bible: the New Testament contains letters he wrote to the early churches he founded. Today, the day after we recognized his conversion, the church celebrates Timothy, Titus, and Silas, companions of Paul’s and presumably letter carriers. Among their duties, they were messengers.
Timothy accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey as his young apprentice learned to spread the Good News throughout the Mediterranean. He was Paul’s “frontman,” traveling ahead of him to prepare for his arrival. Timothy also circled back to places following Paul’s departure to verify the ministry’s mission. In doing so, he occasionally carried Paul’s letters, notably the First Letter to the Corinthians. In case you missed it, it talks about “love is patient, love is kind,” and a noisy gong and clanging cymbal. Titus, who seems to be Paul’s next deputy, was the bearer of Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. That diddy of Paul tells the good people of Corinth, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Besides their duties as letter carriers, Timothy and Titus were apparently writers in their own right, having their names accredited to other letters in the New Testament canon.
Silas, the third Paul companion honored today, didn’t make it in the Bible as a bearer of his own book. Maybe that’s because we were never clear on his actual name. In the Acts of the Apostles, we know him as Silas, but in Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians, he is called Silvanus. So perhaps Paul was a more formal guy, referring to his pal by his Latin and Hellenistic name. Although it is unclear whether Silas/Silvanus served as Paul’s courier, Silvanus is credited with delivering Saint Peter’s first letter.
Today we celebrate these three couriers: Timothy, Titus, and Silas. On Sunday, January 29th, at 8:00 AM (spoken liturgy), 10:15 AM (Jazz worship), or 6:00 PM (healing service), we deliver the Good News. Join us for worship.
Blessings,
Pastor Marc
