Spiritual Exercise, 27th May 2020

Paul sailed with Barnabas and others from Antioch to Cyprus and then on to the coast and the south-central part of modern-day Turkey. Cyprus was the third largest island of the Mediterranean and important for its copper. It was during this journey that his name changed from “Saul”, to Paul. Paul started his ministry in the southern part of the Island among the Jewish communities. It is interesting to note that he started in the synagogues and then moved on to preach to the Gentiles which corroborates well with Romans 1:16. There was an argument between Paul and Peter with Barnabas siding with Peter over the Gentiles. Peter refused to eat with any Gentile at a table. Peter would continue to preach to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles. Paul left Barnabas and travelled to Greece (Macedonia)with Silas. They sailed from the island of Samothrace to Neapolis, the seaport near Philippi. From Philippi there was a major road called the Via Egnatia, which connected northern Greece from the Aegean Sea to the Adriatic. Along this road was the city of Philippi where Paul planted his first churches in Greece, Amphipolis, Apolonia and Thessalonica, the capitol of Macedonia to which Paul wrote his first letter.  Paul followed his old pattern by going to the synagogues first. Due to the Jewish opposition Paul moved to the house of Jason, one of his converts. It becomes clear now that the early church developed as a household church, with the early Christians meeting in the houses of prominent members of their community.

Paul’s journey sounds exciting to us. A boat trip through the Mediterranean visiting all the wee cities and towns, drinking coffee in a nice coffee shop outside while Greek music is playing in the background. I think we need to forget this idyllic picture and remember that in those days the ships were basic and the journeys treacherous so say the least.  Paul sacrificed a lot to preach God’s Gospel of truth to all people. As believers, we can make such a difference by telling others about Christ in subtle and not so subtle ways, not necessarily through our words but our actions of love and justice to all people. In lockdown we can reach out to others in ways that Paul did not have in his time. We do not have to travel for miles to bring God’s message of hope to the world. We can just write an email, pick up the phone or write a letter/card! Amen