Next Sermon Text: Galatians 2:1-10 (July 15, 2007)

2Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. ² I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain. ³But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. ⁴ But because of false believers^a secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us— ⁵ we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you. ⁶ And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those leaders contributed nothing to me. ⁷ On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised ⁸ (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the Gentiles), ⁹ and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was^b eager to do.

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a Gk false brothers

b Or had been

Musings on Writing an Autobiography

How would I write an autobiography of myself? Would I be be willing to show my warts to all who would be interested as a form of exhibitionism for voyeurs? Could I get myself out of the way to be honest so that picture I drew would be an image others might recognize? Or, would I reveal here to now mysteries of my inner life to others to make myself more actual to the reader?

These questions show how hard it was was fr Paul to tell about his life to those who would be critical of his words and thoughts. There is an audacity in his self-presentation, with a dash of arrogance -- only a dash -- for being clear about who Christ is for his life. We are never able to get away from Paul's person (not personality).