Saint Paul and the Rest of Us

For today's post, I'll direct you to my post at the Living Lutheran site which gets us ready for the Confession of Saint Paul, which we celebrate on January 25.

Here are some quotes to whet your appetite:

"But my life right now doesn't lend itself to learning Greek. I'll rest secure in the knowledge that the Paul that my 19-year-old self hated is not the real Paul. The real Paul is quite amazing. To think about what he accomplished just makes me tired and makes me feel a bit inadequate, truth to tell."

"Some criticize Paul's letters for their inconsistencies. I would remind us that Paul was writing to real congregations who were facing real problems. I imagine that he would be aghast at the idea that anyone centuries later would use them as a behavior manual to teach right behavior. It would be as if someone collected an assortment of your emails and centuries later used them as directions for ordering a Christian life and a Christian church. You would likely wish for the chance to revise them and restructure them."

"Do we need to be struck blind so that we can see again?"