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“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18). That’s what God said to the people of Israel in the Bible’s greatest hit from the book of Leviticus. As far as formulas go, it’s terrific. For thousands of years, it has worked well in most of the world’s religions. Hindus affirm that “one should not behave toward others in a way which is dis...
Read MoreDear FPC Members and Friends, Thank you for the faith and courage you are showing in this coronavirus pandemic. We hope that you have remained well, and that you have the supplies you need. As of today, we have been online-only as a congregation for two full months. We are anxious to gather for worship in the Sanctuary once again, but we do not wan...
Read MoreThe first letter of Peter encouraged the Christians in Asia Minor to stay the course in the face of persecution as well as milder forms of social boycotting and verbal abuse. “Beloved,” says Peter, “do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you” (1 Pet 4:12). He saw it as an opportunity to share in Christ’s suf...
Read MoreThe apostle Peter wrote his first letter to Christians in Asia Minor, which is now Turkey, in a time of persecution by residents of the Roman Empire. “Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles,” he encouraged them, “so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge” (1 Pet...
Read MoreLike Hebrews, the letter of James was written to Jewish Christians, and his focus was the proper relationship between faith and action. “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers,” he said to a group of Christians outside of Palestine (Jas 1:22). “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (Jas 2:17). At the end of the letter, he turned his...
Read MoreThe Letter to the Hebrews is the first of the General Epistles, a set of letters that were addressed to a general audience, unlike the letters of the apostle Paul. Hebrews was written to Christians who had grown up Jewish, featuring elements that were connected to the ancient sacrificial system of Israel. According to Hebrews, Jesus Christ “had to...
Read MorePaul’s letter to Philemon is his only surviving private letter, and it is a very personal message to a “dear friend and coworker” (Phlm 1) who is a slave-owner. In the letter, Paul encourages Philemon to forgive a runaway slave named Onesimus and to welcome him back — not as a piece of property, but as a brother in Christ. He wants Philemon to emb...
Read MoreTitus was an assistant to the apostle Paul, and was described as a “loyal child in the faith” (Titus 1:4). Having departed, Paul wrote to him, “I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). He also instructed Titus to silence “rebellious p...
Read MorePaul began his second letter to “Timothy, my beloved child” (2 Tim 1:2) by giving thanks for the young man’s “sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you” (2 Tim 1:5). He reminded his colleague that “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power...
Read MorePaul’s first letter to Timothy was written by the apostle to a younger colleague, one that he described as “my loyal child in the faith” (1 Tim 1:2). Paul began by admitting, “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence” (1 Tim 1:13). Paul was a blasphemer, showing contempt for God or things that are sacred. In his younger days...
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