Have you ever been in one of those debates where people are trying to decide what part of the whole is most important?  “Which organ in your body is most vital?”  “What staff position is most significant?”  “What player is most valuable?”  People have long debated which book of the Bible is the most essential, and not a few of them have answered, “Romans,” with good reason.  Romans is the longest letter in the New Testament and the most thorough explanation of God’s mercy to us in the Gospel.  As we spend the better part of 2016 studying Romans, pray that we get a clearer view of God’s mercy to us.  And pray too that our community gets a clearer view of God’s mercy through us.