Daily Dose of Hope

March 26, 2026

Scripture: Romans 16

Prayer: Holy God, We start by praising your name. You are a good God, a mighty God, and a wise God. Work in our lives. Speak to us. We need you, Lord. Over and over again, we need you. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are working our way through Paul's New Testament letters, in chronological order. Today, we are finishing the book of Romans and tomorrow we begin the book of Ephesians.

Our reading for today is Romans 16. The final chapter of Romans has this beautiful section of greetings to the people that Paul has worked with and encountered in his ministry. I love how this was obviously a letter for regular people. This was not a letter intended for religious scholars. Rather, Paul sent it to people he cared about in an effort to help them in their own lives and ministries.

Another interesting note is that out of twenty-six people who are listed as special workers in ministry, nine are women. This is especially impressive because Rome was a male-dominated society and women had little, if any, social and legal standing. But in the church, things were different. There is also a variety when it comes to the names: some of Jewish, some are Latin, and many are Greek. While I'm sure the early church had its issues, it appears to be a diverse mix of men and women, from different cultural and religious backgrounds. Essentially, it was a great picture of the Kingdom of God.

God's Kingdom is universal, with people from all races, cultures, and stations in life. In God's Kingdom, men and women serve alongside each other. It's a place in which every single human life has value and no one is better than another. God's values are actively at work: love, justice, mercy, righteousness, hope, and freedom for the oppressed. Somewhere in the history of the church, it got off track. The church became less Kingdom-focused and more about growing the institution. It began to resemble the culture around it. Certain people were excluded, corruption crept in, sin invaded. It's hard to read a church history text because it seems so far from the church Paul was trying to establish.

Paul also warns his dear friends about avoiding division and those who seek to create it. He actually says to stay away from people who create conflict in the church. Wow. That's handy guidance. Be aware, be vigilant, listen to the Holy Spirit, and don't be deceived by the evil one.

As much as the church has gone through, we know that the powers of Satan and the powers of men cannot defeat it. I think of Jesus' words in Matthew 16 when he tells Peter that it's on that rock, his confession of Jesus' Lordship, that Jesus will build his church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. The church has and will prevail, despite all our brokenness and sin. God's mercies are new every single day! As a church, we can pray and strive to be a better picture of God's Kingdom. In fact, my on-going prayer for New Hope is that we will become a multiplying congregation-multicultural, multiracial, and multigenerational. I pray that we will be the kind of place where people from all walks of life find a place of belonging, a place to be nurtured and loved. I hope you will join me in this prayer.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki