Paul’s communities were not only small but deeply committed and intentional. To become part of one was a serious undertaking. Jesus had been condemned and executed by Rome.    Joining this movement meant risk – to call Jesus Lord and Son of God meant that the emperor was neither of these things. It meant becoming counter-cultural, rejecting the values of dominant culture and living in accord with another vision of how things should be. Paul referred to them as communities whose identity was in Christ and as the body of Christ. They were a new creation in the midst of this world that subverted this world.

The small size of these communities meant that they were intimate. Their members knew and were committed to taking care of each other. Paul’s frequent use of the language of brothers and sisters is not just affectionate. It is truly new family imagery. People who became part of one of his communities took on the same     responsibilities for each other that blood brothers and sisters had. In the first century urban context in which many had lost their blood families because of        migration and high mortality rates, this was a powerful image of community. It also meant that these were share communities: if you were part of this community, you would eat.

Paul’s relationship to urban Christian communities is the historical context of his letters. With one exception, the seven genuine letters of Paul were written to communities. The only one addressed to an individual is Philemon. But even it was to be read to the group of Christ-followers who gathered in his house. Again with one exception, the seven letters were written to communities Paul had founded and thus knew firsthand. The exception is Romans. When he wrote to the Christian community in Rome, he had not yet been there. But he planned to be, and Romans is to some extent an introduction to Paul’s way of seeing things for Christians whom he planned to visit.

From reading his letters, we find that the communities founded by Paul were sometimes conflicted, especially those in Galatia and Corinth. Though they were all committed to Jesus, they sometimes differed about what that meant. Some who were deeply conflicted wrote to Paul with questions.

His letters are correspondence in context – as all correspondence is. Letters are not meant for the world. They are meant for the person(s) to whom they are sent. They presuppose a relationship, a connection. And the context for understanding them is what we can know about that relationship.

The content of his letters, however, have great relevance for us today. We must think about what message he has for us who are now reading these letters in the 21st Century. They are relevant!