Romans 16:1-16

Romans 16:1-16
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I think the thing to take away from this long list of greetings is that the church, to Paul, is a lot of individual relationships that are bound together by the love of Christ.  We aren't some nameless group that gathers in anonymity -- we know each other, and we are known, and we are responsible for each other.  You matter.  I matter.  Each and every one of us matters as an individual.
  Augustine tells us that God loves each of us as if there was only one to love.  You infinitely matter to God, and so we should focus on one another, loving individually, building relationships, and letting the church be a place where we are known, that we may be built up and sent out to proclaim the Gospel.