Most of
Paul’s letters—including his letter to the Philippians—follow the standard
format for letters written at his time.
The beginning of the letter included four standard parts in the following prescribed order:
1. Information
about who the writer (or writers) of the letter are
2. To
whom the letter is addressed
3. A
formulaic greeting
4. A
Thanksgiving (or Blessing) of the person or persons to whom the letter is
addressed.
Philippians 1:
3-11 contains part 4 of the standard letter beginning, which is the thanksgiving
and blessing for the Christians in the church of Philippi, to whom the letter
is addressed.Just as in my message this week I intend to speak from my heart concerning my gratitude for Christ Church, so also the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippines is intensely personal and filled with gratitude: “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” (vv. 3-5) Paul’s thanksgiving for the Philippines is extravagant and intensely personal. In the typical thanksgiving, the writer thanks the person to whom the letter is addressed. But, in this passage note that Paul switches his thanksgiving from the Philippines. Instead of thanking the Philippines, Paul gives God thanks for the Philippines because of their sharing in the gospel, “from the first day until now.”
The theme of joy resounds throughout Paul’s letter to the Philippines. As biblical scholar Morna D. Hooker notes in her commentary for The Interpreter’s Bible.[i] The noun for joy and its cognates, translated as “to rejoice” and “to rejoice with” appear 14 times in the letter. At the beginning of his letter, Paul introduces the theme of joy by noting that he constantly prays with joy for the Philippines.
Paul gives thanks for the sharing, or partnership, in the gospel by the Philippines in verse 5. Further, Paul is confident that God “who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (v. 6). Paul’s use of “partnership” introduces a rich image, with multiple senses. But, in this context, Paul is referring to a large financial gift that the Philippines gave to Paul. Paul probably used their financial generosity in several ways. First, in the time of the New Testament, prisoners needed pay for their own food and upkeep, even while in prison. So, Paul used part of their financial gift to pay for those costs of food and other incidentals while he was in prison, awaiting trial.
However, secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the Philippines have contributed generously to an offering which Paul gathered to help poor Christians and widows living in Rome. Through their generous financial contribution, Paul states that the Philippians have become partners in the gospel; their financial contribution helps make them a partner with God in ministry. That is, the Philippians have made a financial investment in God’s Kingdom.
Paul is certain that the Philippians will receive a bounteous return on their financial investment in God’s Kingdom. He continues: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (vv. 6-7) It is clear that the Philippines are in partnership ministry with God, not only through their financial investment, but also through solidarity in prayer for Paul and in sharing with Paul in God’s grace.
This
portion of the letter concludes with Paul’s blessing for the Christians of
Philippi: “And this is my prayer, that
your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help
you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and
blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through
Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God” (vv. 9-11).
As
he begins this intercessory blessing on behalf of the Philippine church, Paul
makes an unusual juxtaposition.
Normally, we think of love as an emotion, as opposed to the rational—seemingly
emotionless thinking processes of the brain.
Yet, here Paul develops an understanding of love as being in a mutually
reinforcing, growing relationship with knowledge and rationality. Paul asks that that the Philippines love of
God will lead them to great knowledge and insight into who God is and how God
calls upon them to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Then, Paul hopes that this greater rational
knowledge and insight will increase and deepen their love for God.
In essence, Paul
describes a positive feedback loop: The
Philippines growing love will stimulate them to use their minds to learn more
and grow in their insight into how God intends for them to serve God, which in
turn will deepen and enrich their love for God, which will lead back again to
greater knowledge and insight into what God calls us to be and do as Christian
disciples.
Paul is certain that this
reinforcing feedback loop will cause the Philippine Christians to grow
ethically, becoming morally more pure and blameless, while also growing into a
closer relationship with Christ Jesus.
Obviously, this is a very rich and
provocative scriptural passage. Come,
join us this Sunday, November 15th, as we explore this passage and how it might
provide a system for ongoing spiritual growth in Christ Jesus. Also, join us as I explain how I see
important parallels between the church in Philippi and Christ United Methodist
Church, which is located at 4530 A Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our classic worship services are at 8:30 and
11:00 on Sunday mornings.
Everyone is welcome and accepted because
God loves us all.
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