Philippians
1:1-5; 6-11; 19-27 - Our Epistle
lesson for this week speaks of the generosity of Christ both in life and in
death. Paul finds life on earth is Christ while the anticipation of death is
gain. Paul says he does not know whether to live or die, because death would
mean heaven and a closer relationship with Christ, his greatest reward. Thus
our life here on earth is nothing but preparation for our life to be lived in
glory.
During the
summer months we went through a systematic and organized series of reading
through Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. This coming week we will consider
the opening lines of his letter to the Philippian congregation. He begins by writing with a greeting, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To
all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and
deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
(1:1-2)
The course and
flow of God’s good work in us is seen in Paul’s prayer (Philippians 1:9-11).
God’s good work begins with love (verse 9). But, Paul’s hope is that this deep
and passionate commitment to love might overflow with “knowledge and insight” (verse 9). This is an appeal that their love
might be right-sighted; that they might be wise and judicious in their actions,
so that when the day of Christ comes they might prove to be “pure and blameless” (verse 10). Perhaps
the best way to understand this is to speak of an intense and blemish-free
reflection of the life and love of Christ.
A final note
here is that Paul anticipates that it is through their devotion to Jesus Christ
and their life in Him, that the Philippians will have produced a harvest of
righteousness (Philippians 1:11) -- that is, plainly understood, they will have
embraced the challenge of living and establishing justice. [1]
Collect for Proper 20 – Lord God heavenly Father, since we cannot stand
before You relying on anything we have done, help us trust in Your abiding
grace and live according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our
Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever.[2]
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