Philippians 4 – selected verses
1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about[f] these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The friends who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of the emperor’s household.
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Not one of the assigned readings for today, the passage I chose to share will focus us on St. Paul’s words to the Philippians at the end of his letter. At the end of his letters, there is always a personal greeting of some kind. In each of them, there is a yearning to be together once again, face-to-face.
We know that feeling all too well. In the past few days, I have had several conversations with congregation members and colleagues who have all expressed the desire to greet one another face-to-face once again. So much of who we are as the church – the body of Christ – is being in contact with each other.
How I long to preach to a congregation sitting shoulder to shoulder, masks no longer needed, singing praises to God with loud voices and freely spewing aerosols without fear. How I miss seeing you all. Preaching to a camera just isn’t the same!
I miss you. I know I am not alone when I say that.
But I also will confess that I have not taken the time to reach out to those I miss. Not always.
So today, I invite you to join me in an exercise of community. As the body of Christ and individual members of it, let us build each other up by reaching out to each other in genuine love.
Take a moment and close your eyes (well, wait until I tell you what to do before you actually close your eyes) and recall sitting in worship. Pick a Sunday, or a special service like Christmas Eve, or a special service that was meaningful for you – a pre-COVID day. Consider that day, and when you close your eyes, look around in your memory and see who’s there. Who do you see? Who do you miss?
First of all, I invite you to offer a simple prayer. “Dear God, thank you for …..” If you want to add more to the prayer, this pastor is not going to stop you! Thank you God.
But, don’t stop there. I challenge you today to send a text or email, or (okay Boomer) pick up the phone and call, or write a note and stick it in the mail. Let someone know that today you are thinking of him or her. And if you wish to let people know you are praying for them (not simply saying that you are praying for them, but REALLY praying for them), let them know that, too.
God creates us to be community. We need it to survive. No wonder St. Paul always ends with this recognition.
I miss you. I thank God for you today.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, thank you for our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we build up one another in love. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.