Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighborhood monk in dogs.
Welcome back as we continue our journey through Paul's letter to the Philippians.
Yesterday,
Paul invited us to work out the grace that God has already worked into our lives.
We've reflected on what it means to shine like stars by quietly reflecting the light of Christ in those ordinary moments of everyday life.
Today then we come to a passage that Lots of people attempted to skip over because at first glance it doesn't seem all that exciting.
Paul talks about two people,
Timothy.
.
.
And apathroditis.
He tells the Philippians that he hopes to send Timothy soon.
And he explains why Epaphroditus is returning home.
The truth is though,
This is more than just travel plans being passed through.
It's one of the beautiful things about scripture.
God often hides profound truths in ordinary places just like this.
This passage is not here by accident.
After showing us the humility of Christ,
Paul is now giving us two living examples of what humility looks like in the everyday.
So before we begin.
I invite you as always just to become still.
To just allow your breath to rise and fall.
There with you,
It's always been with you and will continue to be with you just like God is every day.
And just allow your breath to bring you into that awareness of the presence of God here with you in this moment.
And remember today that God is often found in those seemingly dull.
Not too spectacular.
But faithful moments of everyday life.
So let's listen to what Paul writes there in Philippians chapter 2 verses 19 to 30.
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon.
So that I may be cheered by news of you.
I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned with your welfare.
All of them are seeking their own interests,
Not those of Jesus Christ.
But Timothy's worth you know.
How,
Like a son with a father,
He has served with me in the work of the Gospel.
I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me,
And I trust in the Lord that I will also come soon.
Still,
I think it is necessary to send you Epaphroditus,
My brother and co-worker and fellow soldier,
Your messenger and minister to my need.
For He has been longing for all of you and has been distressed because you heard that He was ill.
He was indeed so ill that he nearly died,
But God had mercy on him.
And not only on him,
But on me also,
So that I would not have one sorrow after another.
I am the more eager to send him therefore,
In order that you may rejoice at seeing him again,
And that I may be less anxious.
Welcome him then.
In the Lord with all joy and honour such people.
Because he came close to death for the work of Christ,
Risking his life to make up for those services that you could not give me.
So immediately after the great hymn to Christ,
Paul introduces Timothy.
And he says there,
I have no one else like him who will show genuine concern for your welfare.
Those are pretty important words because Paul's travelled with a lot of people.
In you gifted preachers,
Brilliant teachers.
Courageous missionaries but he says I have no one like Timothy.
Why though?
Why Timothy?
Was he a great speaker or strategist,
A gifted leader?
Paul doesn't mention any of those things.
He said,
Everyone looks out for their own interests,
Not those of Jesus Christ.
But you know that Timothy has proved himself.
So see there what distinguishes Timothy.
He genuinely cares about people.
He hasn't drummed up some fake concern.
It flows naturally from a heart that's shaped by Christ.
Paul has spent this whole letter urging the Philippians to put their own interests aside so that the others' interests can go before them.
And now he says,
If you want to know what that looks like,
Look at Timothy.
He might not be famous,
But he's faithful.
And in God's kingdom,
Those things are very,
Very different.
There's a temptation in every generation to confuse visibility with significance.
We assume that the people making the greatest difference are those whose name are known by many,
But the Kingdom of God tells a completely different story.
Think of Jesus himself.
30 years of quiet,
Hidden life where we didn't see any miracles,
There weren't any sermons,
Crowds weren't anywhere.
There was just faithfulness to God's call and mission.
What about St.
Joseph?
The Gospel Record.
Shows not one single word spoken.
So obviously Joseph's words weren't that important that they had to be written down.
And yet he faithfully stays with Mary and raises Jesus through to adulthood.
I mean,
There's probably countless unnamed disciples.
Who have over the years quietly cared for the poor,
Welcomed strangers,
Prayed faithfully,
Served their communities.
History often doesn't write down and even forgets their names,
But God never does.
And Timothy belongs to that company.
He reminds us that holiness is usually hidden.
And then there's that beautiful line,
As a son with his father,
He is served with me in the work of the gospel.
And that's a beautiful picture of not just ministry,
But of formation.
Timothy hasn't just worked alongside Paul,
He's been shaped by Paul.
He's learned to see the way Paul sees and of course Paul has learned to see the way of Christ.
Likewise the way of praying and the way of loving.
True formation.
Is usually something that can't be gained just by reading books.
It happens through relationships.
We become like those with whom we walk.
And Saint Benedict understood this very well.
The monastery.
It wasn't just a place for people to study the rule,
It was a place where they learnt to live together.
They watched one another,
Served one another,
Forgave one another,
And slowly,
Sometimes without even seeing it,
Christ has formed within the community.
So maybe we should be asking ourselves.
Who's helping to form me?
And equally,
Who am I helping to form?
And then Paul turns to Apaphroditus.
Unlike Timothy,
We don't know very much about Apaphroditus.
It seems he was sent by the Philippian church to bring support to Paul and somewhere along the journey he becomes very,
Very ill.
In fact,
Paul says,
Indeed,
He was ill and almost died.
The Philippians have heard that their friend has nearly died and Epaphroditus has heard that they're worried about him.
And poor worries about both of them.
I think this is a very,
Very human.
Image here.
You know,
The early church isn't a community of superheroes.
It's ordinary people.
They become sick and worried.
They miss one another.
They carry one another's burdens.
Faith doesn't remove our humanity and grace doesn't erase our vulnerability.
But both can carry us through those moments.
Paul describes Epaphroditus with four titles.
He uses the words brother,
Co-worker,
Fellow soldier.
And messenger and each one reveals something different.
Brava.
Is family.
Coworker.
Shared mission.
Fellow soldier,
Obviously not a soldier of violence,
But as somebody who has banded together with you to share in some sort of vision together.
And then Messenger.
One who's entrusted with carrying hope from one place to another.
And it's interesting that all of these titles are incredibly relational.
And once again.
Paul isn't defining anyone by their achievements here,
But by their relationships.
And maybe that tells us something about the way God sees us,
That our deepest identity is in our belonging.
To God?
And to one another.
And then Paul says something that,
Again,
Is easy to pass over.
Honor people like him.
And based on what we've read in this passage,
It's easy to see why Paul might be asking them to do this.
Epaphroditus has remained faithful to the task that's been given to him.
In the modern world,
We're very,
Very quick to celebrate giftedness.
But what Paul celebrates here is faithfulness.
We often admire charisma,
But Paul here is saying honor perseverance.
Around us,
Success is applauded,
But Paul says to bless quiet service.
This is a vision we really need to recover.
What if?
Everywhere we went.
Community celebrated things like kindness and dependability.
And compassion.
How different.
What our world becomes.
And so as I sit with this passage,
I find myself thinking about all the ordinary people who have shaped my life.
And maybe you can think of some too.
That teacher who stood beside you,
The grandparent who was always there for you,
The colleague who offered their encouragement,
The friend who simply stayed.
Most of them will never be remembered in the history books.
But in their own way,
They've helped shape eternity.
Maybe the greatest compliment that someone could receive is,
What a faithful person.
That's the language Paul uses.
Maybe it's the language of heaven as well.
In this passage.
Also reminds us that Christian formation is never something we do alone.
We need Paul's.
We need people who mentor us.
We need Timothys,
People who walk beside us.
We need Epaphroditus's.
People whose faithfulness and love keeps communities alive.
Nobody grows alone.
The spiritual life is something that's made to be shared and walked together.
As Ram Dass once said.
We're all just walking each other.
So today I invite you.
To do something really simple.
Think of one person.
Whose faithfulness has helped shape your life,
And if it's possible,
Send them a message,
Write them a quick note,
Send them a letter or a card,
Maybe a phone call.
If you can't,
Maybe hold them in your memory,
Pray for them,
Think of them.
Whatever you do though,
In some way,
Tell them thank you.
Why?
Because they've kind of reflected that Spirit of Christ to you.
And may your prayer for them be a prayer of gratitude for the gift that this person has been to your life.
Let's pride.
Faithful God,
We thank you today for the ordinary people who quietly reveal your love to us.
Thank you for those who've prayed for us,
Encouraged us,
Served us,
Remained faithful through the years.
Make us people like Timothy,
Who's Hearts generally care for others,
Make us people like Apaphroditus.
Whose service strengthens community.
Teach us to value faithfulness more than recognition,
Service more than status and love more than success.
May our ordinary lives become extraordinary because they reflect the life of Christ.
And may grace,
Peace and love go with us and remain with us as we go,
Today and always.
Amen.
Thanks for being with me again today.
Tomorrow we're going to move into chapter three.
And hear Paul speaks with real deep honesty about his own life.
He puts aside every achievement that maybe defined him at one point and discovers that nothing compares with knowing Christ.
So until then,
May you recognize the holy work that God is doing through the ordinary people around you.
And may your own quiet faithfulness become a blessing to someone else.
Until tomorrow.
Bye for now.
