Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighborhood monk in dogs.
Welcome back to our journey through Paul's letter to the Philippians.
Over these past days,
Paul has taken us deeper and deeper into the mystery of formation.
We've discovered that grace begins the work.
We've seen that our circumstances don't have the final word.
We've looked upon Christ who emptied himself in love and revealed the very heart of God.
We've met ordinary saints whose quiet faithfulness reflected the mind of Christ.
We heard Paul's invitation to let go of everything that prevents us from knowing Christ more deeply.
And yesterday,
Paul reminded us that we're still becoming.
The spiritual journey is never finished.
God is always forming us.
To the day as we enter Chapter 4.
Paul turns our attention to something that many of us deeply desire.
Peace,
But the peace Paul speaks about.
Isn't just about having a calm life,
It's something much deeper.
It's the presence of God holding us steady in the middle of an uncertain world.
So before we begin.
.
.
Just become still.
Take a nice,
Slow,
Deep breath.
Become fully aware.
Of not just you being present at the moment,
But God being present in the moment with you.
Remembering that we never pray alone because God is already here before we are.
And as we still our souls,
We open our ears to hear.
Philippians chapter 4 verses 1 to 9.
Paul writes.
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.
I urge Aeolia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
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.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again,
I will say,
Rejoice.
Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
The Lord is near.
Do not worry about anything,
But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
Let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God,
Which passes all understanding,
Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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 these things.
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.
Now Paul starts by saying,
Therefore,
My brothers and sisters,
You whom I love and long for,
My joy and crown,
Stand firm in the Lord in this way,
Dear friends.
Words that are incredibly tender.
In that sentence,
Brothers and sisters,
Joy,
Crown,
Dear friends,
So the language that's being used here is really someone who loves deeply.
And so notice that Paul is a leader,
Someone in authority.
Seize that authority and leadership that comes from relationship.
Before there is any instruction,
He offers affection.
And this is an important lesson for anyone who seeks to lead,
To teach,
Even to parent or accompany others.
People are transformed.
Through the love with which we speak to them.
Not just by what we say.
And then Paul uses the phrase,
Stand firm in the Lord.
This is a recurring image in the biblical text.
To stand firm doesn't mean refusing to move.
It doesn't mean to become rigid and defensive.
It's about being rooted.
There's an image of a tree here.
So the tree whose roots reach deep into the earth.
Also think about that house that's built upon the rock,
Or the person whose life is anchored in Christ.
Storms may come,
Winds may blow,
But the foundation remains.
And then interestingly,
Paul addresses what seems to be a disagreement.
He writes,
I plead with Iodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
Now,
We know just about nothing about these two women.
But we know they mattered.
Paul described them as women who had struggled alongside him in the work of the gospel,
So They're not two people who are just outsiders,
They're people who are committed and yet.
.
.
They're in conflict.
Isn't it comforting?
That the scripture preserves this,
That even in the early church,
There was not a perfect community and that's because it was a human community.
People loved God,
But sometimes they just struggled with one another.
Sounds familiar,
Doesn't it?
So the goal of community,
At least in the Christian context,
Isn't that Absinthe will disappear once that community comes together.
But it's to seek where grace is when those conflicts happen.
Paul doesn't tell them to pretend that nothing happens.
He just invites them back.
Into unity.
And this is really connected to the previous chapter where Paul has just said,
Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
Now he's applying that to this disagreement.
The mind of Christ isn't only revealed when we serve those we love,
It's revealed when we respond to those with whom we struggle as well.
Humility matters most when we have reasons to defend ourselves.
Love matters most when reconciliation costs us something.
And then Paul brings out the famous line,
Rejoice in the Lord always,
I'll say it again,
Rejoice.
Easy to say when things are going well.
But when things are going hard,
This sounds impossible.
Always,
Surely,
Paul.
Surely you don't mean every moment should feel joyful.
But remember where Paul is writing from,
He's writing from a prison cell,
So.
.
.
Joy for Paul.
Isn't something we drum up.
It's a spiritual posture.
It's a place from where we live.
It's rooted in the conviction that God is present no matter what's going on around us.
There's moments when we can't rejoice in what's happening,
But we can always rejoice knowing that there is someone with us in those moments.
Paul keeps going,
Let your gentleness be evident to all,
The Lord is near.
This is one of the most beautiful connections.
In the passage,
Gentleness.
The Greek word carries the idea of patience,
Graciousness and a willingness not to insist on one's own rights.
And why should people who follow in the way be gentle?
Because the Lord is near.
God's presence changes how we relate to others.
When we believe everything depends on us,
That's when we get defensive,
When we can trust that God is near.
We can become gentle.
There's no need to control every outcome.
There's no need to win every argument.
We can surrender because God is present.
And then Paul addresses something almost every person knows,
Anxiety.
He says,
Don't be anxious about anything,
But in every situation,
By prayer and petition with thanksgiving,
Present your request to God.
These words,
Again,
Are often misunderstood.
Paul isn't just dismissing anxiety.
He's not saying just stop worrying.
If you've ever experienced anxiety,
You know that it's rarely that simple.
But Paul's offering here a pathway.
He's not denying the concerns we have,
But he's redirecting them.
What occupies our minds can become the material of prayer.
The things that keep us awake at night can become the things that we place into God's hands.
So prayer is about bringing reality,
The things that we're experiencing.
Into the presence of God.
So notice the three movements Paul's giving us here,
Prayer,
Petition,
And thanksgiving.
Prayer turns our attention to God.
Petition allows us to honestly name what our needs are,
And Thanksgiving reminds us of God's faithfulness.
And together,
These things reshape the heart.
And then comes one of the most beloved promises of scripture,
And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds.
In Christ Jesus.
Now it's important to see what's not being promised here.
Problems disappearing,
Not promised.
Circumstances changing immediately,
Not promised.
Instead he promises something else.
Peace will stand guard.
The image again is one that's a military one.
The peace of God becomes like a sentry standing at the door of our inner life,
Guarding our hearts,
Guarding our minds,
Protecting us from being consumed by fear.
This isn't peace that we have to try and create or even find.
It's peace that's already here and all we have to do.
.
.
Is receive it.
And then Paul shifts from a prayer.
.
.
To attention.
He says whatever is true,
Noble,
Whatever is right,
Whatever is pure,
Whatever is lovely.
Whatever is admirable,
If anything is excellent or praiseworthy,
Think about such things.
So Paul understands something important about human formation,
What we repeatedly attend to.
Shapes us.
Our attention isn't neutral.
What we allow into our minds forms our imagination,
Our desires,
Our lives,
And this is why our spiritual practices matter.
Prayer,
Scripture,
Silence,
Gratitude.
Every single one.
Retrains our attention towards God.
This is a passage that really does speak powerfully.
Into our distracted age.
We live with constant information and noise and demands for our attention,
But Paul offers another way.
A life that is centred.
A life that is guarded.
A mind that is continually turned towards what's good.
So the question isn't just,
What am I thinking about?
The question is more,
What kind of person is my attention forming me into?
And maybe today you need to hear Paul's invitation to bring your anxiety before God.
Maybe you need to practice gentleness to release that need to prove yourself.
Maybe you need to examine what you're allowing to shape your imagination.
In all these cases,
The invitation of this passage is to enter into the presence of God.
So today,
I invite you to practice the ancient Christian prayer of surrender.
When you notice tension,
Anxiety,
Nervousness rising,
Just stop and take a breath.
And gently pray,
Lord,
I give this to you.
And then name what's concerning you.
That naming is important.
It's not about ignoring it.
It's about identifying it.
And handing it over.
And then when you've done that,
Just sit there together with God,
Praying,
Thank you.
That you are near,
And that gratitude becomes a doorway through which peace can begin,
Even in small ways,
To enter the moment.
So let's prime.
God of peace,
You know the burdens we carry,
The worries we hide,
The thoughts that disturb our hearts.
Teach us to bring everything into your presence.
Guard our hearts,
Guard our minds.
Free us from fear,
Teach us gentleness and gratitude.
It teaches to notice what is true and beautiful and good.
And may your peace,
Which is beyond our understanding,
Hold us securely in Christ.
And may grace,
Peace and love go with us and remain with us today and always.
Amen.
Thanks so much for being with me today.
Tomorrow we're going to come to Paul's final words in Philippians where he shares a secret about the freedom of contentment.
And we'll explore what it means to live from trust in the God who provides.
So until then,
May the peace of Christ guard your heart and your mind,
And may you remember always,
The Lord is near.
Bye for now.
