Greetings,
Friends.
This is Mark Glideman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighborhood monk in dogs.
Welcome back to our journey through Paul's letter to the Philippians.
Yesterday we explored one of the most beloved passages in the New Testament,
The promise that the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard our hearts and our minds.
And today Paul continues speaking about the inner life.
But this time he turns our attention to something that sits at the very heart of spiritual maturity.
Contentment.
And in many ways,
This is one of the great themes of the whole letter,
Because at the beginning of the letter,
Paul told us that Christ had begun a good work within us and he showed us that the mind of Christ is a life of humility and self-giving love.
So now near the end of the letter,
He reveals one of the fruits of that transformation,
A heart that has learned to rest,
A heart that's no longer controlled by circumstances,
A heart that's discovered enoughness in God.
So before we listen.
.
.
Let's just stop and still ourselves and prepare ourselves to receive the words into good soil in our hearts today.
Let's take a nice slow deep breath in.
.
.
And notice what you're carrying today.
Maybe there's some desires.
Maybe worries,
Maybe things that you hope will change,
Or things that you fear losing.
Just in this short moment,
Bring them gently.
Into God's presence.
And we give them over today.
Philippians 4 verses 10 to 20.
Pool rods.
I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me indeed.
You were concerned for me but had no opportunity to show it.
Not that I'm referring to being in need,
For I have learnt to be content with whatever I have.
I know what it is to have little,
And I know what it is to have plenty.
In any and all circumstances,
I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry of having plenty and of being in need.
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
In any case,
It was kind of you to share my distress.
You Philippians indeed know that in the early days of the Gospel,
When I left Macedonia,
No church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except for you alone.
For even when I was in Thessalonica,
You sent me help for my needs more than once.
Not that I seek the gift,
But I seek the profit that accumulates to your account.
I have been paid in full and have more than enough.
I'm fully satisfied now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent.
A fragrant offering,
A sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father,
Be glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Sir Paul begins saying,
I rejoice greatly in the Lord.
That at last you renewed your concern for me.
Indeed,
You were concerned,
But you had no opportunity to show it.
And at first glance this can sound like a nice little thank you note.
The Philippians had sent Paul some financial support while he was in prison and Paul was grateful.
But then he says something.
Really interesting.
He says,
I'm not saying this because I'm in need.
For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
" This is really interesting.
Because Paul's grateful for their gift,
But he wants them to understand something important.
His joy isn't dependent upon receiving their gift.
His security doesn't come from what they provide.
His contentment comes from Christ.
And there's a beautiful balance here.
Paul's not saying,
I don't need anyone.
The spiritual life isn't a journey into self-sufficiency.
In fact,
This entire letter celebrates partnership.
For Paul,
The Philippians matter.
Their generosity matters.
Their friendship matters.
Human connection is a gift from God.
In fact,
It's the call that we have to live.
The very fact that Christians understand God as this three in oneness.
Really should point our attention to the truth that human beings were made to live in community with one another.
But Paul's discovered something much deeper.
People can bless us without becoming the source of our life.
That gifts can be received.
Without becoming our foundation.
There's a very,
Very important spiritual freedom here.
To receive with gratitude without clinging with fear.
And that's where Paul says,
I have learned to be content whatever.
The circumstances.
And the most important word here isn't perhaps contentment,
But learned.
Paul wasn't born with contentment.
It was formed in him over time through experience and suffering and prayer.
And walking with God.
And this is important because a lot of us assume that peaceful people are just wired differently to us.
Maybe there are some that are naturally calmer but Paul's suggesting here that contentment is a spiritual practice.
It's something we learn like patience and forgiveness.
Like generosity and like love.
So the soul is formed.
Through repeated choices.
Now,
One of the greatest obstacles to contentment is the word when.
I mean,
You've probably said some things like,
When I have more money,
When my circumstances improve,
When the problem's solved,
When people understand me,
When I finally achieve that goal,
Then.
I will find peace.
But the problem with when?
Is that the when always moves.
We arrive at one destination only to discover there's another one waiting.
And the human heart can become trapped in endless anticipation,
Always waiting.
For life to begin.
But Paul's offering us another possibility.
Life is already happening,
God is already present,
And Christ is already.
Enough.
And it's important to understand what Paul doesn't mean.
Contentment doesn't mean we stop growing.
It doesn't mean that we stop working for justice or that we ignore suffering.
Christian contentment isn't real.
Passive acceptance.
But it is active trust.
It says,
I can faithfully work toward change without believing my peace depends upon the outcome.
And that's a really deep-seated freedom.
We can care deeply.
And yet at the same time not be completely consumed.
We can serve passionately without losing ourselves.
We can desire good things.
But we can do it without making them the ultimate things.
And then Paul keeps going,
I know what it is to be in need.
I don't know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content.
In any and every situation.
He is a man who is speaking from experience.
He's known abundance.
He's known poverty.
He's known acceptance and rejection.
He's known freedom and imprisonment.
Yet through all of it,
He's discovered a secret.
What is it?
Paul tells us.
He says,
I can do all this through the one who gives me strength.
Now,
This is another one of those verses that's been completely misunderstood.
Sometimes it's used as a declaration that we can accomplish anything we want,
But that's not what Paul is saying here.
He's not saying,
Through Christ,
I can achieve all my ambitions.
He's actually saying through Christ,
I can remain faithful in every circumstance.
The strength that Jesus gives us isn't always the strength to change our situation.
Sometimes it's the strength to remain rooted,
Even in the midst.
Of our situation.
So the secret that Paul's discovered.
Isn't a technique or a mindset,
It's a person.
It's Jesus.
Contentment comes.
When Christ becomes the center from which everything else flows,
When Christ is enough.
When that happens,
Success becomes a gift.
Rather than her identity.
Failure becomes a moment rather than a definition.
Possessions become blessings rather than burdens.
Relationships become gifts rather than demands.
Life becomes received.
Rather than held onto too tightly.
And once again,
This something deeply.
Benedictine about Paul's teaching here.
St.
Benedict understood the importance of balance.
In The Rule,
We read Benedict talking very strongly right throughout about moderation.
About receiving what's needed,
About avoiding excess,
But also about avoiding deprivation.
The Benedictine life isn't about rejecting the world.
It's about learning to receive the world in the right way.
A meal becomes gratitude.
Work becomes prayer.
Rest becomes trust.
Community becomes gift.
The monastic life isn't about having less,
It's about needing less in order to feel that we are complete and whole.
And so this passage in Philippians speaks very strongly to our culture,
Doesn't it?
This whole thing of accumulation.
The messages around us that say you need more,
Whether it's success or recognition or experiences or possessions or money or certainty.
Paul gently prods us with a question.
What if the deepest freedom is discovering that Christ is already enough?
Maybe contentment begins with gratitude.
Gratitude now and everything's perfect later on.
Maybe we're grateful for this breath,
This moment,
This person before us,
This opportunity,
This day.
And so there's a question we can hold in reflection here.
What am I currently believing I need in order to be at peace?
What have I secretly made necessary?
What have I placed between myself?
And contentment.
Just see what comes to the surface there.
And as you do,
I invite you to practice a prayer of enoughness.
That even at this moment now we might pray.
God,
You are enough for this moment.
And it's a prayer that you can carry throughout the day when you're feeling anxious about the future.
God,
You're enough for this moment.
When comparison stirs up,
God,
You're enough for this moment.
When you feel some pressure to maybe try and prove yourself,
God,
You're enough for this moment.
Let that be the prayer that slowly but surely retrains your heart.
God,
You are enough for this moment.
Let us pray.
God,
You're the treasure beneath all treasures.
Teach us the secret Paul discovered.
Teach us contentment.
Free us from the endless hunger for more.
Help us receive each day as a gift.
Help us hold possessions,
Achievements and circumstances with open hands.
May we discover the freedom of knowing that wherever we are,
Whatever we face,
You're with us.
You're enough.
And may grace,
Peace,
And love go with us and hold us today and always.
Amen.
Thanks so much again for joining me.
Now tomorrow we come to the conclusion.
Of our journey through Philippians,
Paul's final greeting.
Might look like a simple ending,
But hidden within those words,
There's a beautiful truth that the grace of Christ reaches into ordinary communities,
Ordinary homes and ordinary lives.
So until then,
May you discover the freedom of contentment and may you rest in the presence of the one who is always enough.
Bye for now.
