Rejoice in the Lord

We have come to the end of our journey through Paul’s letter to the Philippians today. Here Paul sums up the whole letter when he calls the Philippians his joy and crown and tells them to live in the joy of knowing Jesus. This is a message that many Christians seem to miss. They are more concerned about what they should wear to the wedding banquet as our parable in Matthew suggests than of knowing and living the joy of Christ Jesus. Not that it is easy to live in the joy of being known by God. Even those to whom Paul wrote did not always do that. Take Euodia and Syntyche for an example. They both were companions of Paul at some time. Maybe they were the first converts in Philippi and worked with Paul to build the church there. Maybe they traveled with him and helped spread the gospel to a larger community. While those are just guesses, the fact that they seemed to have a dispute between them bothered Paul and he encouraged them to treat each other as Jesus had treated them.

Disputes between members of the Christian community is not the only concern Paul had. He also tells them to not worry. That is easier said than done. We all have worries. In our busy and sometimes confusing world we struggle to meet the needs of our families and selves and often forget Jesus. That is why Paul, in the same paragraph, talks about taking your worries to God in prayer and with thanksgiving. Not thanks for the worry or trouble. But thanks for the gift of Jesus’ salvation. Paul seems to be talking from experience here. He certainly had his own worries and struggles. He was, as he wrote this letter, in prison possibly facing death. Yet he was able to pray with thanksgiving. We note that he does not say that your request will be met. Instead, with prayer you will receive the peace of God that surpasses all understanding and will guard your hearts and minds. In fact, that is all we can hope for – the peace of knowing Jesus walks with us through our troubles and guides us along the right pathways.

So rejoice in the Lord, God sent Jesus to bring you back into the fold, fill you with love, guide your life, and give you peace. Let's face it, our worries are usually self-inflicted. We desire and strive for things that are beyond our reach that promise a better life but only bring more worry and strife. Instead of listening to the world for what you should strive for listen to Paul when he tells you, “let your gentleness be known to everyone,” and “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” In other words, strive to show the world the peace that can only come from God. Even when you are sitting at the table in the presence of your enemies – sin and death. Here is that table upon which is prepared the body and blood of your Lord and savior. Here is a foretaste of the feast of fat things and well-aged wine strained clear where God will finally destroy death and all will say, “Here is our God whom we have waited for let us be glad and rejoice in our salvation.” What a glorious day that will be. Until then, rejoice in the Lord always knowing the peace that only God can give through prayer and thanksgiving around God’s gift of life.