A treasured letter. Philippians 1.9-11

A treasured letter.

Twenty-one hundred miles from home … and upon my arrival, not knowing a single soul.  It was quite an experience—mostly a good one.  See, I had chosen to go to a Christian liberal arts college in St. Paul, Minnesota, far away from my Northern California home.  Getting adjusted to the Midwestern ‘take’ on things was probably my biggest adjustment, besides missing my mom, my piano, and my big black dog.  One thing was a source of continued joy while I was there—a letter from Home.  I read it, reread it, and then stuck it in one of my college textbooks and carried it with me.  I treasured the written connection from my mom and dad, as I pictured them sitting down at the kitchen table to write a letter to their little girl, far away from home.

Ah yes, those letters were treasures.

I knew my loving mother and dad pictured me as they wrote; just so, Paul pictured his Christian friends in the Philippian church.   Indeed, as he wrote from his cell in the Roman prison to express his gratitude for their faithfulness to Jesus Christ, and their continued love and support for him over the last decade since he had been able to be with them, he pictured some of their familiar faces.  Ah, how he loved them!

Meanwhile, in Philippi, and as is the custom, believers have gathered to worship God.  Among the faithful that meet in Lydia’s home, there is a buzz in the air because the word is out -- a letter has arrived from Paul!   Oh, how they adored their beloved pastor! 

Lydia smiles as she welcomes her dear ones, and remembers to herself: ‘Why, it seems just yesterday that I was praying with the women at the river, when Paul and Silas and the others joined us.  At first, we were wary of the strangers, until we listened to Paul.  I had never heard anything like it—and he got this other-worldly look on his face as he told us about how Jesus got his attention while he was traveling to Damascus.  Paul told us of the joy he had known in his heart ever since that time, and I leaned in closer so as not to miss a word.   He told us what it was like to experience the presence of God in his heart and life--no Jewish teacher I had ever heard talked like this man!  He really had our attention, and then went on to tell us that his experience was not for him alone, but that Jesus Christ wanted to have the same relationship with us . . . that we too could become followers of this Jesus Christ.  Oh, I shall never forget that day—it was the day of my rebirth—the day that I met my Lord, and was baptized into the Christian faith. 

So much has happened since then.  Just looking around, it is not just those women and me anymore, but many others have become a part of our gospel community.  Ah, now someone is about to read Paul’s words to us—

‘Brothers, sisters, a messenger delivered this letter from our brother Paul; I know you will treasure its words just as I have since its arrival.  Do not forget, Paul drafted this letter to us from a Roman prison; I cannot even imagine the depth of his love for Jesus Christ, and for us, that he would go to such lengths to send us encouragement, when he himself is in that torture chamber!  

“I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now ... It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”  Uh, allow me to interject something here—for all of you who sacrificed your own comfort to send provisions to Paul, you see how much it meant to him!  You see how much it aided him in his travels to spread the good news of the gospel—the same good news that he had brought to us all those years ago.

Permit me to continue reading, brothers.  “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

What do YOU think Paul meant, in praying that ‘their love would abound more and more…’?  We will continue to look at this treasured letter to the Philippians, but I must ask you--since you came to know Jesus, has your love come to abound more and more?  

Think on this--

Christine

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