Real Life
I love the real life situations in the scriptures. This coming Sunday we begin a new sermon series on the book of Philippians. Philippians is filled with very real human drama. There is Paul's imprisonment in Rome and his chained-up preaching to the Imperial household. There is his friendship and yearning for the Philippians, who in turn have sacrificially cared for Paul during his imprisonment. There are other external trials and internal conflicts that are besetting the Philippian church. There are specific people named - Epaphroditus, Timothy, Euodia and Syntache. It is all very real.
In the midst of these very real situations, Paul speaks of the irresistible movement of the Lord that has begun the good work in lives of the believers (Phillipians 1:6), a good work that abounds in love, joy, wisdom, patience in suffering, and humility. It is a movement of grace and peace FROM Christ that has located us IN Christ in order that we might be servants OF Christ (Phillipians 1:1,2). There is so much in this little book and I can't wait to dig into it together!
Like the Philippians, we need what Paul, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, had to say. For our lives are just as real as the Philippians. We too know the external pressures and internal disagreements of 21st century America. We too feel the effects of living in a religiously pluralized, secular society. We too have many relationships with real people that are broken or interrupted and we yearn, with the affections of Christ (Phillipians 1:8), for them to be restored. We too are desperate for the grace and peace which comes from Christ, that locates our lives in him and enables us to be his servants.
As a holdover from the gathering of our Presbytery (which we are hosting Friday and Saturday), Jon Medlock and Don Guthrie will be leading us during our Adult Institute hour as we contemplate what healthy church ecosystems look like. These are indeed challenging times for the church, but God gives much grace. Jon and Don have also co-authored a study for the denomination that point us in the direction of that grace.