Philippians 1:1-11 (NRSV)
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Chapter 1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Verse 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 3I thank my God every time I remember you, Verse 4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, Verse 5because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. Verse 6I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
Verse 7It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. Verse 8For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.
Verse 9And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight Verse 10to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, Verse 11having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Devotion
The letter to the Philippians suggests a spirituality for friendship desperately needed for our time. The beginning of this letter is also a model for communication today. Imagine what it meant for the people of Philippi to be thanked for their struggle to live the Gospel faithfully. Imagine receiving 12 e-mails in one day, all of which began with the writer giving thanks for remembering you. Imagine sending e-mails to 12 friends giving thanks for their friendship and the joy they have brought to your life. Imagine how congregations might be changed if we regularly said “thanks” to one another for what it means to be partners in the Gospel. Imagine how our Lenten disciplines might be transformed by gratitude.
Prayer
Sustaining God, fill us with joy and gratitude as we remember our friends near and far who are partners in faithful living. Amen.