A text – Philippians 4:1-9
4 1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion (the Greek says “yoke-mate”), help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about (the Greek says “take inventory of”) these things. 9 As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them, and the God of peace will be with you.
A reflection:
The end of Paul’s letter to the Philippian congregation is filled with joy, despite it being written by him when he was imprisoned. It is a summation of his advice in the previous chapter, but it is a kind of flourish of joyful expectation. You, like me, might be curious about verses 2 and 3. Were Euodia and Synthyche arguing? Should they now agree? No – remember Philippians 2 from a week or so ago – they are to have the same mind as Christ, who did what would help the entire community of followers – have the same mind in the Lord. They may not agree, but they can determine to “work side by side for the faith of the Gospel” – a verse from Chapter 1. And who was Paul’s yoke-mate in Philippi? He seems to believe that his yoke-mate can encourage the two women to act for the good of the faithful followers.
I love the next paragraph – Be anxious about nothing – just let God know your concerns, discover God’s peace, and live to edify others. What if we all followed this advice? I know it is a chemical reality for some people to be anxious all the time. I know they need real help letting go of their anxiety – it seems to be hard-wired into them. But it costs them and everyone around them so much joy. And the central point of this letter and especially this final section is joy. It is an ode to joy. Joy and gratitude for God’s peace.
If you suffer from anxiety, do something about that – see a therapist or a physician who can help you learn to live better with that condition. And if you suffer the occasional bout of anxiety, as almost everyone does in these days when everything screams at us 24/7, put away what screams. Close your eyes for a moment and do what Paul suggests: take inventory of these things: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise” wherever you find it. Dwell on the beauty and goodness God has placed around you. That will make it so much easier for you to receive God’s amazing peace. May it be so with you and all of us this week.
A prayer:
Lord God, thatnk you for loving us. Thank you for your peace, which passes all our understanding. Help us to have the mind of Christ that seeks to serve others whenever we can. And help us take inventory of all the beautiful things in our lives so that we can let go of being anxious. Peace be with us all. Amen.
