Sunday, September 29, 2024

Philippians Overview

This Sunday we begin a new study series in one of my favorite letters of the New Testament: Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.

As you may know, joy is a central theme that runs like a thread throughout the entire letter. We often think of joy, which has the idea of gladness and delight, as something we feel only when life is good or going well, and, conversely, as something that is fleeting when life is bad or goes wrong.

But the kind of joy Paul writes about to his friends in Philippi (while he himself is in prison!) has been described as, “like a flower that somehow manages to take root and bloom out of a crack in the sidewalk.” In other words, the joy God has for us is of the kind we can have even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Even when life is hard, followers of Jesus can find a joy in the Lord, that is more than a feeling or a positive attitude or even an optimistic outlook – but rather a deep-seated smile down at the level of the soul that comes from confidence in God’s goodness and faithfulness.

(This week will begin our study of Philippians with a bird’s eye overview of the letter and next week we will start with a worm’s eye analysis of each verse.)

See you on Sunday!
Service times are at 9:00 & 11:00. If you can’t make it in person, you can watch live at those times.