Loving God, you have called us to be partners in the gospel, sharing the love of Christ with all people.  Grant us the gifts of the Spirit that we need for your purposes, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Over the past few weeks, we have been hearing stories from the book of Acts – all of which involved Paul.  We heard about his conversion on the road to Damascus, his time in prison in Philippi, and his sermon in Athens.  Now, a number of years later, Paul is in prison somewhere else, and he is writing to those at Philippi who have put their faith in Jesus.  This includes the jailer and his family, Lydia and her household, and many more.  Paul always remembers them with joy, because they have shared in the gospel ever since he first met them.

         It is interesting to note that the language that is used – at least, in Greek – to speak about sharing in the gospel, is the same language one would use to describe a business partnership.  This raises a lot of interesting questions – like, what does it mean to have shares in the gospel?  How much does it cost to get them?  How do you know if your shares are doing well or not?  Is it a worthwhile investment?

         As it turns out, there was a financial aspect to Paul’s partnership with the Philippians.  Just as he supported and encouraged them in the gospel, so they sent Paul financial aid in order that he could continue sharing the gospel with others (Phil. 4:15ff.).  This is a far cry from Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians, in which he insists that he has supported himself rather than relying on them for support (1 Cor. 9).  In today’s reading, however, Paul’s prayer for the Philippians’ growth in sharing in the gospel has more to do with gifts of the Spirit.

         Overflowing love, knowledge, and full insight – all of these are part of Paul’s prayer for the Philippians (1:9).  It is with these things that their shares in the gospel will increase in value, and they will be able to determine what is most important as the day of Jesus Christ approaches.  It is not just the Philippians, however, who need these things.  Overflowing love, knowledge, and full insight, help us to determine what is most important for the glory and praise of God.

         This assumes, of course, that we, too, share in the gospel and will stand before the throne of God in the end.  Have you noticed, though, how many distractions there are in the meantime?  It is painfully easy for us to spend our time, money and energy on things that simply will not matter in the end.  Particularly when we are frustrated, or overwhelmed, or finding ourselves constantly annoyed by what other people are doing, it is time to stop and ask, “How important is this – really?”  As partners in the gospel, it is overflowing love, knowledge, and full insight – gifts of the Spirit - that will help us to answer this question.

         As we think about what we have heard today and how Paul is writing from prison, it seems that Paul, too, has been given these gifts of the Spirit.  One might think that putting Paul in prison would prevent him from continuing to proclaim Christ, as he has been called to do.  However, look at what happens!  Both the guards and the other prisoners all come to know that Jesus is the reason for Paul’s imprisonment.  At the same time, others start to proclaim Christ instead of Paul.  Some of these people seem to have better motives than others, but still – Paul is able to rejoice that the spread of the gospel continues.

         Paul could have felt threatened that others were making more converts than he was or that others maybe had better sermons.  He could have gotten caught up in a popularity contest with other church leaders.  However, because of overflowing love and knowledge and full insight, he is able to see what is most important, which is that Christ is proclaimed both in word and in deed.  And this is able to happen because of his partners in the gospel.

         Sharing the love of God in Christ is never just an individual endeavor.  Within the body of Christ, different members are given different gifts, but all share in the same purpose.  Some will be better at one thing, and some better at another, but all have shares in the gospel.  While none of us might get thrown into prison, some of us might be prevented from continuing in the ministries that we have engaged in over the years.  The hope is always that others with similar gifts step up to fill the gap, so that the love of Christ continues to be shared with all people.

         However, it is never just about doing what we have always done before.  Rather, we, too, pray for overflowing love, knowledge and full insight from the Holy Spirit, to help us determine what is most important, for the glory and praise of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Easter 6 (NL 4)                                 Philippians 1:1-18a

May 22, 2022

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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