Sixth Sunday of Easter
Sunday, May 6th, 2018click here for past entries
Loving God, you make us members of your family and call us into community with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Continue to strengthen us in faith and love by your Spirit, empowering us to be partners in the gospel, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
It was two weeks ago now when we heard about Paul’s first visit to a place called Philippi (Acts 16). Lydia was one of the first believers there, and the church there began meeting in her house. That was also the place where Paul and Silas got thrown into prison, and then shared the good news about Jesus with the jailer and his family after an earthquake had freed all the prisoners. Today it is now a number of years later, and Paul is in prison somewhere else and is writing a letter to these same people in Philippi. If today’s reading had a theme song, it might be “I Get By with a little Help from my Friends.”
You see, Paul is never all by himself. The letter itself is from both Paul and Timothy and is written to those who are partners in the gospel with them. We don’t know if Timothy is in prison or not, but we do know that he is in the same place as Paul. In those days, when you were thrown into prison, it was up to your friends and family to bring you food or blankets. Otherwise, you were out of luck. Everywhere he goes, Paul has partners in the gospel who help to provide for him when he needs it, and who travel to other communities to deliver the letters that he writes.
This is why Paul is able to rejoice, even in prison. Others are continuing to share the good news about Jesus wherever they are, and even those who are guarding Paul know that he is in prison because he is a servant of Jesus Christ. At the same time, Paul has been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. And so, Paul spends his time in prayer and in writing letters to encourage other believers in their faith.
For Paul and for all of those in the early church, there was no such thing as a lone ranger or a solo believer in Christ. All those who came to believe in Jesus and were baptized became part of the community of believers, who gathered together regularly in order to worship together and to hear the Word together and to pray together and to encourage one another in the faith.
These days, though, you hear people say that they don’t need to go to church to be a believer, or that they can read their Bible and pray at home. However, God still calls us into the community of believers – both for the good of the community and for our own good. While many in our individualistic society believe that simply going their own way is the best, it is no accident that there are more lonely people out there than ever before. You can certainly be “spiritual but not religious” all by yourself, but it is only God through Jesus Christ who gives life.
As we think today about the community of believers, it is important to keep in mind that communities come in all different shapes and sizes. A community can be a small group that gathers together to study the Bible or to pray together or to sing or even to do maintenance work. A congregation is another form of community that gives opportunities to worship and learn and serve together.
At the same time, we are part of a wider Christian community, not just within Winnipeg, but throughout Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. This coming week I will be attending a continuing education event in Charleswood that was highlighted on the Faith page not too long ago. It is an ecumenical event, with speakers and participants from all different kinds of churches. The speakers, who come from different backgrounds and traditions, will be sharing what new things God has been doing in the places where they minister. And why not do something like this together? After all, aren’t we all on the same team?
In similar fashion, Lutherans from all over Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario (and a few Anglicans) gathered together last weekend to worship together and to pray together and to learn together. And, since it was a synod convention, we also made decisions together. At the same time, we heard from those in the wider church community – like our national church, and Canadian Lutheran World Relief. The community of believers of which we are a part is not just right here, but across Canada and around the world.
Because of that, there are many things that we can do as a larger community that we would never be able to do on our own. One of the things that we promise in the Affirmation of Baptism service (p. 236, EvLW) is that we will strive for justice and peace in all the earth. There is not one of us who could do this on our own, but together with brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world, we are able to do this.
In that same service affirming our baptism, we also promise to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed. Once again, we do not have to do this all by ourselves. We have partners in the gospel, just like Paul had partners in the gospel. Our partners are right here in this congregation, and in other congregations around Winnipeg, and in communities across Canada and around the world. We are all part of the body of Christ, just like the confirmation art project up here proclaims, and it is all the members working together, taking directions from Christ the head, that enables ministry to happen.
It is a joy to be partners in the gospel, and there can also be challenges as partners in the gospel – especially when we don’t agree with one another. However, God still calls us into community – into the communion of saints – a community where the Holy Spirit continues to give gifts for ministry and strengthens us in faith and in love. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Easter 6 (NL 4) Philippians 1:1-18a
May 6, 2018
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison
© 2018 Lynne Hutchison All Rights Reserved
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