An act of worship at home
Reading Philippians 4 vv 1-9
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.
I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, 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 these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
Reflection
That reading has a real mix of commands and promises. Commands that have the power to revitalise and challenge us, and promises which comfort and reassure us. There are four commands.
The first is to rejoice, what a wonderful command, and Paul’s very insistent on it. Perhaps you know someone who has an inner joyfulness which comes from the loving relationship they have with God. A joy which touches those they meet.
The second command to be gentle is about having a genuine sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others.
Then there’s the third command not to worry. Mm, tricky that one and the translation is not straightforward… I don’t think Paul is encouraging us either not to care or to have a permanent fake grin on our faces. Maybe it’s easier to understand it as an encouragement to care, to have concern for people and situation, but not to be anxious. Concern can build us up, where anxiety breaks us down.
And the last command is simple, pray. Prayer is the surest cure for the anxiety Paul’s been speaking about.
So these are the four commands. Rejoice, be gentle, don’t be anxious, and pray.
What about the promises? For me there are two that jump out.
Firstly, the Lord is near. Christ is here with us, through all the ups and downs of everyday life.
And this is followed by the second promise in what to me is wonderful and so comforting,
‘the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.’ Words that echo the words of Christ to his disciples: ‘My peace I give to you, but not as the world gives’. The peace offered is of a kind beyond mere reason.
I chose this reading from Philippians today because it seems to me that, although none of us is perfect, through living our faith we try to put these commands into practice.
Rejoice, be gentle, don’t be anxious, and pray.
The Lord is very near, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding
will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer
Loving God, we give you thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. For your whole created universe bursting with life and infinite possibilities, a universe created and yet still being created. We give you thanks for your Son, Jesus Christ. For the message which he brings, for the life in us which he renews, and the example he has given us to follow. We give you thanks for the Holy Spirit, sweeping through all of life with boundless energy, at once as gentle as the breath of a child, and yet as fierce as a raging storm, lifting us up in your grace.
Hear us, Lord, as in our own hearts and minds we thank you for your presence in our lives….
Liberating God, we bring our prayers for those whose lives are limited, by the pain of their circumstances, by the actions of others… We pray for those worn down by illness, or exhausted by caring for others, longing to feel the freshness and energy of a bright new day…We pray for those limited by their own lack of self-worth, held back by doubts and fears, and repeated rejection, longing to walk with the confidence of striding out freely along their own path.
Hear us, Lord, as in our own hearts and minds we being our prayers to you….
Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers and answering them. Amen.
Hymn
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
The Holy One is here;
Come, bow before Him now
With reverence and fear.
In Him no sin is found,
We stand on holy ground;
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
The Holy One is here.
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
Is shining all around;
He burns with holy fire,
With splendour He is crowned.
How awesome is the sight,
Our radiant King of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
Is shining all around.
Be still, for the power of the Lord
Is moving in this place,
He comes to cleanse and heal,
To minister His grace.
No work too hard for Him,
In faith receive from Him;
Be still, for the power of the Lord
Is moving in this place.
Blessing
May the God whose longing is for justice strengthen us to work for all that makes for peace;
and the blessing of the living God, Creator, Redeemer and Spirit be with us,
now and always. Amen.
