Good morning. It was a long time ago, before there were cell phones or home computers. Our children were quite young, Mike in the late toddler stage while Jenny would have been walking but not very well. Pam and I needed a vacation and we decided to entrust the kids to my folks for the week. We went to Lake Vermillion, enjoying a small cabin. It was very peaceful. Those who have had a pair of toddlers in the house can easily imagine what I mean when I say “peaceful” as we enjoyed such a setting that was also child free.
However, the description as “peaceful” was flawed. This was the first time in about 3 years that we had been anywhere without our children for more than a few hours. We enjoyed our time; the lake was beautiful, and the fish were biting. But oh, how we missed our kids! We found a way to call my parents and check in a few times, but it just isn’t the same.
How powerful are the memories when we are away from those we love. It would have been impossible to calculate how often we thought of our kids in that week away from them, and every time we thought of them there was a hint of worry which ensured that every thought was accompanied by prayer. That is what love does.
The apostle Paul begins his letter to the Philippian church with such thoughts. Of all the churches that Paul planted in the name of Jesus and ministered to with prayers, praise, and corrections, the Philippians seem to have been the dearest to him personally. With them, there was a greater love connection. His letter begins with these words:
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:3-11
I bring those words to our attention today because I think they speak clearly of what it means to consider the portion of the Body of Christ with whom we worship and serve as “family”. Clearly, Paul loved the Philippian Christians as he would his own flesh and blood.
Please remember today that to be a part of what we typically think of as a “church” means that you are a part of a family. Count on them. Love them. Remember them. Worry over them. Rejoice with them. Serve with them. Worship with them. Praise God for them and with them.
Vern