Fr Peter Helman

Dear Friend,

Saint Paul’s epistle to the Philippians is among my favorite writings of the New Testament. Today at Morning Prayer we read the introduction to the letter. Paul, by now imprisoned in Rome, speaks with such joy of the church in Philippi. And his joy fills me with joy.

“To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi […:] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (vv.1-2). In this way he opens his letter. My heart is drawn to the way he addresses the members of the church, as “the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi.”

They are saints, as Paul says, because they share “in the gospel” (v.5) and “in God’s grace” (v.7). They are saints because, as Paul writes elsewhere in the same letter, “for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (2:13). In our reading this morning, Paul says as much, when he writes, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion” (v.6).

Paul's joy fills me with joy because his confidence in God inspires me to trust the work God is doing in the church and thus in my own heart. The outworking of Christian faith, that which makes us saints in Christ Jesus, is the “harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God” (v.11). We are who we are because of who God is and the gift of God's love.

Which is to say, like a window of stained glass the light of Christ Jesus shines through us and makes of us saints of God and partakers of heavenly healing. God is at work in us and through us. We must always celebrate this truth and adore the one who loves us into the people we are inteded to be from the foundation of the world.

Towards the close of his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, "Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved" (4:1).

With these words, Paul also encourages us to stand firm and give ourselves always fully to the grace of God.

Bless you today, sisters and brothers. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


In Christ,
Peter+