Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Philippians 1:1-2)
How many of you have faced moments in life where the future was uncertain? The truth is that life itself is uncertain. None of us are psychics. We do not know what tomorrow holds. This becomes readily apparent in times of transition. This is what makes them hard. But like all change in our lives we need to celebrate the opportunity of a new chapter while acknowledging our grief and naming what we have lost.
Many of us would rather live without change. We would just love to have life be the same today, tomorrow, and the next day. It would be great to be able to live without having to change our ways and without the pain of having to say goodbye. But the truth is whether we want it or not, transitions happen. Even more important is that transitions are necessary. Children need to grow up and live lives on their own. This is the same for the church as well. The church needs change. The church needs to continuously rethink how to reach the next generation and how to serve their communities. Now all that is scary and contains things that are uncertain, but there is good news. There is one thing that is unchanging and is as relevant today as it ever has been: the Good News of Jesus Christ.
This week we will look at how Paul prepared the church in Philippi for the transition of a world without him. This first
section of Paul’s letter to Philippi perfectly encapsulates how we should face the changes and transitions that happen in our lives and in the life of the church.
