In the second half of Philippians 1, Paul gives a brief update about his own life. He is in prison for sharing Jesus with non-Jewish people, and it is possible his punishment might be death. Yet he quickly pivots to another update: he is sharing Jesus with his guards, and those around him. Paul leans into this idea, that we get to follow Jesus. And that whatever life throws at us, we have the opportunity to live for Jesus.
In a world where the phrase “like minded” gets tossed around a lot, we go to these verses to hear biblically what like-minded can look like. That unity is found in humility, love, listening, and extending grace. Different than our world’s picture of bold loud speech, inflammatory posts to social media, and headlines that drive clicks.
We know that our muscles grow and strength through resistance and challenge. As a pastor I hear the same from people, the seasons of their faith that are most formative, are often ones filled with challenges. Part of growing and stretching ourselves, is leaning into our faith with a sense of boldness. Not due to overconfidence, but trust in the one who is sending us.
Sometimes how you think (or know) the story ends shapes how you read the rest of it. We all come everyday with a set of values, and assumptions about the world that we live in that deeply shapes how we make choices and interact with others. To start our series we are going to jump to the end of scripture, and hear how God plans to renew all things, and to reflect on how that forms us each day.