Author: Administrador

One of the blessings of preaching regularly to the same group of people is the joy of seeing folk journeying in discipleship. Sometimes the signs are small, sometimes significant, but on occasion there is the very real need to encourage people to stand their ground, to keep going when the going gets tough, to keep … Continue reading “Philippians 4:4-7 Commentary by Edward Pillar”

Were Euodia and Syntyche squabbling? Or, has Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4:2 activated the sexist bias within the guild of New Testament scholars? It is, I think, the latter. Scholars wrongly assume that because Paul asked the two women to agree they must have been disagreeing. This is partially an honest mistake based on unfamiliarity … Continue reading “Philippians 4:1-9 Commentary by David E. Fredrickson”

A Quiet Mind and a Hopeful Heart In the lesson for last Sunday, Paul uses the image of a race to picture the Christian life as one of constant movement into God’s future. Here, he begins his final exhortation to the Philippians quite differently: “Stand firm in the Lord!” Pressing forward and standing firm in … Continue reading “Philippians 4:1-9 Commentary by Susan Eastman”

Today’s lectionary passage belongs to the last chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. It features practical advice for a life centered in Christ. This means that, in terms of contents, the audience should not expect anything new. What Paul writes here is both a recapitulation and application of what he has already stated in … Continue reading “Philippians 4:1-9 Commentary by Christian A. Eberhart”

The Epistle reading comes near the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Philippians and his tone is sharp, emotional, pleading and full of love for those he addresses. This passage, unlike that of the coolly argued Romans text the week before, is “pastoral” in the sense of an urgent conversation about problems and joys. Paul’s … Continue reading “Philippians 3:17-4:1 Commentary by Susan Hedahl”

Mohandas Gandhi once remarked, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Even within the church some of us may find ourselves agreeing with this statement because human beings so often disappoint us. When someone points to the mishaps of a professed Christian as a reason … Continue reading “Philippians 3:17-4:1 Commentary by Elizabeth Shively”

In this short passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, these verses begin and end with something between an exhortation and a plea. Paul’s letter is written to the small assembly of believers in Philippi, a significant city and proud Roman colony on the main east-west road between Byzantium and Rome. The letter has a … Continue reading “Philippians 3:17-4:1 Commentary by Sarah Henrich”

There was a popular scene on ancient Greek vases: a young man or god chasing a younger female (In rare instances, it was a goddess chasing a young male.) The anxious, young woman runs away from her pursuer, but she throws a glance backwards that signals “yes” though her flight clearly says “no.” (Vase painters … Continue reading “Philippians 3:4b-14 Commentary by David E. Fredrickson”

The season of Lent, with its inexorable movement towards the cross, offers us an opportunity to reflect on our journey through life, from the cradle to grave. None of us knows just how long that journey will be, or what challenges will await us along the way. A great deal of what we encounter we … Continue reading “Philippians 3:4b-14 Commentary by Holly Hearon”

Crossing the Threshold In an intense little book called Beginning to Pray, Metropolitan Anthony Bloom tells about a time during the Nazi occupation of Paris when he very nearly was caught by the Gestapo: “During the German occupation of France I was in the resistance movement and, coming down into the Underground, I was caught … Continue reading “Philippians 3:4b-14 Commentary by Susan Eastman”