How I Long To Be With You!

-
Theo's virtual first birthday!


Scripture

Phil. 1:8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 

Observation

Paul continues to share his feelings with the Philippians for he is a pastor at heart — one that has a deep connection to his congregation. So strong are his feelings that he calls God to be his witness, for it is God alone who can look into his heart and soul and testify to the depths of his longing. God alone is the one who knows how Paul feels about the Philippians. 

What is also revealed is the three-way nature of the bond between Paul, the Philippians and Christ.(Fee 1995, 94) He is already foreshadowing the message of participation in the life of Christ, which unites us to God, but also to one another. He describes his longing as being filled with the “compassion” of Christ in this translation. In the Greek it says that his longing comes from the bowels of Jesus Christ. In the first century, the bowels were the deep seated place of feeling, love and emotions. This is strong language. The result is that we discover that Paul’s longing is not just for physical nearness between himself and the Philippians, but a deep yearning that “they remain true to the gospel to which they have been so faithfully committed our these many years.” (Flemming, NBBC) 

Yes, Paul longs to be with them now, but also for all of eternity. 

Application

This passage evokes the full gamut of emotions for me. I’m realizing how much this pandemic is making me miss the physical presence of others. I love my family but I can honestly say that I am longing to be with and see other people. We had a Zoom party for our grandson Theo’s first birthday. That was nice, but it doesn’t replace getting to pick him up and hold him in my arms. As I look at my grandson through the computer I long to be with him, and his mommy and daddy. There’s something about physical presence that makes a difference. 

My dad is on his journey toward the arms of Jesus. That also makes me emotional these days. My last few visits with my father have been precious as we’ve had good conversations about his life and yet, he tells me of his longing. He’s apologetic when he tells me that he just wants go be with Jesus and to be reunited with my mom. His heart and mind are on heaven, not on the things of this world. 

We understand this passage better because we are living in the season of COVID-19. For Paul, sending a letter to the church in Philippi just isn’t enough. He wants to be with them in person because he loves them with the love of Christ. Because Paul is “in Christ” and the Philippians are “in Christ” they are bonded together. While we cannot be together physically during this season, we have the opportunity to be bonded together through our relationship with Christ. We have been given a time where we can get to know Christ more intimately, just as Paul did during his days of confinement. 

As we get to know the Lord, we will long to have more intimacy with Him. Greater intimacy with Jesus Christ increases our longing to be with others whose hearts are also united to Christ. Last evening I preached a message to a virtual group of people. I looked into the camera on my laptop to share the word of the Lord. That’s not easy. Our pastors are doing this every week now - and it’s hard. I know that their hearts are filled with deep longing and desire to be with their people. It isn’t normal to be physically separated from one another. Some have speculated that once this is over there will be many who will not return to the church building to worship. I believe there may be even more as we come to appreciate the value of being in one another’s presence. 

How I long to be with all of you — in Christ, through Christ, and because of Christ. 

Prayer

Lord, the bond of your presence in us, fill us with joy in anticipation of that day when we will be reunited. Amen. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more