Prayers

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. - Philippians 1:9-11

Whenever Paul prays for one of the early churches in his letters, I like to think about how he is praying for us also. The prayer above comes from the opening sentences of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. He wrote it from prison. The Philippians, upon hearing about Paul’s imprisonment, had been praying fervently for Paul’s release, and had even sent Epaphroditus, one of their members, to go to Paul with food and supplies. Unfortunately, while visiting Paul, Epaphroditus got very ill. When he recovered, Paul sent him back to Philippi, and he sent the letter we know as Philippians back with him.

Paul includes his thanks for the Philippian’s ongoing care and prayers, but he doesn’t say thank you until the end of the letter. He doesn’t seem to want their concern about his imprisonment - that’s not what’s important. What is important is the reconciling and transforming love of God as expressed through the Gospel. And Paul is really joyful that what is most important is going well - The gospel is advancing in spite of (or maybe because of) his imprisonment, his friendship with the Philippians remains strong, Epaphroditus has recovered, and God promises them all eternal life. The letter to the Philippians is the most joyful of all Paul’s letters, despite his personal circumstances. And he wants to share that joy with the Philippians. And so he prays that their love may grow and overflow, guiding everything that they do. He prays that they remember that the “harvest of righteousness” they long to produce is only possible through Christ.

This is a humble prayer. A grateful prayer. A prayer that expresses that the problems of a few little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world, to borrow a quote from Casablanca. Paul doesn’t want the Philippians to worry about his imprisonment, for how can our problems possibly compare to the glory of what God has in mind?

Paul is praying for us, too, as our church year begins. He’s praying that we focus on what is most important, and put our whole trust in Christ’s power to transform and reconcile this world. He’s praying that we don’t get mired in resentment or self pity, and instead turn our hearts to love - praying that our love for God, one another and our neighbors will grow, fill up and spill over! During this confusing Covid-tide, I particularly appreciate his hope that through love we’ll be able to determine what is best. I am also grateful for the encouragement in this letter to remember what is most important and to focus on it with great joy.

The prayers we offer for one another and for the world are only some of the powerful prayers floating around the universe. The prayers of the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven are always raining down upon us. All the prayers of all the saints gone by are still being prayed for the church - like this one, written down many centuries ago by Paul - as well as countless others that were never written down but still surround us like a cloud of overflowing love.