St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians: A Message of Joy – Part 3, from His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. One God. Amen. May His grace and mercy rest upon us, from now and forevermore. Amen.
Sermon Highlights:
~ Phil 2:1 – The 4-part pattern for comprehensive service ministry:
“1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy.” One teaching - the Bible. One love – for Christ. One Soul – in the Church. One mind – the Kingdom of heaven. This 4-part combination or illumined view of the Church is what forms unity, oneness and brings joy to the Heart of Christ.
~ Phil 2:7-8 - The 7 steps of self-emptying
“ He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
~Phil 2:9-11 – The 7 steps of return to glory
“9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
~ The 7 steps of self-emptying are the descending ladder, and the 7-steps of glory are the ascending ladder.
A Quick Review
Two weeks ago we began a series together on the contemplation of joy through a study of St. Paul the apostle’s Letter to the Philippians; a letter characterized for its message or spirit of joy. Philippi was the first town in Europe to come to faith in Christ, and this was why the church at Philippi held a special place in the heart of St. Paul the apostle.
During his more than two-years of imprisonment in Rome, St. Paul the apostle wrote 4 Letters from within the prison, they are:
A personal letter to Philemon, which is just one chapter long,
the Letter to the Ephesians,
the Letter to the Philippians, and
the Letter to the Colossians
Other significant facts pertaining to St. Paul and the city of Philippi: This city was named after the father of Alexander the Great, Philip of Macedonia, and its significance is that it was the first city in Europe to attain the honor of coming to faith in Christ; it was also here that St. Paul met Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth (Acts 16:14), as well as the slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination (Acts 16:16); it was also in Philippi that the prison guard came to faith in Christ at the hands of St. Paul, during the time he was imprisoned with Silas (Acts 16:19-23).
After having served them as a church, when the people of Philippi heard that St. Paul was imprisoned, despite their very humble means, they sent him a financial gift through their local church servant, Epaphroditus. When St. Paul received their gift he was greatly filled with joy because of their love, and so he began to pen this Letter to the Philippians, and so although he wrote it from within prison, we see that it is filled with joyous emotions. And so there was great affection between the people of the church of Philippi and St. Paul, and we see this throughout this Epistle in its many very strong expressions of beautiful human emotions.
Philippians Chapter 2
Today we will cover the first 1/3rd of the 2nd Chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians. Let us read those verses together, and I want you to keep in mind that the teachings he imparts in his letters are still beneficial for all of us to this day – applicable in our homes, in our communities, in our churches, in our personal relationships, in our times of trouble, and so on.
Unity Through Humility
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
The Humbled and Exalted Christ
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The grace of God the Father be with us all. Amen.
{Pope takes a few minutes to comment on the current situation regarding Ethiopia and the damning of the Nile River, requesting all to pray for a peaceful resolution to the matter.}
Discourse
We see here that even though he is in prison, St. Paul is preoccupied with ministry – what it is and how it ought to be. And so in this Chapter he begins to lay down a very general introduction of what church ministry is, as if he were giving us a pattern or a structure for how church ministry ought to be practiced and administered.
In the very first verse he starts off with four points:
“1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy.” Let me explain this.
Consolation in Christ – to minister to and satisfy our intellects
Comfort of love – to minister to and satisfy our souls
Fellowship of the Spirit – to minister to and satisfy our hearts (spirits)
Affection and mercy – to minister to and satisfy our bodies
Any service offered by the Church should be a complete and comprehensive service, and St. Paul here is offering us a glimpse at what comprehensive service looks like, because a person can only be completely satiated by ministry that addresses their entire being (intellect, soul, spirit, and body). A person has an intellect, a soul, a heart (that is, a spirit), and a body, and church ministry that is comprehensive should satisfy these four [aspects of our being].
1-Consolation in Christ – to satisfy our intellects
Starting with the intellect, St. Paul is saying that if there is to be any preaching or teaching offered by the Church, its aim should be Christ; it should be speaking about Christ, meditating on the works of the Lord Christ. And I would like to bring your attention to the word “consolation” here which [actually] means “teaching or preaching,” but more in the sense of a sermon and not a regular worldly lecture that is given in any educational field.
When we use the word “preaching” or “sermon,” this should be distinguished by 2 main points: 1 – the speaker is speaking about Christ, and 2 – the speaker is encouraging people toward repentance. If these two things are present then the speech is a sermon, a preaching; it is being offered to help a person or people improve their relationship with Christ, and it is a helpful step toward repentance.
And so this first part of ministry is often called “the ministry of teaching,” because it addresses a person’s intellect and their thinking and vision of life. This was the first aspect – the intellect.
2-Comfort of love – to satisfy our souls
Now for the second aspect: the soul. In the original Greek, the word “comfort” here is in the sense of the comfort that is produced by a person’s using soothing words as well as soothing actions, including, for example, encouraging and supporting others through our actions, like visiting them. We can support one another by visiting one another during both joyous and sorrowful occasions, like weddings or times of failure (when someone has failed an exam, for example), but the point is that we take action to support one another; this is the “comfort of love.”
Another meaning of the word “comfort” here is recreation – the comfort of holy recreation. For example, when our church or youth put on a play or an exhibition or a choir show, or when we have parties to celebrate – whether to celebrate a person’s success or related to a certain feast – these are all various forms of recreation or leisure; forms of refreshment for the human soul.
But the important point St. Paul is making here, is that the purpose of any such activities be to increase love. The goal is that people leave whatever the event may be feeling that they have been filled with more love – feeling that they love the Lord more, feeling that their soul is more at ease and more joyous, feeling that they spent a good time. And so the first aspect any service or ministry should address is the intellect, the second is the soul, and now onto the third: the spirit.
3-Fellowship of the Spirit – to satisfy our hearts (spirits)
Here, the “fellowship of the Spirit” is what we refer to as “worship.” When I attend a Divine Liturgy and participate in it, when I attend Tasbeha Prayers and Praises and participate, or when I attend a prayer meeting and participate, the attending and participating in any kind of spiritual meetings, for the spirit longs to be refreshed.
Consider the Divine Liturgy with all its participants (Abouna, the deacons, the congregation) and all the prayers and chants that are said, and yet at the end we say, “Praise the Lord, O you saints of His,” (Ps 30:4) because we are now in the company of the saints, as though we were in heaven.
And so here when he speaks about your “fellowship of the Spirit,” he is speaking about your ministry of worship, whether on your own at home or as part of a group at church, or whether in a very small or very large group, like when we stay up all night praising together during the Kiahk Praise Tasbeha services; we come out feeling that our spirit has been filled, satisfied, satiated, joyous, and we feel that we have joined in with heaven!
And so we have served or ministered to the intellect, to the soul, to the spirit, and now the body.
4-Affection and mercy – to satisfy our bodies
The body is foundational, of utmost importance, and what is meant by “the body” here is what we refer to as community service or community care, which is a very wide arena. In the King James Version of the Bible it says, “If any bowels and mercies.” Bowels are a person’s internal organs, and so how a person can be deeply affected and moved by the needs of others. There are people who see the needs of others and give them no second thought, but there are others who [feel it and] serve from their heart, and this is why we say, “Love is greater than righteousness.”
Communication sciences tell us about body language, the ways the body communicates, in general, and so notice how I can serve someone a very simple meal but do it nicely, with a sense of great welcoming, or serve them that same plate of food in a way that is not very nice or not very friendly or welcoming, a way that is not “appetizing or encouraging to their soul,” as we would say. And so how we give something is more important than what we give, and we do this even by our simple but friendly words of welcome like, “We are so delighted with your presence and your visit,” and so on.
This kind of ministry is called “the ministry of mercy.” We say, “God have mercy upon us,” or “God had mercy upon us,” and so you also, whatever you offer, whether clothing or time or food or whatever it may be, offer it with your whole heart, from your very bowels or innermost being; with all your emotions and all your love, and not as if you were just fulfilling a duty and that’s it, no.
This ministry of “bowels and mercy” is the same one the Lord Christ spoke of when He said, “For I hungered, and you gave Me to eat; I thirsted, and you gave Me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Mt 25:35-36). We call it “the ministry of mercy.”
That we would call it “community service” is very natural. Every community has within it both rich and poor people, and God allows for this in order that peoples’ hearts would be moved, that whatever God has given a person, that he or she would also give [it] to others. And this applies to all things, not just in matters/areas of money, for example, if one is a teacher, he offers me his knowledge; if one is a doctor, he offers me his medical help; if one is an engineer, his engineering skills, and so on. And so if there is a rich person, he offers from his money.
And so in a single verse, St. Paul the apostle offers us the image and pattern of complete ministry, and this from within prison! And this template can be applied and practiced in any place and in any age; it is the image of comprehensive ministry.
“But, St. Paul, is there a condition for this comprehensive ministry?” we may ask. “Oh yes,” St. Paul would say, “There is a very important condition for this kind of ministry,” it is verse 2:
“2 Fulfill my joy.” But what does it mean to fulfill joy? Can joy ever be lackful? Yes, let joy be comprehensive, let joy be all-inclusive, complete.
Okay, so how can we do this? How can we fulfill the joy of the Lord’s Heart? Listen to the rest of verse 2, he says:
“2 Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” I personally don’t know how St. Paul ever got this brilliant arrangement! So what is it that he wants to tell us? He wants to tell us that the first and foremost thing that brings joy to the Heart of Christ is when we are all one, united. And what is the opposite of this? The opposite of this is a state of division, disunity, antagonism, taking sides, partisanship, as he will explain shortly, but for now, let me explain these 4 components [of comprehensive ministry that brings joy to the Heart of Christ]:
1. Being like-minded. But where does this “like-mindedness” or one mind come from? From the Bible. When you read the Bible and she reads the Bible and I read the Bible, this is what will then form unity in our thinking. And why is it that people have differing or contradictory ways of thinking? Because they are not living by the Spirit of the Bible (by its way of thinking), and as I told you before, it says, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil 1:27). And so this is the cause for division among us, that we have not all “graduated from the same school,” the school of the Bible,; we have not all learned its teaching.
2. Having the same love.
And this “same love,” where are we to direct it? To Christ, as the illustration I gave you last week of our lives being like a circle and letting Christ be its centermost point – put “c” in the middle of the circle, for “center,” for “Christ.” From the circumference of the circle we move toward the center, and the center of our life is our Christ.
Having the same love for Christ, we all look to Christ – “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2).
3. Being of one accord
Being “of one accord” means “united in soul,” and where is it that we are united in soul? When we are gathered together in church. And so what about a person who has removed or separated themselves from the Church? That person will not be united in the one soul; he will not be completely integrated with the group.
Notice that all of our prayers in the Divine Liturgy are collective prayers: “Give us … grant us … make us,” and so on. One soul. We all leave the Divine Liturgy unified in soul, completely dissolved and integrated into the Presence of Christ Jesus. This is also why we ask one another, “Which church are you from?” And we say, “My church is the church or Mari Guirguis (St. George),” or “My church is the church of the Angel so and so,” or “My church is the church of St. Mary in such and such a country,” and so on. One soul.
4. Of one mind
“Of one mind” means “of one purpose”; that we are all united in purpose, having one purpose, which is the Kingdom of heaven. Your eyes are always toward heaven, never lose your gaze on eternal life. Yes, your feet are here moving upon this earth, but your gaze is always looking toward heaven.
And so to review: Like-minded – the Bible. One love – for Christ. One Soul – in the Church. One mind – the Kingdom of heaven. This 4-part combination or illumined view of the Church is what forms unity, oneness, which is what Christ tells us in the farewell prayer in John 17:11, “That they may be one.” And notice how He says, “That they may be”? Our Christ longs that we all be together as one.
Going back to St. Paul, and I really just have to tell you that as I have been reading and rereading this Letter with you, I continue to contemplate on how that being in a prison environment he was yet able to extract and write such precious gems (of wisdom), and how he was able to record his experience for us in such articulate and well-ordered words, like we have here: “Consolation in Christ … comfort of love … fellowship of the Spirit … affection and mercy … fulfill my joy,” and so on, and he offers them to us as a string of pearls.
And listen up now because he will begin to warn us, he says, “3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” He is telling us to do all things with an attitude of humility and not hiding behind conceit or titles of Mr. This or Miss That. It is as if St. Paul were putting his finger right on the great malady, the disease of pride, just as when a doctor puts his or her hand on the point of pain and is able to identify the issue or the disease.
St. Paul tells us, “4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” This is what the Bible teaches: do not look to your own interests, do not be selfish, do not look out for your personal or individual advantages and benefits. This even applies on a national level! A nation that only looks out for its own interests will find itself not doing very well, because every nation needs other nations, and so it is with people; everybody needs other people.
And there is no person that God did created without a purpose; He created everyone with a purpose and a goal, with a mission, for a certain work. And so St. Paul places these words before us and warns us against selfishness, pride, divisiveness, partisanship, and showing off. So be careful, be watchful.
Again, he paints the picture of comprehensive ministry for us and tells us its end goal: “fulfill my joy.” The joy of what? The joy of our existence here on earth! He then gives us, in a few points, the picture of the enlightened church, the church that gives light to others, and then warns us against divisions, partisanship, pride and selfishness, because it is these very things that destroy joy, and we see this across many communities where there are divisions and conflict, the people are not joyous.
He says, “3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit.” Conceit is when you see yourself as being better than others or you do things with an attitude that you know or understand more than others; you think that you are the smartest or most learned among others. Beware beloved one, the Bible commands us, “But in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” In lowliness! And we are to consider the other as better than ourselves! This is the good way.
And in order to help us better understand this, St. Paul gives us the example or pattern of the Lord Christ, and in a set of characteristics, he tells us what Christ did and tells us to imitate Him. Listen to what he says …
“5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
This is a set of steps. We call these the “7 steps of self-emptying,” or self-renunciation or humility:
1. He emptied Himself – Yes, Christ was born in a manger – an animal manger.
2. Taking the form of a bondservant – Yes, for what high rank did Christ ever have? He was born in a manger and took on the appearance of a servant, and maybe servants aren’t even born in mangers.
3. Coming in the likeness of men – This is the incarnation, taking on a human body. “Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16).
4. Being found in appearance as a man – As we see when He asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water; He took on the nature (needs) of a human.
5. He humbled Himself. Christ, the great God, humbled Himself, completely and totally. His entire journey of ministry and all the way to the cross, He humbled Himself …
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