Philippians 1:3-11
Advent 2 - Year C
It is good to be remembered as folks who are interested in knowledge in addition to revelation. The wisdom to tell the difference between good and evil is what allows us to escape from accepting evil and having the courage to do what is good. Way back when this was seen only in terms of negative consequences.
Now we know how important that act of joining knowledge to revelation was. Our evidence is not in terms of learning to avoid sin but to dive in and multiply love. It is through this receiving and giving that we move on into what Wesleyans call perfection or wholly harvesting the fullness of life.
And so I pray for you and you pray for me, "love forever true."
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/december2003.html
Verses 6 & 7 -- I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart [or, because I hold you in my heart].
There it is, the wonderful complementary - I in you and you in me.
Might this be the good work that will bring us to completion?
So how does this work with folks who, for whatever reason, don't see eye-to-eye, much less experience heart -to-heart or work hand-in-hand?
If the enmity between folks is still present since resurrection; if G*D, Jesus, Whomever still has not come to rule with an iron fist and to plan a given future right out in the open, then this gives us a clue about process in the face of folks who don't get what we get and ourselves who don't get what others have gotten. We are not going to "completion" without gentleness, compassion and imprisonment. Yes, imprisonment, for that grounds the reality of prayers for love.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/december2003.html
Here is a look at verses 6 and 9-11:
6- I am confident of this,
9- And this is my prayer
6- that the one who began a good work in you
9- that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight
6- will bring it to completion
10a- to help you determine what is best,
11a- having produced the harvest of righteousness
6 by the day of Jesus Christ.
10b- so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,
11b- that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Now we can proceed to play with the interrelationship between confidence and prayer. Prayer here is not supplication, but an envisioning or imagining of realized behavior.
What is to be realized is the connection between a generalized good work and the particulars of an insightful love (different than a feeling love). This application of knowledge keeps us from idealism and dogmatism.
When we connect love and insight we are able to do more than have a resolution to do gooder, we are able to not only determine, but complete or harvest the fruit of said resolution.
Those who connect Jesus Christ with a revelation of G*D will affirm this pattern will be done "by" tomorrow, is being done "in" what we know to be today, and has already been done or "come through" to now.
So, confident ones, pray that love be connected with knowledge and insight. This is an energy needful in our lives and the lives of many.
- - -
It is a joyful and right thing
always and everywhere
to hold love mutually
I pray for you knowing you pray for me
I am confident for you knowing you are confident for me
in self's imprisonment, in G*D's freedom
in G*D's employment, in self's abandon
together, here and there,
love is harvested
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html
If we shift "the day of Christ" to today, verses 9-10 take on a different cast.
"And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and understanding to help you determine what is needed." [WRV]
That may be all that is necessary to say. All the rest of the pure and blameless talk about harvesting righteousness can be derived from this, but it is all too easy to fall into the trap of setting up shoulds and oughts about being measured against some ideal purity instead of letting it come of its own accord as we deal with the situations before us.
May you know you are being prayed for to link your love and your decision-making.
May you so pray for others.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_archive.html
What are the limits of grace and peace. They are for the moment offered to the folks at Philippi. What about the churches listed in Revelation 2-3 and the warnings given to some?
If you are interested in being a messenger of creation-wide health, you may want to tack this prayer up and begin to memorize it as deeply as you can.
My love is intended to abound more and more, both in experience and understanding, that with clear conscience and compassionate conduct I will value that which really matters. My intention is to be rich in the harvest of justice that has ripened within. Amen [Meaning: this will please me, my Neighb*r, and whatever of G*D that can be known].
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2012/12/philippians-11-11.html