Another Week of Sorrow and Joy

Good morning! We conclude Chapter 2 with these verses:

Philippians 2:25-29

"But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me."

Hillary wrote, last night, about Being a Timothy. One might guess that this final passage from Chapter 2 might be about "being an Epaphroditus." Yet, these few sentences spoke to me more about human emotions.

True, Epaphroditus did care for Paul, and we should model his behaviour. But, these verses remind me of the universal nature of sorrow. In this case, Paul wrote about being spared "sorrow upon sorrow," as the result of Epaphroditus recovering from his illness. Many are experiencing sorrow over Adam's condition. That's natural. It's to be expected. If the apostle Paul could be saddened about the (potential) loss of his friend, it stands to reason that Adam's family and close friends would be experiencing the same. And, note that Paul also is seeking "less anxiety."

Ater avoiding sorrow, and attempting to rid himself of anxiety, Paul instructs the readers of his letter to welcome Epaphroditus with great joy. There it is, again — joy. From sorrow to joy, with some anxiety thrown in between. The life of a believer can be a bit rocky at times. Following Christ does not mean we will never experience sorrow. We do, and we will. As humans, we will be anxious, at times. Yet, we can be joyful in Christ.

As Christians, we may think we should always be joyful. As we see in these few verses, that simply is not (humanly) possible. If Paul cannot pull it off, I am confident that I won't be able to. If Adam's prolonged coma leaves you feeling sorrow upon sorrow, that is natural. If you are anxious, get in line behind Paul.

As we disperse, I pray that we can all experience the joy of salvation, even as we experience sorrow and anxiety.

I don't know if it will be possible for some of us to trade our sorrows for the joy of the Lord. It is my prayer, however, that we can all become increasingly able to experience and embrace the heavenly joy of the Lord, even while experiencing earthly sorrow.

Jude 1:24-25

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.