Afterwords -- week 6
"Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me." (Philippians 2:17-18 ESV)
"Joy is the serious business of heaven." (C. S. Lewis)
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"EVEN IF..." Paul writes, "Even if I am to be poured out... I am glad and rejoice..." (Phil 2:17). This letter to the Philippians is written by the Apostle Paul during his first Roman imprisonment, as he awaits his hearing before the emperor Nero, who is a dangerously unbalanced man. Paul's joy comes not from his comfortable circumstances but from his Christ-centered perspective on all of life. Because of this he is able to write, "Rejoice always..." and "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (4:4, 13). Nero is seemingly all-powerful, and Paul is a prisoner because of his proclamation of Jesus as Lord. At that time this movement was looked upon as an upstart Mideastern cult. But history will show Nero to be a perverted madman and Paul to be a godly emissary of a higher kingdom. Christ's kingdom will rule over all, and every martyr's death will be seen as a holy offering. So, joy is a prominent note in this epistle. Note also how communal this joy is: "offering of your faith... glad and rejoice with you all... you also should be glad and rejoice with me..." We share in the joy of the Lord together as his people.
THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF JOY. In a recent Bible study group I asked, "Is joy an attribute of God?" After having to define my terms to this group of engineers, we proceeded to conclude that it is. Verses such as Psalm 16:11, Zephaniah 3:17, and Luke 15:7, would seem to make that pretty clear. How could God be the source and fount of joy if he himself is not joyful? The reason I asked the question is because we don't often see that trait, "joy", treated as an essential characteristic of God. Some theologians, like Wayne Grudem, call this God's "blessedness". One of the older theologians who calls this attribute "the joy of God" was English Baptist, John Gill (1697 – 1771). Here's his summary.
ARISE, MY SOUL ARISE. I was blessed (and joyful) today in church by our singing of this Charles Wesley / Sovereign Grace old-new hymn.
Arise, my soul, arise
Shake off your guilty fears
The bleeding sacrifice
On my behalf appears
Before the throne my surety stands
Before the throne my surety stands
My name is written on His hands
ON SINGLENESS. We enjoyed an excellent sermon this morning from Jim Krouscas on "Single-minded Devotion". It's about how we should view singleness, but there's more to it than that.
WORSHIP CIRCLE HYMNS (2019). Here's another, longer set of hymns done in contemporary style that my wife and I enjoy listening to at home in the evenings.
QUOTE. "Must we always comment on life? Can it not simply be lived in the reality of Christ's terms of contact with the Father, with joy and peace, fear and love full to the fingertips in their turn, without incessant drawing of lessons and making of rules?" (Elisabeth Elliot)
THIS WEEK I'm taking notes with a Diplomat Aero (photo above), a modern German-made fountain pen, filled with Diamine Ancient Copper ink. The fountain pen question of the week is, why did some manufacturers make pens that had no pocket clip? The answer: some people do not (did not) carry their pens around, as the pens were parked on their desk at home where they wrote letters. Many of the most expensive Japanese lacquer pens being made today (think in the $$$ thousands) are not made to be carried to work, but to sit on your home desk in a nice pen rest. (No, I don't have any of those pens.) Other pens, more utilitarian, were smaller and made to be carried in a pocket or purse or vest pocket, and so didn't need a clip on them. Most fountain pens, however, both vintage and modern do have pocket clips, which is a wonderful and necessary addition for those who carry pens. And that's everything I know about that!
Have a good week!
Sandy