Brothers and Sisters,
I’m delighted to share that I have been cleared to return to leading worship, and that I plan to be with you again this coming Sunday! As my medical leave has come to an end, I’d like to express my gratitude. The outpouring of love and support I’ve received from all of you during my recovery has been nothing short of amazing. Our lay leaders have done an absolutely exceptional job of holding down the fort in my absence. Recovery from surgery hasn’t exactly been easy, but you have blessed me and my family in this season. Thank you.
In this coming Sunday’s reading from Philippians 1, we see this instruction from Paul to the Philippian believers: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.”
In this one sentence, we see marching orders that apply to any congregation. First, Paul is instructing them, as individuals, to pursue
holiness, to follow Jesus, to lead lives that reflect the gospel of Christ. For any church body to be healthy, individual members need to be doing precisely that. That said, the life of the church isn’t a solitary activity. These individual embers, pursuing holiness and following Jesus, need to stand together in one spirit, striving side by side, united in the truth of the gospel.
The vision is a compelling one: a congregation in which the members are fervently following Christ and standing together in the truth. Brothers and sisters, may that vision always characterize our life together.
In Christ,
Fr. Caleb