Church Fellowship of the Ring
“Do everything without grumbling and arguing.” –Philippians 2:14
In my neck of the woods, summer is coming to a close and church life is about to ramp back up as the school year begins. Because I work with students, the start of the school year often feels like a reset. Youth see the previous school year as the distant past, even though it only ended a couple of months ago. They are older now. New teachers, some of them have new schools, new classmates, new clothes. Meanwhile, the rest of us just keep trudging on with life. Adults (mostly) don’t get “summer break,” and the start of the school year for us is nothing more than a slight shift in daily routine if we have kids. We still have the same problems we had before summer started. We still have the same co-workers (mostly). We still have the same, the same, the same.
I’ve been a youth minister now for over 20 years, long enough to see former youth get married and have kids of their own. Years ago on a mission week, we made Philippians 2:14 our theme verse as we went out into the summer heat to do home repairs. We joked that every time someone grumbled or argued, we could just yell back at them, “PHILIPPIANS 2:14!” or even better, just “2:14!” It was a humorous way to engage with complaining, and for our group, a very effective means of shifting perspective and reminding us why we were there.
But that was just one week. Church life just keeps going. And going. Sometimes we can feel like the Israelites in the wilderness. We have leadership and a purpose but we’re just going nowhere for 40 years. Sometimes we can feel like the Fellowship of the Ring. We have leadership and a purpose, but the journey is long and the outcome is uncertain. In either situation, grumbling and arguing are certain to bubble up constantly when you have so many people working together. So I’d like to open up Philippians 2:14 and let you read it in its larger context.
Therefore, my loved ones, just as you always obey me, not just when I am present but now even more while I am away, carry out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world 16 because you hold on to the word of life. This will allow me to say on the day of Christ that I haven’t run for nothing or worked for nothing. 17 But even if I am poured out like a drink offering upon the altar of service for your faith, I am glad. I’m glad with all of you. 18 You should be glad about this in the same way. Be glad with me!
Hold on to the Word of life, my friends, and you will find yourselves shining like stars.