Advent 2: Epistle, Philippians 1:2-11                                         

Philippians 1:2-11

Pastors need to openly express their love for their flocks. Yes, I mean verbally. When I was first converted to Christ as a student while attending the University of Oregon, the very first church in which I took up residence was pastored by a man now of treasured memory. I remember sitting in the back row of a sanctuary that held a couple thousand. And although it was a huge place, I didn’t feel then, and never did in the twelve years I attended there, that I was one of a mass. After one of the earliest services I remember there, Pastor Ron came to the pulpit to close the service and said simply, “Joyce and I sure love you guys.” Informal, yes. And to be honest it left me wondering as a new Christian whether people actually spoke like that in public while meaning it. I came to realize that Pastor Ron was the kind of shepherd that laid his life down. And while the cancer that took him many years later wasn’t the fault of his people, he served them to his last breath. That same breath that produced the frequent “I love you guys” from the platform.

The apostle Paul lets us in on his similar heart. Verse eight  from this week’s epistle reading shows it. “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” That’s a verse I return to again and again. And although I am not an ordained minister in my denomination, I do serve God’s people vocationally and I always want to remember that I owe them my love. I owe them. And they deserve to hear that I love them. Because Christ speaks often of His love for us and shows it, I must do no less. And although I do feel a compulsion to do it. I love doing it. So as far as this devotion serves God’s people today (and those perhaps outside His family), I love you. God be praised.