Saint Paul's Letter to the Philippians Explained: Bishop Boyea's Year of the Bible

Today we begin reading Saint Paul's Letter to the Church in Philippi, a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Why has Bishop Boyea chosen this book as the next in his Year of the Bible reading list? Here is his explanation:

"Hello, I am Bishop Earl Boyea of the Diocese of Lansing. We will now spend the last four days of this Christmas season reading Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. Jesus is the key to Paul’s life and he wants to ensure that those in the small Christian community of Philippi follow his example."

"Philippi is a Roman city, almost a military colony. When Paul, Silas, and Timothy crossed over from Asia Minor into present day Greece, these missionaries encountered a Latin culture which was very different from all their previous experiences. You may want to read Acts 16:9-40 if you would like some background."

"Paul and his companions usually met with their fellow Jews when they arrived. However, there were very few of them in Philippi so the missionaries instead gathered to pray at the riverside and there met those who would be their first converts, including Lydia from Thyatira in Asia Minor."

"Due to hostility from the Roman citizenry, Paul and Silas were flogged, imprisoned, and expelled from the town (see I Thessalonians 2:2). What is amazing is that the new converts remained faithful to Paul and continued to support his ministry, especially through a young man named Epaphroditus."

"This letter was probably written, perhaps in segments, around 58-60 AD, while Paul was again imprisoned, perhaps in Ephesus. This is not a great theological letter, though there is a beautiful hymn to Christ in chapter two. Rather, it is a very personal letter of St. Paul to a community he deeply loved."

"Paul knows that his followers are still harassed by the local Roman citizens and so urges them to be united and faithful. But the central figure is Jesus. Just as Jesus poured himself out for us, so such sacrificial living on our part is vital for any Christian. We are to share Christ’s sufferings. And Paul gives us a bit of his own life story (chapter three) which demonstrates his own full conversion to Jesus. Paul presents himself as a model to the Philippians."

"Paul and his colleagues had begun a new ministry when they arrived in Europe from Asia Minor but the message had remained the same: Jesus Christ. We are to give our whole selves to him just as he has given his whole self to us."

"Enjoy this short but deeply loving letter to the small group of Christians in Philippi as we close out our Christmas season."