Today we studied Philippians 3:1-11. We responded to this prompt:
Write a letter back to Paul, detailing what gives the members of your group cause for joy. You can also include information on what gives our church cause for joy.
Here's what the three groups wrote.
Dear Paul,
Thank you for the reminders that we can rejoice in the Lord, that we don’t have to be perfect or always do the right things, to perform the perfect ritual to feel the grace of God. At our church we learn how to share with each other. There is strength in sharing. We are joyful about the offerings of this Sunday School class and our fellowship here. We recognize that life will bring us sadness, difficulties and disappointments, yet there are many people at our church who are willing to help shoulder our tough times and minister to our needs.
Sincerely,
Us
Dear Brother Paul,
We want to affirm the people who are doing tasks for the church, but more importantly for their joyful servant hearts, as they serve the Lord. Every day I rejoice that I “die”, as you wrote in Phil 3 verse 10 ("I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death"). I rejoice I can look forward to the resurrection. We rejoice for the people who step up when it’s not easy. We rejoice in scripture, and in music and hymns. We rejoice in how our music director picked out the anthems and hymns for today, which were based on the passage we studied today, and could have been sung by you yourself!
Love,
Us
Dear Paul,
We rejoice in the Lord. Jesus paid our debt and set us free. Paul, we are grateful for you bringing us the good news. Because you long to hear good news from the churches – here is the good news from our church. We have lots of new young families with children in our church. Our teens are actively engaged serving others in community and beyond. We love supporting each other spiritually and emotionally and with prayer. Our child care center, preschool, and food bank serve this community. We care for God’s people – here and far away. We continue to rejoice in the Lord and follow your example.
