Philippians 4:1-13

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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
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  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:

  • Vision I.3, Shepherd of Hermas. (c.145) 

  • Chapter IX, Exhortation to the Greeks, Clement of Alexandria (c 200) 

  • III.18, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200) 

  • II.13, On The Apparel of Women, Tertullian (c. 202) 

  • I.4, To His Wife, Tertullian (c. 206) 

  • Chapter XIII, De Corona, Tertullian (c. 211) 

  • II.V.3, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen. (c.225) 

  • VI.36, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Philocalia [anthology of Origen prepared by St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen], Origen. (c.230) 

  • VIII.LXX, Against Celsus, Origen (c. 246) 

  • Chapter 12, Ecclesiastical History: Martyrs of Palestine, Eusebius of Caesarea, (c. 320). 

  • IX.11, Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius of Caesarea, (c. 320). 

  • Commentary by St John Chrysostom: Homily XIV.

  • Chapter 2, On Cleaving to God, Albertus Magnus, c. 1275.
  • "Our Conduct toward God -- Rejoice in Him," Philippians 4:4-7, Martin Luther, c. 1521.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "He adds particular exhortations: and the first is, that the joy of the Philippians should not be hindered by any afflictions that the wicked imagine and work against them."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "Joy in God is of great consequence in the Christian life; and Christians need to be again and again called to it. It more than outweighs all causes for sorrow."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "Whose names, although not set down here, are in the book of life - As are those of all believers. An allusion to the wrestlers in the Olympic games, whose names were all enrolled in a book."
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
    • "Anciently, free cities had a roll book containing the names of all those having the right of citizenship."
  • From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
    • "Two good women of Philippi, who had apparently been estranged. Women were prominent in the founding of the Philippian church; Lydia was the first convert, and her house was a home of the missionaries."
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, Philippians 4:4-7, Michael Joseph Brown, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "While we are still vulnerable, we are also assured of God's concern and protection."
  • "First Thoughts on Year C Epistle Passages in the Lectionary," Advent 3, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "Do we need to be told that it is a good thing to be elated, to be glad and happy? Some, who see Christianity as something dour and serious, need to hear it."
  • Philippians 4:4-7, Advent 3C, Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • "Rejoice Anyway," William Dyrness, The Christian Century, 1994.
    • "...God's people learned to rejoice in God's presence, even or especially when there seemed little visible evidence to support it."
  • Kairos CoMotion Lectionary Discussion, Philippians 4:4-7. "A place of conversation regarding Progressive Christianity."
    • "Gentleness is not passivity but spiritual judo to be balanced and willing to be rebalanced as contexts change, to be interior to the fear of another for the purpose of transformation of their sense of balance."
  • "The Peace of the Season," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
    • "How have you slowed down this season? How have you enjoyed this season?"
  • Commentary, Philippians 4:1-9, David E. Fredrickson, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008.
    • "Were Euodia and Syntyche squabbling? Or, has Paul's exhortation in Philippians 4:2 activated the sexist bias within the guild of New Testament scholars?"
  • Philippians 4:1-9, Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • "First Thoughts on Year A Epistle Passages in the Lectionary," Pentecost 22, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "Paul is not just advocating the power of positive thinking. This about more than technique and persuasion. It is about filling one's mind with what Paul sees as the signs of God's life - not so that will feel good, but because this is another way of filling oneself with God's life and so allowing God's life to flow through us to the world around us."
  • Philippians 4:4-13, Christ and the Church: The Ministry of the Baptized, Wendell R. Debner, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1987.
  • "The Soul of Christianity: Reasons for Joy," Huston Smith, The Christian Century, 2005.
    • "Perhaps radiance would be a better word. Radiance is hardly the word used to characterize the average religious life, but no other word fits as well the life of these early Christians."
  • "Reasons to Rejoice: Christian Joy in a Secularized World," Arne Fritzson, Ecumenical Review, 1998.
    • "Christian faith has a fundamentally positive way of perceiving life in God's world."
  • "The Lord Is Near," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
  • "A Child of His Time," Ronald Goetz, The Christian Century, 1984. Reprinted at Religion Online.
    • "Even those who have not yet come to trust in him and love him will this Christmas hear the clamor at the stable and will in their heart of hearts long for the truth of that which they cannot yet believe. In his still hiddenness, his manifest fame portends."
  • "Philippians 4:8, The Spiritual Exercise of Healthy Thinking," Faith and Health Connection.
    • "This spiritual exercise of healthy thinking is all important in living a healthy life. The more effective we can be at thinking as Paul urges us, the more likely we’ll live a full and healthier life."
  • Philippians 4:4-9, Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Harvest Thanksgiving, Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
• Articles & Background:
  • "In the Steps of the Moralists: Paul's Rhetorical Argumentation in Philippians 4," Rollin A. Ramsaran, Queen: A Journal of Rhetoric and Power.
  • "A Mystery Story: Children, Cancer and Covenant," Diane M. Komp, Yale University Medical School. Theology Today, 1992.
    • "Several years ago, I was visiting a Trappist monastery with a former brother of that community. During the prayers of the people, my companion asked prayer for "My friend Di and her ministry of healing." At lunch, several other guests asked me about my work. They were shocked to learn that I am a medical doctor. It is an interesting reflection on the semantics of health and medicine in our times that they did not expect a healer to be a doctor."
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  • Bartlett, David L., "Rejoice in the Lord Always," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
      ATLAS via ATLA Image Browse - ATLAS via ATLA PDF
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Bloomquist, L. Gregory, "Subverted by Joy: Suffering and Joy in Paul's Letter to the Philippians," Interpretation, 2007. (See entire issue, focus on "Philippians.")
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  • Bugg, Charles, "Philippians 4:4-13," Review and Expositor, 1991.
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  • Burghardt, William, S.J., "Gospel Joy, Christian Joy," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Cotter, Wendy J., "Women's Authority Roles in Paul's Churches: Countercultural or Conventional?" Novum Testamentum, 1994.
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  • Craddock, Fred B., "The Surprise and Joy of Advent," The Living Pulpit, 1997.
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  • Creal, Margaret, "In the Beginning, Rejoice," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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  • Crouch, Andy, "Furrowed Brows, Inc.: The Culture War's Biggest Casualties May Be Christian Joy," Christianity Today, 2006.
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  • Debner, Wendell R., "Christ and the Church: The Ministry of the Baptized," Word & World, 1987. (Pentecost A)
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Dorgan, Margaret, DCM, "Listen for the Festive Music," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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  • Dyrness, William, "Rejoice Anyway," The Christian Century, 1994.
      ATLAS via ATLA Image Browse - ATLAS via ATLA PDF
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Fritzson, Arne, "Reasons to Rejoice: Christian Joy in a Secularized World," Ecumenical Review, 1998.
      ATLAS via ATLA Image Browse - ATLAS via ATLA PDF
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Goetz, Ronald, "A Child of His Time," The Christian Century, 1984.
      ATLAS via ATLA Image Browse - ATLAS via ATLA PDF
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Grab, Ginger, "Books and Articles on the Theme of Joy," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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  • Hajek, Milan, "Comments on Philippians 4:3 -- Who Was GNESIOS SYZYGOS?" Communio Viatorum, 1964.
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  • Holloway, Paul A., "Notes and Observations Bona Cognitare: An Epicurean Consolation in Philippians 4:8-9," Harvard Theological Review, 1998.
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  • Howard, David M., Jr., "'Surprised by Joy': Joy in the Christian Life and in Christian Scholarship," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 2004.
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  • Jegen, Carol Frances, "Rejoicing in God," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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  • Kelcourse, Felicity Brock, "Not Bread But a Stone?" The Living Pulpit, 2003.
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  • Kelly, Geffrey B., "A 'Mysticism of Joy' in the Lord -- In Life As In Death," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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  • Komp, Diane M., "A Mystery Story: Children, Cancer and Covenant," Theology Today, 1992.
      ATLAS via ATLA Image Browse - ATLAS via ATLA PDF
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Meehan, John T., "In the Midst of Our Chaos, We Can Rejoice," Religion and Intellectual Life, 1990.
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  • "Quotations on the Many Views of Joy," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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  • Rasmussen, Larry, "Joy and Transcendence," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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  • Read, David H.C., "Communicating Joy," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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  • Selover, Thomas, "God as the Wellspring of Harmony, Peace and Joy: An East-West Rhapsody," Dialogue and Alliance, 2002/03.
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  • Smith, Huston, "The Soul of Christianity: Reasons for Joy," The Christian Century, 2005.
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  • Stafford, Tim, "The Joy of Suffering in Sri Lanka: How Christians Thrive in the Land Where Ethnic and Religious Strife Is Always Just around the Corner," Christianity Today, 2003.
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  • Wray, Judith Hoch, "Preaching Joy," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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• Sermons:
  • "The Virtue of Gentleness," John Thomas, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2008.
  • "The Meaning of Joy," Paul Tillich. From The New Being (1955), at Religion OnLine.
  • "Prayer that Transforms," Wyvetta Bullock, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2008.
  • "Joy Because Of, Joy in Spite Of," Benjamin Reeves, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2006.
  • "Joy...That Lasts!" Benjamin Reaves, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2004.
  • "No Bad Days," the Rev. Dr. Henry H. Mitchell, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1997.
  • "Faith to Rid You of Your Fears," Dr. Arthur Caliandro, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1997.
  • "God's Anxiety Reduction Plan," John Jewell, 2000.
  • "Antidote for Anxiety," John Jewell, 1998.
  • "It's Your Choice," the Rev. Dr. Douglas Oldenburg, Day 1, 1996.
  • "The Search for Joy," the Rev. Earl Palmer, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1995.
  • "A Perspective on the Spiritual Journey," Dr. Arthur Caliandro, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1995.
• With Children:
  • "In God's Hands," "Are You a Knocker or a Puller?" and "How Does Your Garden Grow?" Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com.
  • "Joseph & the Colorful Coat," "Pray about Everything," Jim Kerlin, childrensermons.com.
• Drama:
  • "War and Peace," Erina Caradus, dramatix.
  • "Let's Have A Party," Edgar Mayer, dramatix.
  • "Harvest Thanksgiving," Michelle Pitman, dramatix.
  • "Exasperating Daryl," Glenn A. Hascall, dramatix.
  • "Worry Works Wonders," Susan Irvine, dramatix.
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Clip Art, Philippians 4:1, Philippians 4:6, Philippians 4:12-13, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
  • Philippians 4:4, Heartlight - Free Christian PowerPoint Backgrounds.
  • More Reps, Reverend Fun Cartoon, gospelcom.net. Check for printing permissions at right-hand side of destination page
• Hymns and Music:
  • Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Philippians 4:4, 6, 7, 11. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
    • Fairest Lord Jesus
    • In Our Work and in Our Play
    • Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
    • Rejoice, the Lord Is King
  • "Joy in the Lord," Philippians 4:4-7, scripture texts set to music, Peter L. Haynes, Long Green Valley Church.
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of Philippians