I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:3-11).

The Light of Christ in a Dim Place

Paul wrote those words from prison, waiting for freedom either through the cell door into the light of day or through death into the mystery of eternal fellowship with Christ. Wanda and I visited the likely site in Rome where he was held before trial, the Mamertine Prison. The only light shone from the sun through the small opening into which soldiers lowered their prisoners into the cavernous well. 

But Paul also wrote by another light, the light of Christ. For Christ he waited along with the congregation to whom he affectionately penned these words of thanksgiving. Such words typically opened letters in antiquity, thanksgiving for the blessing of the recipient and their relationship. As a loving shepherd, Paul usually embellished the thanksgiving with commendations for their faith (except Galatians) and intimations of the guidance to follow.

Advent Waiting for Christ

The lectionary offers this reading in Advent, the season of waiting for Christ, because Paul refers twice to such waiting: He expresses hope “that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (v.6). He concludes with hope “that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God” (vv.10-11). In the first case, he sings confidence in the work of God toward the fulfillment of their vocation as a church. In the latter, he sings of their work toward the fulfillment of their vocation. Being who we truly are and doing what truly pleases God is a collaborative enterprise.

Pause to note that Advent waiting for Christ is not just a memorial to the ancient Hebrews’ waiting for the Messiah or all of humankind’s inarticulate restlessness for divine presence. It is those things, but much more. Or put another way, the coming of the Messiah and the incarnation of God imply much more than we immediately realize. 

The Voice We Follow When Christ Shows Up

In scripture, when God shows up through a dream, a burning bush, the healing of blind eyes, a still, small voice, a star over a stable on a cold winter’s night, or an angel sitting on an out-of-place rock, God says in so many words, “Go. I’ve got a job for you to do, more than you realized I had in mind for you. Thought you were a speck of dust? You are my beloved. Overwhelmed? I will be with you. Let’s go.” 

So it is not just with the ancients but with you and me. And in case you didn’t notice, God showed up here when we showed up for each other. The Holy Spirit does that. You may think you just decided to come tonight, but it was a collaborative effort. When we leave here, if we really listen, we will hear God saying, “Go,” with a commission.

That is God’s voice issuing our vocation. The term, “vocation,” derives from the Latin, vocare, meaning to give voice to or to call. But how do we determine just where God wants us to go, what God wants us to do, and with and for whom? 

Resources for Knowing the Way

Read the Bible? Indeed the biblical word is a necessary resource, and God speaks to us through the stories, poetry, prophecy, and laws of the canon. But for the concrete situations you and I face, the Bible gives precious few detailed instructions or roadmaps. It does not absolve us of responsibility to prayerfully define our problems and decide upon courses of action.

Figure it out rationally? True, God did not give us reason only for excelling in school, doing our jobs, and solving New York Times puzzles. Reason enables us to bring common language and models to reality that make provisional sense. Thus, we can make better judgments and communicate with each other. But reason cannot finish the job because it ultimately follows the lead of the selfish interests of individuals and groups. 

Talk and listen to each other? Now we’re getting warm. God is love and calls us to love one another. What better way to figure it out than through working it out together in community? But groups on their own tend to promote conformity and tribalism incompatible with mission to the wider world. So we often have to step outside of the group to see things more clearly. 

Loving and Knowing the Way

Paul gives us the key to determining God’s truth in our context: Love. Neither Bible, reason, nor community culture suffice, necessary as they are. They get us nowhere without love. Only love suffices. 

Remember Paul’s words: “And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” (vv.9-11, emphasis mine). As we prayerfully love God and neighbor, the Holy Spirit leads us down the right path even if we still feel confused in the fog.

Prayer Practices

I pray those verses every morning as my intention for the day. Then I begin centering prayer, 20 minutes of not saying anything, just opening my heart to God as I return over and over from distracting thoughts to simple openness. Sometimes God speaks through the sheer silence, but much more often, I just sit with God in vulnerable, loving openness. I find that prepares me better than any calculation to discern God’s will throughout the day, or more often, to wait for God’s leading when I don’t know.

St. Ignatius of Loyola taught another practical prayer form for loving discernment for the end of the day. He called it the Examen. I open my heart and accept God’s love, then express my trust that God will teach me as I review the day so that I may follow God’s leading more closely tomorrow. I thank God for at least three simple blessings in the day. Then I reflect on a moment, hour, or long span of sensing God’s presence or touch. Finally, I recall a time when I felt drawn away from God through, for example, judging someone, an escapist habit, or an ego-serving inner rant. 

These practices help me keep a discipline of discernment with love. You may find other practices helpful too. Look at your daily life. How do you live out your love? Your answer may reveal spiritual practices that you are already doing without realizing it. Yet, vocation is not only about God’s voice, but the voice God gave us. More precisely, the distinction between our voices and God’s dissolves as the Holy Spirit not only prays for us, but through us. At the end of the day, it is a collaborative effort.

Related Posts

Discernment: The Art Of Really Living Your Faith

Knowing God Whom You Cannot Prove

Silent Night, Holy Night of the Heart

Examen Prayer: Catching Up With God At the End Of the Day

On the Road With Paul: Buechner On the Apostle With Angel Eyes

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled….Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God..Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:6, 8, 11-12).

This reflection was shared with the Catechumenate Class at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Rome, Georgia on December 11, 2024.