Can we have joy in suffering and adversity? It seems unlikely, but that’s the 64 million dollar question Philippians challenges us with in this week’s blog. The Apostle Paul says the secret in being content in every circumstance is…well, we won’t give it away here. Join us for this week’s reflections on the good news that’s often hidden in unlikely places, like suffering.

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Tags: W.E.Hill, Peter Gomes, Joy in Suffering, Muscular Hope, De-centered Selves

In 2016 as our community studied Philippians, we answered a question via email each week in preparation. We always enjoyed this online pre-meeting as we filtered our lives through the text of the week. Stories, confessions, reflections, all were shared, and when we finally gathered in person on Wednesday evenings, it was as though the meeting had already begun with good energy. God was preparing our hearts as the questions helped us deepen Paul’s words and immerse ourselves in the text. We invite you to listen in on a few of our stories, and perhaps share some of your own.

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Tags: GBS (Guillain-Barré syndrome), Psalm 121:5, 1 Corinthians 13:12-13, Psalm 23, Romans 5:3-5

If you enjoy puzzling over riddles, this blogpost is for you. The title is borrowed from a popular book published in 1964. It seemed an apt description of the paradoxical pattern found in Philippians, where the way up starts by going down. We usually prefer anything to the downward path, even when it’s not working for us. But in a world where “me first” and “give me my stuff” seem to be the mantras we live by, Christ showed a different way. Hint: it includes our failures.

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Tags: Philippians2:5-11, Up the Down Staircase, Bel Kaufman, Michael J. Gorman, Richard Rohr, Nelson Mandela, Wilma Derksen

Winnipeg readers might remember a popular call-in radio show from the ’70’s called “Beefs and Bouquets.” For 30 seconds, callers could air praise or complaints about something going on in the community. In this spirit, Watershed’s teacher/pastor Paul Patterson thought it’d be fun to write to the 1st century writer of Philippians. Paul the Apostle was a gifted writer and visionary, but he could also be a name-caller and a bragger.

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Tags: Philippians 3:1-7, Youth For Christ, Beefs and Bouquets, Gains and Losses

The famous hymn in Philippians tells us that Jesus was with God, then came to earth as human-yet-divine, died and was resurrected. It’s all a bit much to fathom if you really think about it, especially the resurrection. What can we learn about this mystery through the science of what happens inside a butterfly’s chrysalis as it transforms? This week, theology meets science— please join us.

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Tags: Philippians 2:5-11, Metamorphosis, Resurrection, Romans 8:11, Monarch Butterfly