11/27/22 - Thankful for... - Philippians 1:3-8 - Pastor Hudson Garcia

This week we will take a brief pause from our series in Genesis to reflect on the theme of thankfulness. Thanksgiving Day means different things for different people, but what I hope it allows us all to do is spend a few moments reflecting on our lives and all that we have to be thankful for. When Pastor Jason asked me to speak on this topic, I began to think about our church, and my mind instantaneously went to Philippians 1:3-8. 
 

In this passage, we find the apostle Paul in rare form. He is not trying to convince the church of profound doctrine through beautiful greek rhetoric, but rather, is expressing his heartfelt love and gratitude for the Philippian church. 
 

We find that the core of Paul’s thankfulness stems from the Philippians' partnership with him in the Gospel. Paul had an incredible resolve for the mission and life that God had called him to, which was taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Though Paul could have been content doing it all by himself, in Philippians 1:3-8, we see a tired, old, and beaten up Paul getting emotional over how nice it is to have a church family partnering alongside him.
 

When I reflect on the last year, I can relate to Paul. It has been a privilege to partner alongside this Illuminate Community Church family as we continue through the grace of God to take ground for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
 

I know that the holidays bring a bag of mixed emotions with all the different family dynamics that exist throughout our congregation. I hope that through the Word of God being preached, our hearts are stirred toward thankfulness for our church family, and our eyes are raised to exalt and glorify the head of the church body, Jesus Christ.