Enjoy Life, Enjoy God

HOLY PEOPLE

June 28, 2013

The great writer Flannery O'Connor wrote, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you odd."

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

                                                    - Philippians 1:1,2 TNIV

So begins Paul's Letter to the Philippians, to the "holy people." What does that mean, "holy people." Odd, that's what it means, different, set apart for God. The Philippians, like us, lived in the middle of the happening world, but in God's grace and their choice, these people decided to follow Jesus: holy people, set-apart people, people who will do it the Jesus Way, odd people.

Poll after poll in the USA tells us that Christians live almost identically to people who do not claim to be Christ-followers. Now that IS odd. Paul's Letter to the Philippians is also to you and me, to help us to reclaim our identity as holy people, odd people. In Christ and in the Spirit we are summoned to be odd-er than we already are!

Joyfully,

Dale Patterson