Closing Thanks and Greetings

Closing Thanks and Greetings
Philippians 4.14-23

Sometimes when you get to the end of a novel or short story, there is a moment when something is revealed that makes sense of a mood, a motive, a feeling that has been in the narrative all along. At last we understand why that man was so sad when his dog died. At last we grasp the reason why the old woman had never trusted her sister. Or whatever it is.

Philippians ends like that: at last we understand the full extent of why Paul is so grateful for the partnership in the gospel which this church in particular has exercised. It isn’t just that they have now sent him money, with Epaphroditus as their willing messenger. It is that this has continued a habit which goes back right to the beginning. This, we see, is why the whole letter has the warm tone, the sense of deep trust and affection, that we have sensed throughout...

Taken from Paul for Everyone – The Prison Letters by Tom Wright