Good
preachers know the value of strong imagery. Metaphors and similes
paint word pictures in our minds. In this passage Paul has two
similes, one lovely and the other painful.
On
the one hand, when we behave in Christlike ways as Paul has been
urging throughout Philippians 2, we can shine like stars in the sky.
Though the world around us may often seem like a morally dark place,
in God’s strength we can be like nighttime stars that pierce the
darkness and twinkle in beauty.
On
the other hand, Paul raises the possibility that he might not live
much longer. He says he could be poured out like a drink offering to
complete the sacrifice of service the Philippians were engaged in
through their Christian living. If the star imagery warmed the hearts
of the Christians in Philippi, this drink-offering image
probably gave them a chill. They would not want their founding pastor
to die.
But
Paul does not want them to feel sad. He sees the possibility of dying
for Christ as a reason to rejoice! Jesus said that the servant is not
greater than the master. If the world mistreated Jesus, his followers
may experience the same.
So
shine like stars, but don’t be surprised if some people in the
world do not like that. And if they don’t, do not despair. Look to
Jesus on his cross and rejoice.