Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons. – Philippians 1:1

Today's Scripture Reading (April 12, 2021): Philippians 1

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said that "Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." He should know. He presided over the United Kingdom during one of the worst moments in her history, not only for England and her sister countries but also for the entire world. It was a moment when the world stumbled from one possible solution to another, with none of them being judged to be perfect. They were simply actions that could be done. Yet, Churchill insisted that his people would never surrender, definitely not now, nor would that be a path that the United Kingdom would follow in the hard days ahead. It may not sound as good as "we will fight on the beaches," but as far as Churchill was concerned, he could have said, "we shall stumble on the beaches, we shall stumble on the landing grounds, we shall stumble in the fields and in the streets, we shall stumble in the hills." We will stumble through whatever circumstances lie before us; we will stumble until we finally succeed. "We shall never surrender."

The year was 61 C.E. Paul has arrived in Rome and is now under house arrest. He might have had some ability to move around Rome under guard, especially if he worked to pay for his lodging. But he will be in Rome until after his trial before Caesar, which, at this time, is Nero. But Nero is a busy man. He had started building his palace, the Domus Transitoria, in 60 C.E. The Roman historian, Suetonius, writes, "He [Nero] built a palace extending all the way from the Palatine to the Esquiline, which at first he called the Domus Transitoria, but when it was burned down shortly after its completion and rebuilt, the Golden House." The Domus Transitoria was destroyed in the Great Fire in 64 C.E.

But for now, Paul is playing a waiting game. Even if he has some freedom, he is still a prisoner. He can't leave the city or continue the missionary journeys that he felt were so important. He is restricted and under house arrest, except for those times when he was working.

But he refuses to let his arrest stop his activity. So, with the help of Timothy, he writes to the Christians in Philippi. Division has developed in the church that needs to be addressed. Paul wants to go to the church and meet with these friends for whom he is thankful. But his reality is that he can't, not until Nero decides to meet with him and decides about his future. But, for now, he is stumbling through what he can do, trusting that even his stumbles, in God and without any loss in enthusiasm, will result in success.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Philippians 2