Forming Faith Blog

The Church in Philippi (Philippians 1)

Posted on April 28 2026 by Gregory Rawn
  • Date: May 10, 2026
  • Bible Reading: Philippians 1:1-18a
  • The Point: The proclamation of the gospel of Christ brings joy and thanksgiving even in difficult circumstances.
  • Unit Theme (May 3—May 24): Living in Hope

Paul writes from prison to the Philippians about the blessings of his present circumstances. What are the blessings in your present circumstances?

A fountain pen writing on paper. Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians from prison.
About the Story

Philippi was a city in Macedonia, north of Greece. Unlike many other Greco-Roman cities, it did not have a significant Jewish population, so Paul’s ministry took place almost entirely among Gentiles. 

The audience of this passage was members of small house churches in Philippi. Because Christianity was not a legal religion in the Roman Empire, Christians had to meet in small groups in private. The members of each house church ranged from slaves to merchants such as Lydia, who founded the first house church in Europe, in Philippi between 49 and 51 CE. 

Paul wrote this letter sometime around 54-55, during the lives of the generation who had personally known Jesus. Paul refers to his being in prison as he writes; although we do not know with certainty, he was probably a prisoner in Rome. Under Roman law, people were not sentenced to prison time. Rather, prison was a waiting stage until a trial. 

Clearly fond of the people of Philippi, and possibly sensing that his days are numbered, Paul writes to encourage them to remain steadfast in their faith despite outside attack and internal struggle. His words are good to reflect upon during this Easter season. (Adapted from Living the Word: Small Groups)

Context Insights

The following are a few insights found in our background resource Living the Word: Contexts & Connections.

  • Linguistics: In Philippians 1:1, Paul describes Timothy and himself as “servants” (Gk. doulos). Doulos refers to a person owned by another person. However, the Greco-Roman institution of slavery was considerably different than American “chattel” slavery. Greco-Roman slaves were respected and could purchase their own freedom. In addition, Greco-Roman slaves held positions as diverse in respectability as laborer and philosophical teacher.
  • Culture/Religion: Because of its geographical location and its political status, Philippi accommodated a wide range of religious observances, including classic Greco-Roman gods and goddesses, Thracian deities, and Oriental cults (Isis). However, unlike many other Greco-Roman cities, it did not have a significant Jewish population. 
  • Literature/Genre: Philippians is a letter. It is not an open letter, but a letter written to a specific community to address their specific situation. Unlike modern letters, ancient letters were written to be read aloud to an assembly. Thus, the ancient genre of letters overlaps with the genres of sermon and speech.
Connections and Suggestions

We have Narrative Lectionary resources for 2026-2027 for all age groups (see also our NL resources for 2025-2026). Here are a few activity summaries you can use. The full activity descriptions and much more are available in the product noted. 

  • Kids: Divide the large group into teams, and give each team a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Challenge teams to come up with a list of things that they can thank God for, starting with a given letter, in a specific period of time. However, when each team reads aloud their list at the end, any items that are shared with at least one other team get crossed off by all teams that have that item. The team with the most unique items wins a point. Play as many rounds as you would like. For classes of pre-readers, the challenge to make the longest list possible in a set amount of time can be done by the large group, with the leader writing lists on a white board or mural paper. (From Living the Word: Kids (3rd-6th))
  • Youth: In groups of three, have youth create their own brief Pauline “letter” of encouragement on their preferred social media platform (following your congregation’s relevant privacy policies). This “letter” can be in the form of a written message, meme, brief video, etc. If creating an online post is not possible or desired, the small groups can plan out a post on a piece of paper. (From Living the Word: Youth)
  • Intergenerational worship: Find and cut out line drawings of various fruit (illustrations are provided in the Living the Word Worship Guide). As worshippers enter the worship space, have them write one thing that they think could be a “fruit of righteousness” on the fruit and place it in a basket. Say an opening prayer based on the basket/harvest of righteousness in Philippians 1:9-11. Include “May we be filled with… ” before drawing out various fruit from the basket and reading them aloud (the text for the prayer is also provided in the Worship Guide). (From Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship)
Previous Posts

This is our blog’s third go-around in the Narrative Lectionary, Year 4. Here are some previous posts on this particular passage if you are interested:

I hope you find this all useful! If you have any questions or feedback on this blog post (or anything else), comment on this post below or on Facebook, or send me a message.

In Christ,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

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Learning Together is a series of five-lesson units on a variety of topics. Our faith formation resources are easy to use, theologically sound, and inclusive. Each unit can be used at any time in many different settings, but here are a few suggestions:

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