The Ballad of Eunice and Cindy; Philippians 4:2-9

There are verses from our Bibles that find their way to our refrigerator doors. We put them there to remind us of their truth or promises. Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice," might be one of them. It's a great reminder of God's call to rejoice despite our circumstances. But the verses immediately before this call to rejoice likely won't find their way to our refrigerator. In verses 2 and 3, Paul writes of two women in the Philippians church who weren't getting along. "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord." This verse isn't the stuff of refrigerator doors—it's the stuff of gossip sessions. Can you imagine the talk around Philippi the morning after this letter was read in church? What did the locals down at the coffee shop think of these two ladies called out by the apostle Paul? What did they make of his call for them to help these two agree? Can you imagine? Well, in this message we will. We'll imagine how this letter might have been received by people who weren't any different than us. And since the names Euodia and Syntyche seem far removed from our world, we'll bring them closer and hear what Paul has to say about "Eunice and Cindy."