Today’s shared reading
Jeremiah 7–8 · Philippians 2
One reading for everyone. Begin with the context, then let the words take their time.
Context for Jeremiah
Jeremiah 7–8
Jeremiah speaks through Judah’s final decades before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BCE.
- Who: Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch address Judah
- What: The temple sermon and deceptive religion
- When: Before, during, and after Jerusalem's fall in 586 BCE
- Where: Judah, Jerusalem, Babylon, and Egypt
- Why: Turn from false worship and receive renewed hearts
Before this reading
The previous movement is “Call and the danger from the north” (chapters 1–6). God appoints Jeremiah to uproot and to plant. Images of broken marriage, uncircumcised hearts, invading armies, and a city that will not listen expose Judah's false worship and social violence.
Context for Philippians
Philippians 2
Philippians is a prison letter to partners in a Roman colony.
- Who: Paul and Timothy, writing to faithful friends in Philippi
- What: Partnership shaped by Christ
- When: Around AD 55–62
- Where: Written from prison to Philippi in Macedonia
- Why: To thank, encourage, and unite faithful gospel partners
Before this reading
This reading begins partway through “Partnership shaped by Christ” (chapters 1–2). Thanksgiving for shared mission leads Paul to interpret imprisonment as gospel advance and to call the church to courageous unity. Christ's descent and exaltation provide the pattern; Timothy and Epaphroditus then embody the same others-centered service in real relationships.
When you’ve finished the passage, mark the day.