40 Days Blog - Day 18

Philippians 1:18-30 - Joy in Death: Paul’s Mission Statement

There’s a well-known story about Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. When his brother died, a French newspaper mistakenly believed Alfred himself had passed and published his obituary. Nobel read it while still very much alive. The headline reportedly described him as ‘the merchant of death’, a man who had grown rich by helping people kill one another more efficiently. Reading his own obituary struck Nobel to the core - this was not how he wanted to be remembered! Consequently, he resolved to live differently. When he eventually did die, his fortune funded what we now know as the Nobel Peace Prize—awarding those whose work is of benefit to humanity. In a strange way, death clarified life for Nobel.

In our text today, Paul confronts death and in doing so, he offers us his ‘mission statement’. No padding. No slogans. Just a life-defining truth in verse 21:

"To live is Christ, and to die is gain."

1. To Live Is Christ

When Paul speaks of ‘living’, he is not referring to mere existence. The word he uses points to fullness—real, connected life. It’s the difference between a lamp sitting on a desk unplugged (it exists) and one connected to the power source (it is truly purposeful and alive). In John’s gospel, Jesus speaks about vine and branches in the same way – a vine not connected to the branch will surely wither and die.

For Paul, being alive means being rooted in Christ. Jesus is not an addition to his life; He is the centre of it. Paul knows exactly who he is and whose he is. His identity is settled, everything—purpose, meaning, direction—flows from Christ.

2. To Die Is Gain

The second half of Paul’s statement is even more startling. For most people, death represents ultimate loss, it is the dark cloud we avoid talking about. Yet the reality of life is that death is the ultimate statistic but for Paul, death is ‘gain’. He openly weighs life and death and admits that his preference would be to depart and be with Christ. This is not despair or escapism; this statement flows from deep conviction and confident hope.

In verse 23, Paul says, “I desire to depart.” The Greek word analusai was used to describe soldiers moving camp or sailors loosening anchor. Death, for Paul, is not an end but a departure—packing up his tent, lifting the anchor, and heading for home.

Paul concludes his inner debate by choosing to keep living, not for himself, but for the sake of others.

So here’s the question for us today: What is the mission statement of your life? How would you finish the sentence—“To live is…”?

Paul teaches us that whatever defines our life will also shape how we face death.

A Prayer

Lord Jesus, help me to live with You at the centre, and to trust You fully—in life and in death. May I have a clear sense of my identity in You as Your child, chosen, holy and dearly loved.

Amen.

Listen to today's reading and blog post below...

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

The church meets every Sunday at 9.30am at Drumclog and 11am at Avendale.

Sunday worship continues to be live-streamed from Avendale each Sunday at 11am on the Avendale & Drumclog YouTube Channel.

At Drumclog we meet at:
Drumclog Memorial Kirk
Drumclog
South Lanarkshire
ML10 6QG

At Avendale we meet at:
Avendale Old Parish Church
59A Kirk Street
Strathaven
South Lanarkshire
ML10 6LB

For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it at both Avendale & Drumclog. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up and show you where the disabled toilet is located if required.

Our Service - Drumclog Memorial Kirk

Drumclog

At Drumclog, the service begins at 9.30am with a warm welcome from our Minister, or the person leading the service. During the service we usually sing 2 or 3 songs/hymns. The Minister or a member of the Worship Team will usually read aloud from the Bible and lead the congregation in prayer. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. The Minister, or person leading the service, will then give a sermon that is Bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church.

The service lasts approximately 45 minutes. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service. After the service we serve refreshments (tea, coffee and biscuits) in our church hall. This is a great way to meet people and enjoy fellowship together. We would love to chat to you there!

Our Service - Avendale Old Parish Church

Avendale Wide

At Avendale, the service begins at 11am with a warm welcome from our Minister, or the person leading the service. Before the service begins, we will show a loop of news and notices on the screens in the church. This is a good way to find out what's going on in the life of the church. During the service we usually sing 3 or 4 songs/hymns, often led by our church praise band 'The Elastic Band'. The Minister or a member of the Worship Team will usually read aloud from the Bible and lead the congregation in prayer. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it's all part of our connecting with God. The Minister, or person leading the service, will then give a sermon that is Bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. Throughout the service, we may also show videos on the screens in the church to help us reflect on what is being shared during worship or in the sermon. We then share news and notices, usually about what's going on in the life of the church.

The service last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. After the service we serve refreshments (tea, coffee and biscuits) in our church hall. This is a great way to meet people and enjoy fellowship together. We would love to chat to you there!

images: Services

What about my kids?

At Avendale, we have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Family Corner - located within the Sanctuary, this is a great place for toddlers and younger children to play, supervised by their parents/carers, who are still able to be part of the congregation
Family Room - a quiet room within the building, for families to watch a live stream of the service, with toys and activities to do with their children
His Kids (5-10 years)
Yoof (11-18 years)

Children stay with their parent or carer at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and short Children's Talk. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the Children's Talk, someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy the first time you come along to church.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, Bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

For more information about what happens in the children's and youth work please visit the Children's Ministry page and/or the Youth Ministry page.

N.B. - there is no children's programme or youth programme during the service at Drumclog.

Getting Connected

Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our Home Groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out our Home Groups page and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a Home Group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group. If you would like us to put you in touch with a Home Group leader, please let us know via our Contact Us page.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team here.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Other Groups in the Avendale & Drumclog Community

The following groups are also part of the life of our church:

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Rev Calum Stark - Minister		David Moreland - Session Clerk

To find out more about our staff and leaders, please visit our Staff & Leadership page.
We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

Calum Stark - Minister