There is no past to the future

Philippians 3:1-4  (NIV)

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

 

I don’t know about you --- but I am tired.

          Pandemic fatigue

Half the time I want to believe that things are getting better

          And in some ways they are

                    Schools are opening up

But then I do my daily check of the number of COVID cases in Indiana and I am brought back to reality

          We have had the worse week since this pandemic started in number of new cases

          And hospitalizations are starting to rise

The good news is we are doing a little better here in Marion County than the rest of the state

And now the air is turning colder and the sky is getting darker and we are finally getting a little rain.

We will probably be spending more and more time indoors --- and according to the scientists --- we all know what that might mean.

For me, the most sobering news was the suggestion that we need to re-think our thanksgiving plans

          That --- more than anything else really got to me.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I have been able to run outside

but the start of the fall allergy season has chased me to my treadmill.

We all want to get back to NORMAL, but in this letter to the Philippians, Paul is reminding us that there is no Future to the Past.

          We will never go back the way things were.

And when I make a statement like that, I feel a sense of loss

          “What do you mean we can’t get back to the old normal?”

                    But we have all done this before.

Our world changed radically after September 11, 2001

I can read a book or watch a movie and can tell if it was written before or after that date

Our world changed --- and we adapted

And we will do the same again

The question that Paul is asking us however --- is what kind of world will we help to create?

Paul is clearly writing this letter at a time of transition

Both Christianity and Judaism are striking out into new territory (often at the same time) --- The are reaching out to the gentiles

          And Paul is trying to offer a better way

And for Paul --- there is no future to the past

He uses some interesting language --- and in this he gives a warning and an affirmation

          “Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh”

Dogs?

          Evildoers?

                    Mutilators of the flesh?

Who the heck is Paul talking about?

Some scholars suggest he is talking about Judaism --- or maybe gentiles who are following Judaism

Morna Hooker in her commentary writes:

“It is important to note that Paul’s bitter attack here is not on Judaism per se.  His argument in v.4-11 suggests that he probably had in mind a group of Christian Jews who disagreed with him about the terms on which one could belong to the people of God and were insisting that Gentile Christians become Jewish proselytes.”

For Paul --- there is no future to the past

He then gives his great credentials as not only a Jew --- but as an extremely righteous one.

(CEB)

I was circumcised on the eighth day.

I am from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin.

I am a Hebrew of the Hebrews.

With respect to observing the Law, I’m a Pharisee.

With respect to devotion to the faith, I harassed the church.

With respect to righteousness under the Law, I’m blameless.

This is nothing new from Paul --- he often flaunts his credentials.

But it is what he tells us next that is important.

Paul wants us to leave the past behind

The truth is we like to live in the past

Last Wednesday was the official start of practice in college basketball.

The start of basketball is almost a national holiday

--- hope for better things to come

          When you walk into Assembly Hall at IU what is the first thing you see?

                    5 huge banners --- celebrating the past --- and rightfully so

But our obsession with the past is not limited to our sports programs

          We often talk about “the good ole days”

                    As if life was --- better – easier --- more holy --- in some mythical past

We even fall into that trap at Meridian Street as we celebrate 200 years by remembering the “glory days” when Dick Lancaster filled the pulpit

The past brings us warm feelings

          The past makes us feel good

But the past is not real ---

and Paul wants to remind us that there is no future to the past

A year or so ago I heard an interesting story on NPR about the landfill on Nantucket Island

The story began:

The landfill is one of three hubs on which life on Nantucket rotates around--the post office and the grocery store the two others. Stay long enough at any of the three and you are sure to run into everyone you know, including maybe some you are trying to avoid.

What makes the dump so interesting is that they have a swap shop there called: “Take it or Leave it”.

The story goes on:

There’s something about the dump, and the take it or leave it swap shack in particular, that brings the Nantucketers out in droves. The shack is even shingled, resembling a small cottage, but the difference between this house and all the others is that one wall has been replaced by an electric garage door, to allow a front-end loader to clean it out weekly.

Just the kind of place many of us like to go and scour through for the perfect treasure.

It reminded me of going to Arizona and choosing what to bring back for my parents to wade through and what to leave behind.

Paul tells us that we must leave parts of our past behind

Paul writes according to the translation known as “The Message”

The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

Paul is suggesting that the way forward is through jettisoning parts of our past and replacing them with the Christ.

I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

We often call this spiritual transformation

Moving Christ from the fringes of our lives and into the center

The “Take It Or Leave It” shop reminds me of this journey Paul describes.

Faith is like looking through all those books, dishes, and toys trying to discover what hidden treasure God has in store for us.

It’s like standing at that table, digging through those piles of shirts, jeans, sweaters, and jackets.

It’s like digging deeper, throwing things aside, looking for what God has in store for us.

You never know what you might find there, do you?

The journey we’re on means leaving behind the old and discovering the new.

That is the invitation that Paul is offering to us.

Paul writes: (the Message)

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. . . . I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. . . .

Stick with me, friends. . . . There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. . . . All they want is easy street. They hate Christ’s Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. . . .

But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! . . . .

My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.

Paul wants us to know that: There is no past to the future

May God give us the strength to let go of what needs to be let go of ---- and to embrace --- to live --- the love of Christ.

Life Together

 

Philippians 1:12-30 (CEB)

Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the things that have happened to me have actually advanced the gospel. The whole Praetorian Guard and everyone else knows that I’m in prison for Christ. Most of the brothers and sisters have had more confidence through the Lord to speak the word boldly and bravely because of my jail time. Some certainly preach Christ with jealous and competitive motives, but others preach with good motives. They are motivated by love, because they know that I’m put here to give a defense of the gospel; the others preach Christ because of their selfish ambition. They are insincere, hoping to cause me more pain while I’m in prison.

What do I think about this? Just this: since Christ is proclaimed in every possible way, whether from dishonest or true motives, I’m glad and I’ll continue to be glad. I’m glad because I know that this will result in my release through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. It is my expectation and hope that I won’t be put to shame in anything. Rather, I hope with daring courage that Christ’s greatness will be seen in my body, now as always, whether I live or die. Because for me, living serves Christ and dying is even better. If I continue to live in this world, I get results from my work. But I don’t know what I prefer. I’m torn between the two because I want to leave this life and be with Christ, which is far better. However, it’s more important for me to stay in this world for your sake. I’m sure of this: I will stay alive and remain with all of you to help your progress and the joy of your faith, and to increase your pride in Christ Jesus through my presence when I visit you again.

Most important, live together in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel. Do this, whether I come and see you or I’m absent and hear about you. Do this so that you stand firm, united in one spirit and mind as you struggle together to remain faithful to the gospel. That way, you won’t be afraid of anything your enemies do. Your faithfulness and courage are a sign of their coming destruction and your salvation, which is from God. God has generously granted you the privilege, not only of believing in Christ but also of suffering for Christ’s sake. You are having the same struggle that you saw me face and now hear that I’m still facing.

 

We continue this morning our journey through Philippians, after taking a little side road last week as we celebrated the kick-off of our 200th Anniversary celebrations.

As I was working on this sermon, I was struck by how contextual scriptural interpretation becomes.

What I mean is, one does not read scripture in a vacuum. 

Scholarly commentators attempt to do that --- but often times, even in their analysis one can perceive what was going on in the world at the time of their writing.

Hence, the issues of today, that are in my head and on my heart cannot help but creep into my understanding of the text.

And that is true not only for the pastor or commentator of the text --- it is true of the text itself. 

The stories of Jesus or Paul is reflecting what was going on in their world.

That is why it is unavoidable for me to see in the text the social justice issues that are on my heart

          Whether it is inclusion of all of God's children into the full life of the church

          or Justice for the disenfranchised

                   --- especially people of color

          or The economic disparities in our society today

All of those creep in whether we want them to or not.

Just as these and other current issues creep into your understanding and interpreting of the text

After the greeting Paul begins an exhortation for us to focus on the things that matter

And for Paul it is a call to us to focus on the matters of the Kindom of Jesus

          Love for each other

          Service to all of God's children

          Sacrifice with Jesus

          To be intentional about how we live our lives

          To be filled with the fruits of the Spirit

But the first section all comes down to a call for us to love God

If there is no love, there will be no sense of what is vital.

          If there is no sense of what is vital, there will be no pure and blameless life.

          If there is no pure and blameless life, there will be no glorifying God.

You see, it all begins with our love for God.

As we continue into the second half of this first chapter Paul begins with sharing that regardless of the circumstances one finds oneself in --- we can and must glorify God and live out kindom values

Paul is in prison as he writes this letter

          but he is not feeling sorry for himself

          or bemoaning his plight ---

instead he is looking for an opportunity to proclaim Christ.

Paul writes:

I want you to know that the things that have happened to me have actually advanced the gospel.

And he knows that while his imprisonment is not what he wants --- he understands that he still has work to do.

Paul looks forward to being called home to Christ, but he says:

it’s more important for me to stay in this world for your sake. I’m sure of this: I will stay alive and remain with all of you to help your progress and the joy of your faith, and to increase your pride in Christ Jesus through my presence

He wants to help us grow in our love and relationship with God.

And he wants us to do that by our living together in a manner worthy of Christ.

I have pondered long and hard this week about what that might mean.

This past Monday, well before the sun had risen, I was on my way to Midway Airport in Chicago to catch a flight to Phoenix.

For only the second time in my life, one of my parents had implored me to COME.

The first time was when Stewart was dying

And this last one took place a couple of weeks ago when my cell phone rang and it was my mom asking me if I could come to Phoenix and help her bring my father home to Chicago.

"Live together in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel"

Live together Paul implores us

Last month a group of us read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's little book LIFE TOGETHER.

For Bonhoeffer, the community that he was referring to was a subset of Christians --- specifically the members of a small underground seminary that he was a part of.

Their Life Together was insolated and separate from many of the horrors that were beginning to happen around them as Hitler was consolidating his power and getting ready to unleash his evil on the world.

When Paul talks about living together who is he including in this community?

          That is a hard question to answer

Because he does not explain himself here in this letter 

We do know who Paul included in his letter to the Colossians and to the Galatians

There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

But the really important question is --- Who are WE including --- or maybe even more challenging ---- who are we not including?

If we go back and look at the words that Paul chose --- the phrase that is translated "Live together" is taken from a word drawn from the political arena and means "live as citizens"

Remember, Philippi is a Roman colony and the residents of Philippi were Roman citizens --- they would not have missed this reference that Paul is making.

When Paul was first in Philippi, and was in jail there, he had made practical use of the fact that he was a Roman citizen (Acts 16:35-40).

          Later in Acts we see him doing that again. (Acts 22:25-29).

But in our passage this morning --- Paul is reminding the Philippians that their true citizenship and his,

          their ultimate allegiance,

                   was to King Jesus, not to Caesar in Rome.

As Morna Hooker, in The New Interpreters Bible writes:

Those members of the church in Philippi who were citizens of that city would also have been Roman citizens; thus they would have been well aware of the privileges and obligations of citizenship.  Paul has probably chosen this particular verb (politeuomai) because he thinks of Christian behavior not simply as something undertaken by individuals, but as the expression of the life of the whole community.  His meaning is, "let your life as a community be worthy of the gospel of Christ."

What Paul is asking us today is our community worthy of the Gospel of Christ?

Is Christ who we put first in all that we do?

Paul is asking the Philippians: do you pledge your allegiance to God, or to Rome?

Today he would be asking us:  do you pledge your allegiance to God, or to the United States of America?

And maybe what we need to wrestle with is how those two kindoms look different.

          In God's kindom --- no one is excluded

          In God's kindom there is an economy of sharing

          In God's kindom we are united to God through the mystery of suffering.

Those are not the values of our earthy citizenship in the USA.

We by the color of our skin --- and the opportunities of education and wealth set the rules for who is in and who is out.

          Rights are based on where you are born --- and to whom you are born to

I have to admit --- I struggle with what it means to be a citizen of God's kindom.

Remember what Paul says in this passage

God has generously granted you the privilege, not only of believing in Christ but also of suffering for Christ’s sake.

Our world does not view suffering as a privilege --- but God does.

He is reminding us once again that we need to focus on what really matters.

And what is that?

          God --- and our living a life worthy of God

So in this --- life together --- who did God exclude?

Who is not welcome at God's table?

          Who comes to mind that Jesus excluded?

Jesus, through his life, demonstrated the answer to this --- all are welcome.

We love to say: Hate the sin, love the sinner.

It's a Christian cliché that has been used with increased frequency in recent years because it is often invoked in debates about the LGBTQI community and gay marriage.

Many who use this phrase don’t intend to harm others but wish to express love for another at some level.

Justin Lee writes,

“The basic point of the phrase is true. But “love the sinner, hate the sin” feels very different depending on which side of the table you’re sitting on. To the person doing the “loving,” it feels very generous: Even though this person is a sinner, I’m going to treat them with love and compassion!”

“I’m a good person,” the phrase implies, “because I’m loving you in spite of your sin.”

However, to the person on the receiving end of “Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin,” it can sound frustratingly judgmental, condescending, and manipulative.

“Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin” highlights the virtues of one person against the perceived sinfulness of another, conveniently placing the ‘Lover’ in a position of moral superiority over the ‘Sinner.’

It’s not compassion, and it’s definitely not grace.

And it also isn't biblical --- Jesus NEVER said that.

Peter Rollins in The Orthodox Heretic, writes,

“Jesus’ understanding of forgiveness was so radical because he did not need people to repent before he accepted them. He did not require a change in behavior before he loved, respected, and related to them. Yet, it was precisely this unconditional love and forgiveness that seemed so potent and transformative, often being the very act that drew people to repentance.”

The closest use of this phrase in Christian history is a letter from St. Augustine to a group of nuns encouraging them to have “love for mankind and hatred of sins”.

It was Mahatma Gandhi in his 1929 autobiography who said:

          “Hate the sin and not the sinner.”

But Gandhi’s full statement has a bit different flavor:

“Hate the sin and not the sinner is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world.”

Gandhi correctly observed that it is difficult --- perhaps impossible --- to see someone else primarily as a “sinner” and then to focus on “hating their sin” without developing some level of disdain for the person.

Perhaps this is why Jesus did not ask us to love “sinners” but to love “neighbors” and “enemies.”

Adam Hamilton writes:

I think Jesus knew that if he commanded his disciples to ‘love the sinner,’ they would begin looking at other people more as sinners than neighbors. And that, inevitably, would lead to judgment. If I love you more as a sinner than as my neighbor, then I am bound to focus more on your sin. I will start looking for all the things that are wrong with you. And perhaps, without intending it, I will begin thinking about our relationship like this: “You are a sinner, but I graciously choose to love you anyway.” If that sounds a little puffed up, self-righteous, and even prideful to you, then you have perceived accurately.

"Live together in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel"

We can't do it until we put God first and accept and love our neighbor

I love what Fred Rogers once said,

“To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.”

May we work to become full members of Christ's community of love ---

          not only for ourselves

                   but for our neighbors

                             all our neighbors!

 

What Do We Owe The Past

Matthew 16:13-20 (NRSV)                   

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

 

I cannot thank everyone who has hand over the last couple of years in getting us to this point.  Pandemic or not --- we are ready to celebrate 200 years of making a kindom difference here in Indianapolis and around the world. 

Over the next year, we will be celebrating Meridian Street as we look back and start living the future.

This celebration terrace will be one of the lasting legacies of this anniversary --- as we create a space for us and the community to gather in prayer and contemplation.

I am also excited about the new history of Meridian Street that Andrea Neal and Jason Lantzer have written.  Early on David Evans, whose father Dan Evans, Sr, wrote the history of Meridian Street at 175 years, suggested that we need to have a new history written.

I appreciate the push he gave to the project and the wonderful writing that Andrea and Jason have done.  I have had the privilege or reading a draft of the book, and when it is published this fall you are going to want to get a copy.  Thank you Andrea, Jason and David!

If you do not know the history of Meridian Street, the story will not only inform you, it will inspire you.

It is not a perfect history --- we have had our times of turmoil --- but through it all, God has been present --- seeking to lead us toward God's perfect kindom.

The turmoil of today --- social division --- racial injustice --- LGBTQI inclusion --- are nothing new. 

Two World Wars, Spanish Flu, Vietnam, Civil Rights --- and that is just the last 100 years

          There is hope that we survived and thrived through them and can do so again

As I was preparing for this morning I was reminded of the Roman god Janus.

It is the images of Janus that jumps out at me ---

Janus is usually depicted as having two faces, he was the god of beginnings and endings, presiding over every entrance and departure, and every door and passageway because they look in two directions

Janus is looking to the future and back to the past.

And that is what we do when we mark time like a 200th anniversary.

We remember where we have been --- and beginning living in the future.

It is easy to reminisce about the wonderful ministries that have come out of Meridian Street Church.

We have had a glorious past and the influence that we have had on Indianapolis is significant.

Two ministries that continue in our city jump out.

We are founding members of Family Promise and the Interfaith Hospitality Network.  For the past quarter of a century we have helped house homeless families --- but that is not really what Family Promise is about.

          Family Promise is about helping families get back into their own homes

          And we have help countless numbers of families return to their own home

Even this past Friday we had volunteers helping organize a new apartment with the furnishings you donated for a family

The second that JUMPS out at me (and I could name many more) is Neighbor-link

Formally known as neighbor to neighbor; it began as a ministry of Meridian Street Church and today has numerous partners --- helping homeowners throughout the city keep their homes safe and secure. 

          Neighbor-link has an office up on the third floor that they operate out of. 

But we are not called to rest on the past.

God is still calling Meridian Street to be a leader and innovator in the city.

I picked this passage because the message in it is one we need to be reminded of.

Jesus has gathered with his disciples, way up in Northern Galilee and asks them a simple question --- Who do you think I am?

Who is Jesus?

And Peter says: ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’

You are the one, Jesus, who is to usher in a new age --- the kindom of God

                    And we believe that as well don't we?

And Jesus response should be instructive for us:

"I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

We all know that Jesus is not talking about buildings here. 

          He is not saying, I am going to build a great edifice at 5500 N Meridian Street!

The word church in the Greek means the calling out of people to assemble together

In other words, Jesus is saying that we are a CALLED OUT PEOPLE

We are called to be different --- distinct from the world

We assemble --- we gather --- together for worship because God in Christ has called us out to be distinct from the world.

The church is the people who have heard the call to follow Christ, and that means gathering together (assembling) as a holy people

          We are called out from the world and set apart for a God's purpose

This, then, is church.

          Our prime concerns should be located in that single word.

So let me ask you:

          Does our worship reflect the Christ who calls us out?

          Are we living as a distinct, called-out people?

Or to put it another way, is Jesus first in our lives?

          Not our party affiliation

          Not our national allegiance

Is Jesus first?

          Remember in Christ we are all one!

Nadia Bolz-Weber:

"People don't leave Christianity because they stop believing in the teachings of Jesus.  People leave Christianity because they believe in the teachings of Jesus so much, they can't stomach being part of an institution that claims to be about that but clearly isn't."

Meridian Street --- has been and must continue to be --- built upon Jesus

The second part, Jesus says: “The gates of Hades will not prevail against it”

Jesus is saying nothing can hold back the church --- the assembly --- when the church is living as the distinctive, called out people of God.

NOTHING

          Not conflict

          Not even a pandemic

We are still the church!

Remember the passage from Philippians last week.

          "the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion"

          "I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters"

As we celebrate the past --- let us rejoice in the good work that Jesus has done among us --- and as we look to the future --- may we recognize what really matters and move forward with confidence and love.

While we gather to celebrate --- this is a challenging time for many

          Many feel broken

          Vulnerable

          Alone

          Afraid

Let us be the church by letting those who are hurting know that when God sees broken hearts – God’s heart is broken as well.

Let me close with this prayer from Richard Foster:

Let me enter your heart, O God. Let me see what breaks your heart. Let my heart be broken, too. Amen.”

What Really Matters

 

Philippians 1:3-11   Common English Bible

I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy. I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now. I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus. I have good reason to think this way about all of you because I keep you in my heart. You are all my partners in God’s grace, both during my time in prison and in the defense and support of the gospel. God is my witness that I feel affection for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.

This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight. I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ. I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God.

 

Over the next seven weeks we will be overwhelmed in the worst of our country.

For the last half decade or so, elections haven't been about what unites us as a nation, but have rather sought to instill fear and loathing into the electorate.

This is not a critique of the Democratic party or the Republican party --- it is a critic of what has become of our democracy.

As a result of what Bob Greising referred to yesterday as the "silly season" I want us to spend time with Paul and his relationship with the people of Philippi.

This is a beautiful letter

          People that Paul seems to have a close and personal relationship with

                   Gordon Fee in his commentary on the letter calls it a "letter of friendship"

I know I said this in my article on Thursday --- but I want to emphasis it again

          I encourage you to read this little letter each week

Even better if you can take the time to read it in a different translation

          You can find different versions at Biblegateway.com

          It is a short letter --- only 4 chapters long

Just briefly, let me share a little history of the Church at Philippi and this letter

If you remember from the book of Acts chapter 16 (16:6- 12 The Message)

They went to Phrygia, and then on through the region of Galatia. Their plan was to turn west into Asia province, but the Holy Spirit blocked that route. So they went to Mysia and tried to go north to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them go there either. Proceeding on through Mysia, they went down to the seaport Troas. 

That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans.

Putting out from the harbor at Troas, we made a straight run for Samothrace. The next day we tied up at New City and walked from there to Philippi, the main city in that part of Macedonia and, even more importantly, a Roman colony. We lingered there several days.

This was the farthest west that Paul had ventured to this point in his ministry.

Philippi was a small city in the first century C.E. --- most suggest a population of around 10,000 inhabitants.

But it was an important city

• Philippi was located at the far eastern end of a large fertile plain in central Macedonia
• It was situated on the Via Egnatia --- the main east west road between Byzantium (Constantinople) and the major sea port of Adriatic sea --- thus access to Rome

By the time of Paul, Philippi was a Roman City and the urban political center of the eastern end of the plain.

There is strong consensus that this letter was actually written by Paul, quite possibly from Rome somewhere around 60-62 CE.

There is some scholarly debate that this is actually a number of letters that over time were edited together.

          For our purposes, I don't see much importance to that sidenote 

It is fun reading, studying and meditating on this Letter of Paul's to the Philippians while also engaging in a study of The Book of Joy --- because in many ways this is a letter of joy!

One of the reasons Paul writes this letter is to say thanks for a gift that has been sent to him while he is imprisoned in Rome.

(Philippians 4:10-20 selected  The Message)

I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. . . . I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.

You Philippians well know, and you can be sure I’ll never forget it, that when I first left Macedonia province, venturing out with the Message, not one church helped out in the give-and-take of this work except you. You were the only one. Even while I was in Thessalonica, you helped out—and not only once, but twice. . . . 

The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end.

Paul is grateful and filled with joy --- and he wants us to be as well.

Oftentimes when I begin working on a sermon, especially if I am going to preach through a book of the bible like I am with Philippians --- I read the text and see what jumps out at me.

As I read Philippians --- I felt the spirit pushing and pulling me in a number of ways.

But in this first half of the first chapter of Philippians --- one phrase just leapt out at me: "This is my prayer . . .that you will be able to decide what really matters"

What is it that really matters?

          Is it the same thing today as it was when Paul wrote this letter?

Let's look more closely at this section of Paul's letter.  I want to focus in on verses 9-11

This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight. I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ. I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God.

Paul seems to be suggesting that there are three particular things that he is praying for the people of Philippi

First: “that your love might become more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight.”

There are some who believe that this refers to the love which the Philippians were to have for each other.

Paul is praying that the followers of Jesus in Philippi would get along better with each other 

There is no question that Jesus calls us to love one another, and that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Paul suggests the same thing when he writes in his letter to the Thessalonians said: (1 Thessalonians 3:12  CEB)

May the Lord cause you to increase and enrich your love for each other and for everyone in the same way as we also love you.

And if you have read the whole letter you know that Paul addresses some of the bickering that was going on amongst the followers of Jesus.

But I don't that that is what Paul is trying to get across when he prays that our: "love might become more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight."

I believe that what Paul really wants is for us to grow in love more deeply with God.

And a love that is not simply an emotional attachment, but also one in the head.

          Paul wants our heads and our hearts aligned with God.

Today, I think we are better at filling our heads with knowledge and struggle with filling our hearts.

          But we need both!

Paul knows that they already love God --- he is not questioning that --- what Paul desires is for them --- and us --- to let our love grow deeper and wider.

Deeper so that we can see the things that God sees

Wider so that we can embrace the kindom that God desires.

The second prayer of Paul's is that we "will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ."

This, for me, is the crux of the passage.

Paul is praying that the Philippians --- and you and I --- will be able to discern what is most important.

The Phillips translation puts it like this: “I want you to be able always to recognize the highest and the best.”

As we move into this "silly season" is there anything more important?

Every day life is filled with difficult decisions.

Every day we face a myriad of choices

not just between good and bad,

but between sort of good and not much better,

between not great and not any better.

If life's choices were between good and bad or better and best it would be easy.

          But it is not always an easy task to decide which choice we should make.

Danish theologian/philosopher Soren Kierkegaard told a modern day parable about thieves who broke into a jewelry store at night.

Instead of stealing anything, they merely switched the price tags, putting high-value tickets on costume jewelry and bargain tags on premium gems.

Sometimes that is what it feels like in our world today

          the value of things are all mixed up       

                   things that are valuable --- aren’t given much importance

                   And things that are not as significant are highly valued

But Paul is harkening back to Jesus in calling us to kindom values and not our own.

Jesus looked at the world's values and declared them to be upside down.

All of the price tags were wrong.

How did Jesus define greatness?

          The biggest house?

          The heftiest bank account?

          How many titles we have?

NO

Jesus said that greatness is found in service.

          Self sacrifice is how one saves one’s life.

          The first will be last the last will be first.

Do I need to go on?  Jesus certainly did.

Jesus turns our values upside down and Paul's' prayer is that we can see what really matters!

Paul prays that we will know what really matters so that we "will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ."

Paul believed that Jesus was coming back soon --- today even.

How would our choices change if we really believed that Jesus might return NOW and hold us accountable?

Do we even think that way when we buy things made from sweatshops or when we don't think twice about the damage we are causing to the earth?

Paul wants us to care

          To care about what we value

                   are they even the right things?

Paul wants us to care

          About how we do business

          About how we spend our money

          About how we vote

Because he believes that we will be held accountable for what we do --- and what we don't.

And then he concludes this section with one more prayer for us: "that you will be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God."

You see for Paul ---

when we take seriously what really matters ---

when that becomes the focus of our lives ---

we are filled with the fruits of the spirits.

In his letter to the Galatians (5:22-23 CEB), Paul tells us about the fruits of the spirit.

the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

That is Paul's prayer for the people of Philippi and it is his prayer for us today

Are we willing to focus in on what really matters to God --- or what matters to us?

You are probably familiar with the short poem from Benjamin Franklin found in the 1758 version of Poor Richard's Almanac under the title “A little neglect may breed mischief”

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.

For want of a horse, the rider was lost.

For want of a rider, the battle was lost

For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost,

All for the want of a horseshoe nail.

While it is popularly attributed to Franklin, the proverb is actually far older

          variations of it can be found dating back to the 14th century.

The story has survived so long, and been shared so widely, because it illustrates a universally recognized truth: everything is connected to everything else.

Little dysfunctions, if ignored, compound to larger ones.

          The untended stray thread will eventually lead to an unraveling of the whole.

          Water drops, given time, can wear away holes in solid rock.

And little unaddressed imbalances in our society can steadily erode our unity, and eventually lead to a host of much more serious problems.

This is the truth that Paul proclaims in this prayer.

And for Paul --- the starting point is pretty simple,

You have to start with a love for God.

If there is no love, there will be no sense of what is vital.

          If there is no sense of what is vital, there will be no pure and blameless life.

          If there is no pure and blameless life, there will be no glorifying God.

It all begins with our love for God.

Remember what happened one someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was? 

His answer tells us what really matters.   (Matthew 22:36-39 NRSV)

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

I pray that you will be able to decide what really matters and will be found blameless on the day that Jesus returns.

Where Are The Disciples

Matthew 16:21-28 (CEB)

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and legal experts, and that he had to be killed and raised on the third day. Then Peter took hold of Jesus and, scolding him, began to correct him: “God forbid, Lord! This won’t happen to you.” But he turned to Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are a stone that could make me stumble, for you are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them. Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? What will people give in exchange for their lives? For the Human One is about to come with the majesty of his Father with his angels. And then he will repay each one for what that person has done. I assure you that some standing here won’t die before they see the Human One coming in his kingdom.”

 

Over the past two months, Mary and I have sought to highlight some of the challenges or you might even say crisis that is happening in Christianity right now.

As I have been pondering and praying over the sermon this morning I was trying to figure out how to articulate --- in a way that doesn't push your off button --- the challenges that we face today as followers of Jesus.

Because, Christianity is under siege --- but not in the ways that we often think.

It is not under siege by shop owners and workers who will say Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas in the next few months.

It is under siege because we have neglected our responsibility

          We have disconnected our private life from our religious life

          Our work life from our religious life

          And the one that will set some of you off

                   Our political life from our religious life       

We have compartmentalized our Christianity to an hour or two a week

          We have also made it about a personal relationship with Jesus

                   As if we can be in relationship with Jesus in isolation

I came across an interesting illustration of this.

Are any of you familiar with Paxos or Paxi Greece

          It is a tiny Island with a population of about 2500 people

          Yet it boasts some 64 churches

                   That is one church for every 40 people

It is not that the people of Paxos are particularly pious

Instead, there is a tradition there for every island family to build their own little church.

These family churches are used for family occasions --- births, baptisms, weddings and funerals --- and for very little else.

          It creates a very personal or almost private religion.

                    A religion divorced from society.

And in my mind, we have done the same thing.

          Religion and Christianity has become increasing private

Certainly, we want there to be a church with clergy, organ and choir (that has been part of the challenge during the pandemic)

          and we want it there for those special occasions

                   baptism

                   weddings

                   funerals

And there are also those who on the face of it are more committed to their Christian walk.

But they do not want to be bothered with actually engaging with the community at large --- They will support financially helping people, but are not really interested in the soup kitchen or volunteering at the community center 

We desire the church to make us feel good in our relationship with God and to be there when we have a need like a

          baptism

          wedding

          funeral

This is nothing new

83 years ago, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote the still classic exposition on what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus. 

In The Cost of Discipleship or as it is also known simply as Discipleship, Bonhoeffer looked out at his beloved Germany and saw a nation, not that unlike our own.

Bonhoeffer saw a nation filled with decent, hardworking, responsible citizens.

But what bothered him was he also saw how powerless the people had become to resist the evil attraction of Hitler and his ghastly fascist creed.

What shocked him the most was how Christianity had offered very little opposition and often seemed to justify Hitler's actions.

Nearly everyone had fallen under the spell of Hitler, who promised to restore Germany and the German people to their rightful place.

Bonhoeffer concluded that the reason why the people did not resist Hitler is because they had bought into the notion of what he called CHEAP GRACE

          they no longer saw that caring for the least and lost was important

          Instead their own personal relationship with God was what mattered

Cheap grace for Bonhoeffer means:

the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Bonhoeffer calls us to let go of this cheap grace and instead to embrace the costly grace that Jesus offers.

And he wants to remind us that we do not set the terms of the relationship with Jesus --- God does.

          That is why it is costly.

He writes:

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”

For Bonhoeffer, the answer to what is required of us to be a disciple of Jesus is found in the beatitudes.  There he saw it all laid out.

          Care for the hungry

          Care for those who are oppressed

          Care for those who are disenfranchised

          Be filled with mercy towards others

          Have a pure heart

          Be a peacemaker

          Persist

And Jesus constantly reminds us that we must:

"take up {our} cross, and follow {him}. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them. Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? What will people give in exchange for their lives?"

It is easy to follow the path of "cheap grace" to either:

          Define religion on our own terms

                   to make it meet our needs and whims

                             or

to retreat from a costly witness and discipleship in the world and into a private religion

Jesus wants to impact every moment of our lives --- not just part of it.

Being a disciple is a full time relationship --- one cannot be a disciple for just part of the day --- one chooses to either follow or not.

And while I see the Beatitudes defining how a disciple is to live and relate to the world; for me it is at the end of Matthew's gospel where Jesus makes it plain what life with Christ is to be like.

This is Jesus last message before he enters Jerusalem --- where he will be arrested, tried and killed by the state

The people hearing this story all think of themselves as followers of Jesus --- as disciples.

And he seems rather judgmental to those followers.

Jim Wallis writes:

This is the final test. This was Jesus’ last teaching before he went into Jerusalem to be crucified and raised from the dead. This is how we measure our lives as disciples. And while Jesus was not very judgmental as a whole during his ministry, he was in this text. The sheep go to eternal reward, and the goats, who didn’t treat the vulnerable the way they would treat Jesus, literally go to eternal damnation.

Listen to Jesus' words.

Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Jim Wallis continues:

An important thing to remember about this story is that all the people who are being judged think they are Jesus' followers. They all thought they belonged to him and they say, "when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, a stranger in prison? We didn't know it was you!”

And I often like to add that if this story happened in the present day, they’d add, “Had we known it was you, we would have at least formed a social action committee."

The way Jesus responds to them couldn’t be clearer. He tells them, "How you treat those who are the least of these,” meaning the marginal, the put aside, the shutout, the ignored, the neglected — "that's how you treat me. So I'll know how much you love me by how you treat them.”

Over the past two months, we have looked at the crisis of Christianity in North America today.

          Who is our neighbor?

          Do we see the Christ in everyone?

          What is truth?

          What is required of power?

          God does not want us to be paralyzed by fear

          Who is our Caesar?

          Becoming a peacemaker and not a peacekeeper

And finally --- are we willing to be a disciple

          Will we care for the least, the lost and the last in our society?

I want to close with this prayer from Christine Jarrett

We name you gracious Master and our God,

Great Redeemer and King.

You offer us the kingdom, Lord Jesus;

a realm where the hungry are fed,

the thirsty are given something to drink;

and the homeless are housed.

 

You offer us a realm where

those who are shivering are clothed,

the sick are visited,

those in prison hear good news.

 

We wonder how we are to receive such a gift:

Will you require of us more than what we are already doing?

Will you judge us for what we have done

and what we have left undone?

Will you leave us out of your community of salvation?

 

In your great love and mercy,

move us beyond fear;

move us beyond guilt;

move us beyond our anxious worry.

Move us deeper into your surprising grace;

Heal the blindness that does not see you

when you come to us in distressing disguise.

Set us free from serving lesser gods.

 

Most of all, form in us the mind of Christ,

so that we see the world through your eyes,

so that our hearts are broken by the things

that break your heart, and

so that we delight in the things that delight you,

and you create in us courage enough not to duck.

 

We ask in your life-giving name.