| November 11, 2007
You are Welcome to reflect on this message
Preparation for worship The text for today’s worship comes from the pen of the Apostle Paul, to his favorite church in Philippi. His topic is the secret of contentment. Why is it we are rarely satisfied with what we have? How much is enough? Why do we spend so much of our time majoring on minors? So Paul’s topic is Christ-sufficiency, not self-sufficiency. It is a great day when anyone is free from the tyranny of outward circumstances. Such is the reward of all who dare to take Jesus seriously.
For those of you who think there is no hell, you’re wrong. Moving is hell! My wife and I have been in “moving hell,” for the past few days! I think this is the 24th time. I’ve lost count. We’re so tired of putting stuff in boxes and hauling it someplace and never even opening some of the boxes. I had this one dog-eared box of stuff, no telling how many times I’ve moved it. All the way to the West Coast and back, that much I know. It’s bathroom stuff. Old vitamins. A fuzzy toothbrush. A band-aid in a worn wrapper. Old sunscreen. Finally. This time I tossed it, and I’m none the poorer for it.
I don’t know how we accumulate so much stuff. I tried to operate with this motto: “When in doubt, throw it out!” Because with junk you have two choices: toss it away when it’s used up; or buy and keep, then store it in the attic someplace! That seems to be what everybody I know does, especially if you happen to be cursed with a basement! So, moving hell! But it’s the nature of things to get used up. That’s why we have trash bins. When something’s broken, or no longer of value, you’ve got to dispose of it someplace. That’s appropriate with junk. But when I moved from Warwick last year, I threw away something of value. You won’t believe this: 2 credit cards; a $100 gift certificate; and 2 tickets to “Mamma Mia!” I accidentally left them in a plastic bag at the Salvation Army. Moving is hell, I tell you! I know you know that.
And it’s been that way for a long time. We saw it at the end of the Oregon Trail, when we lived in Portland. In the mid-18th century, pioneers began their journey with Conestogas full to the brim. But once they reached the treacherous cliffs of the Rockies, the wagons had to be unburdened to finish the trip. Or else risk crossing the Columbia River. Sometimes it’s a matter of life and death.
Our text this morning ... is about a guy who threw away something valuable! His name was Paul. He said to his buddies in Philippi, “Don’t even try to out-brag me, there’d be no contest. ‘Cause he’d flat-out blow ‘em away!” Nobody could even come close to topping him. And it wasn’t that he was rich or had a basement, but because of who he was. His family tree, his connections, his religion consisted of absolute devotion to the Jewish faith. Nobody could boast like the Apostle Paul. He was proud of his Jewishness, because from Judaism sprang Christianity and Islam. O yeah, the Apostle Paul was honored to be a born and practicing Jew.
Furthermore he had all the credentials of Judaism: orthodox; dedicated on the 8th day. He even had the name of Israel’s first King, Saul. And he relished in that legacy. Also he was a Pharisee. And he was delighted about that too. They’re terribly misunderstood in the New Testament, because Jesus lit into ‘em more than once. But being a Pharisee simply means they are devout in their adherence to the Bible and tried to follow it literally. When the Jews were deported during the Babylonian captivity, there was no temple. In exile, it was the Pharisees who came up with a substitute: the synagogue. And the faith flourished even in hard-times. They owed that to the Pharisees.
Zealous in his approach to the scriptures, Paul lived “by the Book.” He was very principled about it, and was so conscientious, he held a grudge against anybody who didn’t revere the Bible like he did. He was a persecutor of the church in his pre-Christian days. So in today’s terminology, we’d say St. Paul was a fundamentalist crusader and nobody could out-do him when it came to his character, his religious standing, his family ties, his endorsements...unsurpassed.
But you know what St. Paul said about all that? “It’s all worthless, fit to be tossed out.” Why on earth? This is not a story about someone who is sad about his yesterdays. All of his pride and fervor and religious nobility, all he’s cited in Philippians, that stuff is all good! Not one thing bad about it. So it’s not a matter of goodness. It’s a matter of what matters.
Nor is it a case of what I used to hear down in the Southland: once you become a Christian, you’ve gotta quit sinning, let go of all your nasty old habits; stop cussin,’ dancin,’ drinkin,’ fornicatin.’ It’s not about having to give up the fun stuff after you come to Jesus. Paul extols his past -- before he became a Christian. You wouldn’t find many skeletons in his religious closet. Still, Paul said, “It’s just garbage.” Why’d he do that? He didn’t have to. Can you think of a single church that wouldn’t salivate over having Paul as a member? He’s the kind of prospect all of our post-modern contemporary, microphone-mouth-stuffing churches go after: upright, honest, productive, tither, Bible-thumper, follow-the-10-commandments kinda folks.
No church I’ve ever seen would turn him away. They wouldn't think twice about his past either. Why not just add-on a little Jesus to it and join the church. That would’ve been OK. A whole lot of people do that. Paul could easily have done it too. You know, join the church and then pick and choose what you like? Like going to a shopping mall. Come ... now and then. Give a little ... now and then. Serve on a committee ... now and then. And now and then ... you’ll die. And now and then ... hope like hell to go to heaven. Perhaps! I can tell you after 40 years at this, an awful lot of folks do church that way: “Every now and then.” Paul could have done it that way too. Everybody does it. Nah, he threw it all away! Why toss out the stuff he just called “good?” Paul was just doing what Jesus did. Because he believed if you’re going to be a Christian, then you ought to be like Jesus.
This is the guy who penned that magnificent hymn about Christ, who was with God and all that’s good. Right hand of God, with the angels; all that ephemeral stuff. But he jettisoned all that, to become one of us to make us what he is. Paul called it “self-emptying!” How on earth do you do that? But he did it and became obedient unto death. Jesus said goodbye to the good stuff, threw it all away to become a human being. It’s like Paul’s saying, “How can I just add-on the church, as it may or may not conveniently fit in to my life? How can I do that when Jesus left behind heaven’s glories and called for the garbage trucks?” Paul had this fanciful idea: that Christians ought to be like Jesus. OK, so what do we do with our pride now? Or our agenda? Our stuff; our independence? Or our calendars, where we may or may not add in a little bit of church “every now and then?” We toss it out, so we can be like Jesus ... and St. Paul.
This spunky servant of the Lord had the audacity to believe that the Christian life is to be like Jesus: to love, care, give, serve, suffer if need be and sacrifice like he did. “Oh I’m not there yet,” he acknowledged. “I haven’t even come close to arriving. But being like Jesus is the one thing that’s on my mind. I’m running toward the goal, just so I can be like Jesus.”
I know how unrealistic this sounds to the modern ear. Where we live, all we hear is get all you can, hoard all you can, keep all you can, even though you can’t take it with you. At least you’ll have it now, right? I know St. Paul is unusual. You won’t in all your lifetime meet anybody who loves Jesus like him. But I just wanted to bring it up to ya’ll in worship this morning ... because “every now and then,” somebody does. And I just had this hunch ... it might be one of you.
Pastoral Prayer: 11/11/07 We praise Thee, O Lord, especially on this weekend, for the ability to remember, and the influence of ages past on ages yet to come. Especially in this cradle of religious liberty, we’re grateful for the heritage of faith in which we still stand firm. For those who initiated it, and those who defended it and amended it across the years. For those in our own time who understand that nothing worthwhile stays won.
Forgive us that in our money-centered culture we so easily develop an acquisitive spirit at the cost of a servant spirit. Help us in this worship to distinguish what we need from what we want. We want friends; but we need deliverance from the pride that puts people off.
We thank Thee for blessing our church with leaders who both think and feel; with theologies balanced between faith and reason; with members whose loyalty to Christ is proved by their financial support and commitment to service.
We pray for ourselves, a people fully capable of mischief and mercy; a diverse gathering from many different worlds. Let the sick and grieving among us know that Thou art God and that we are Thy people.
We acknowledge O God, all who sacrifice selflessly for our country and our churches. As we recognize the cost of your gifts of life, liberty and soul freedom, may we never take them for granted and continue the eternal struggle to keep these blessings available to all. Through Christ our Lord, the Prince of Peace and the Savior of the world. Amen. |
