Sunday, October 5, 2008

Pentecost 21A

Philippians 3:4b-14

 

A FUTURE FULL OF HOPE

 

Beloved people of God, grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.

AMEN.

 

What a rough couple of weeks in the financial arena!  Who would have thought that Northwest based Washington Mutual would go down?  Those of us who had checking accounts or home loans with Washington Mutual will not be greatly affected by the transition to JPMorgan Chase.  Although the name will change, it will basically be business as usual.  But those who still held stock in Washington Mutual were left with nothing, and many Washington Mutual employees wonder what the future holds for them.  Many others in the country are worried about losing their homes or their retirement funds.

 

The massive financial rescue bill approved by the House of Representatives on Friday somewhat eased the anxiety and fear gripping the nation.  Nonetheless, the economy remains in turmoil.  Wall Street fat cats and Washington bigwigs are being blamed for much of the problem.  But the truth is virtually no one is blameless.  We are all paying the price of living beyond our means.  The age of easy credit has caught up with us.

 

On the “The Charlie Rose Show” on Wednesday billionaire Warren Buffet asserted that the nation has been hit with an “economic Pearl Harbor.”  “That sounds melodramatic,” he said, “but I’ve never used that phrase before.  And this really is one.”

 

Buffett was 11 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.  Imagine what it felt like to hear the news of that attack.  Fear gripped Buffett and the whole nation.  Said Buffett, “In my adult lifetime, I don’t think I’ve ever seen people as fearful economically as they are now.”[1]

 

Paul’s Letter to the Philippians is addressed to a congregation of people concerned about their future.  They are not primarily worried about economic issues, but about religious persecution and internal disunity.  They know Paul has been imprisoned on account of his proclamation of the gospel.  They fear for his life and for their own.  They also fear that the community will disintegrate under the pressure of religious persecution.  What will they do if something happens to Paul and he is no longer able to guide them?

 

In Philippians 1:12-14 Paul assures them: “I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.”

 

Though imprisoned, persecuted, and in danger of losing his life, Paul faces the future without fear.  Merrill Lynch was bullish on America.  Our second lesson from Philippians 3 helps explain why Paul is bullish on the future.

 

Paul makes clear his confidence in the future is not based on his religious credentials.  He had been one of the foremost members of the Jewish religious community.  His credentials were impeccable.  He was circumcised on the 8^th day—a Hebrew born of Hebrews—not a convert.  He was a member of the tribe of Benjamin—an elite tribe among the 12 tribes of Israel.  He was a Pharisee, an expert teacher of the law.  The Pharisees were the spiritual athletes of the Jewish community.  Paul had been a scrupulous observer of the demands of the law.  He had been admired for his zeal in persecuting the early church.  None of that secured him a right relationship with God, nor did it give him confidence to face the future.

 

The only thing that matters to Paul now, as he explains to the Philippians, is knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.  For the sake of Christ, he has suffered the loss of his Jewish identity, his status as a Pharisee, his relationship with his family, his full rights and privileges as a Roman citizen, his freedom, and his physical well-being.  In other words, Paul has given up everything his life had been based on.  He had thought that his zealous observance of the Law of God could achieve for him a right relationship with God and provide for his well-being.  But now he has discovered that the Law and all its ways are no more use than rubbish in securing a right relationship with God and in giving him confidence about the future.  Paul has learned that a right relationship with God is based on faith in Jesus Christ, not on strict adherence to external legal requirements.  A right relationship with God is not achieved through human effort, but received as a gift through knowing Jesus Christ.

 

To know Christ is not a matter of information or beliefs about Christ.  To know Christ is to trust him and experience him in a personal way.  Paul tells the Philippians that he wants to know the power of Christ’s resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings.  The power of his resurrection assures us of the presence of Christ among us in this life and offers us a guarantee of the life to come.  Paul is in prison on account of his proclamation of Christ.  He views his imprisonment as sharing in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, and thus even in prison he is filled with hope for the future Christ has promised him.  If he lives, he will continue his work for Christ.  If he dies, he will receive the gift of the resurrection.

 

If the resurrection is a gift, why does Paul use the image of running a race in Philippians 3:12-14?  He alludes to Greek foot races and the finishing post.  The runner is totally focused on the post and strains forward toward it.  Is a right relationship with God something that is achieved after all?  Is attaining the resurrection like winning a race?

 

Certainly that was not Paul’s experience.  The only reason he can press on toward the future is that Christ Jesus had made him his own.  Since his encounter with Jesus, his life has been totally focused on Jesus.  His focus on Jesus is like the single-minded focus of a runner on the finishing post.

 

Paul has no illusion that he is running the race alone or that he can get to the finish on his own.  It is as if Christ is at the finish waving him on or as if Christ is with him leading him toward the finish.

 

A number of years ago in the 100 yard dash at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine disabled runners took off from the starting line.  One boy stumbled immediately, tumbled over, and began to cry.  The other eight heard him and turned around.  They all went back to him and helped him up.  Then they linked arms, walked down the track, and crossed the finish line together.  Everyone stood and cheered for several minutes.[2]

 

Because Christ Jesus has made us his own, we can link arms and press on together toward the future he has promised.  Christ is at the finish line in the future waving us on, and Christ is linked with us in the present leading us toward the future.

 

As people of faith, we are not immune to the anxieties and fears and pressures that afflict human beings.  It is only human for us to be affected by the current economic turmoil.  It behooves us to make necessary financial decisions in a calm, thoughtful, responsible way.  At the same time we do not want to be consumed by what is happening.  People of faith know that the future is not secured by our wealth.  How quickly our wealth can vanish!  When it comes to our future, what matters is knowing Jesus Christ.  Again, do what is necessary to address your financial affairs.  That is a matter of good stewardship.  But the best financial advice is to heed Paul’s testimony to the Philippians and focus on our relationship to Jesus.  When we stay focused on Jesus, all these other things have a way of falling into place.  “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” taught Jesus, “and all these things will be added unto you.”  (Matthew 6:33)

 

The day before my mother died of cancer at the age of 37 she called my sister and me into her room at St. Vincent’s Hospital.  She could only speak in a whisper.  But she blessed us both, paraphrasing Paul’s words from Philippians 3:13: “Forget what lies behind, and press on toward the future.”  Facing the imminent loss of all she held dear, that is precisely what she was doing: pressing toward the future Jesus had promised her.  She did not want her children to forget her, but she wanted us to know that nothing matters more in life than staying focused on Jesus.  Finally what we can count on in life is that Christ is at the finish beckoning us on; and when we stumble Christ is right there at our side, linking arms with us and leading us toward the future.

 

Our current economic system seems to require winners and losers.  What is exciting about the Christian life is that it is not based on winners and losers.  A lot of people are tumbling right now, and it may get worse in the months to come.  Many are gripped by fear and uncertainty about the future.  The community of Christ is at its best when we heed the cry of those who have tumbled and turn back to them.  We will not be able to solve all their economic problems, let alone our own; but we can offer to link arms with them and move without fear toward a future filled with the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus. AMEN.