Philippians 4:4-7 (NRSV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,
Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is
near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ
Jesus
Year C
Third Sunday of
Advent
December 13, 2015
Cross~Wind
December 6, 2009
Cross~Wind
Ministries
Title: Five Best
Things I Know
Going deeper
[Philippians 4:4-9 is an appeal to
prayer and virtue. Paul outlines the
attitudinal characteristics that should be evident in the lives of those whose
faith is in Christ . It reads like a combination of
benediction and an exhortation to cheerfulness. Verses 4-7 are part of what
some scholars call “Letter B.”]
Introduction
Linda Ellerbee, a television journalist,
wrote an article for McCall's Magazine a few years back. The article had the
title, "The Five Best Things I Know." Here is her list.
1. Do what you believe is right.
2. In this world, a good time to laugh is any
time you can.
3. Always set a place in life for the
unexpected guest.
4. If you do not want to get old, do not
mellow.
5. The best things in life really are not
things.
I invite you this week to reflect upon your five best things (or
whatever number you want to make.) If you do, it might help you to stay focused
upon the reason for this season before Christmas day. You have experienced the
cultural pressure to focus on food and malls, thinking we will find
satisfaction there. Something in you already says that these expectations are
out of kilter.
I invite you to be out of step with the often materialistic thrust of
our culture. You see, this season concerns your life and the core values by which
you live.
Application
I invite you to think of these
parting exhortations as the five best things Paul knew.
First, rejoice in the Lord always.
These were not the best of times for Paul. He was in jail for his faith.[1] These
were not the best of times for the Philippian church. The local Roman government persecuted them
for their faith. Rejoicing does not depend upon circumstances. You can do this,
because the Lord is near.
Isaiah 12: 3, 6
With joy you will draw water from the wells
of salvation.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel
Dr. C. M. Kao (pronounced Gah‑oh) is the former General Secretary of
the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan. When a repressive regime arrested a young
man who took part in a peaceful demonstration, the doctor was one of those who
helped to keep his whereabouts a secret. The police arrested him for aiding a
criminal. While he was in prison, a reporter
asked him if he was afraid. He replied,
"No, I am not afraid, because I know that no matter where they put me,
there is no prison into which my Lord cannot go." Your prison may not be
as literal as this, but the Lord is near.
Second, let your gentleness be known to all.
Life gives us reason to be bitter and rail against people who frustrate
us. Yet, the attitude of Paul was that of promoting peace rather than keeping
score against those who wronged him. Paul uses this word again in II
Corinthians 10:1 to refer to the “meekness
and gentleness of Christ,” urging it as a pattern for Christian behavior.
We find the phrase in I Timothy 3:3, where he urges bishops not to be violent,
but rather, be gentle. In Titus 3:2, we read that Titus is to encourage the
people not to quarrel, but be gentle, showing courtesy to all. Another author,
in James 3:17, says gentleness is one of the characteristics of tapping into
wisdom from above. I Peter 3:17 contrasts masters who are kind and gentle with
those who are harsh. These authors urge Christians to exhibit “gentleness,” not
violence, not quarrelsomeness, and not harshness, to those outside of the
Christian community. You can do this, because the Lord is near.
Biblical commentator Joachim Gnilka points out that for Paul,
gentleness was a form of witness in their world. Frankly, it will be hard to
witness to the citizens of a country if you give the impression that you hate
the country. It may be difficult for a modern American to grasp the
implications of this demand.[2] For the traditionally religious people of
antiquity, to be loyal to Rome was to be loyal
to, to have faith in, the gods of Rome and
Caesar, the lord of the Roman Empire . This the
Christian minority could not do, of course. Paul’s admonition is not to be on
the street corners railing against what they see. Rather he urges the
Philippians to let their gentleness,
kindness, or magnanimity, show in their lives.[3] In other words, Paul is urging his community
to be accommodating, gentle, kind, bighearted, even to those who considered
them traitors to Rome
Third, be anxious in nothing.
That sounds unrealistic. When I
was in school taking important essay exams or meeting a deadline for a paper, I
was anxious concerning my grade. Frankly, every time I preach has some anxiety
attached. Anxiety is not something any of us can avoid. Paul himself uses this same word in I
Corinthians 12:25, in that each member of the body of Christ is to have concern
for another part of the body. Yet, the Greek word is the same. In Philippians
2:20, Paul says Timothy has “concern” for their welfare. In I Corinthians
7:32-34, he contrasts anxiety for the things of the world with anxiety for the
things of the Lord. In II Corinthians 11:28, Paul says he has anxiety for all
the churches. In other words, some forms of anxiety seem OK.
Interestingly, the statement that the “Lord is near” immediately precedes the statement about anxiety. If
I am right about the way Paul is using the notion here, what he means is that the
Lord is embracing you right here, right now. Therefore, do not be anxious.
Ancient preacher John Chrysostom, in Homily XIV, says that we have enemies of
the soul ready to attack all the time. Yet, “the Lord is near,” so do not be anxious. Our anxiety makes us
realize how little in control we are of the decisions of others. Well, big
surprise! We have little control over what politicians do, but the Lord is near. We have little control
over what those in authority over us do, but the Lord is near. As our children age toward adulthood, we have
little control over what they do, but the
Lord is near. Learn to trust that. When our anxiety controls our behavior,
we become incapable of becoming agents of grace in the world.
Fourth, be prayerful in
everything.
I hope you have noticed how all of this ties together. The Lord is
near, so do not be anxious, be prayerful and thankful in everything. When
confronted with an unexpected grace or an unforeseen groan, is your first
response to turn towards God in prayer? Wow, there is a statement to make all of us
feel guilty, including me. The particular concerns of those who pray are
important to God and receive God’s attention. Intercession is not about
persuading God to do something he would not otherwise do but is for laying
before him our sincere desire for the well-being of others.
Fifth, be thankful in everything.
Isaiah 12:4
And you will say in that day:
Give thanks to the Lord,
call on his name;
Being thankful in everything means believing that the guiding, guarding
hand of God is constantly present. Sometimes we know our requests must seem
childish and simple to God. Dennis the
Menace has Margaret haughtily proclaiming to Dennis as he walks by, "I'm
not speaking to you, Dennis Mitchell!"
The next frame shows Dennis, his eyes rolled heavenward, breathing a
heartfelt, "Thank you, Lord."
Be thankful, even in little things, for the Lord is near.
John Chrysostom, Homily XIV offers the point that God gives us another
consolation, a medicine that heals grief, distress, and all that is painful.
The medicine is prayer and thanksgiving at all times. He then observes that we
should not limit our prayers to requests. Paul mentions that our prayers need
to include thanksgiving for what we have. He then asks,
“For
how should he ask for future things, who is not thankful for the past?
Wherefore we ought to give thanks for all things, even for those which seem to
be grievous, for this is the part of the truly thankful person."
Conclusion
And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Surely, this season of the church
year is one in which we hear many heart felt wishes for peace. We think of it
on the world stage, of course. Yet, do you not have that longing in your heart
as well? You may be looking at a messy present or concern for the future. Do
you long to have peace?
Lucy asked Linus one day, "what’s the purpose of life?' Linus, who always has his blanket and sucks
his thumb, held out his blanket. I
suppose we, too, can cling to our own little insecurities, and believe that is
what life is all about. Then she went to
Charlie Brown, asked him what the purpose of life was. He responded, "Don't smoke, be kind,
always be prompt, smile a lot, eat sensibly, avoid cavities, avoid too much sun
...” The list would go on. Again, it
would be easy for us to have a long list of do's and don'ts about Christian
life. Then Lucy went to Schroeder, who
is always playing his piano, and asked him what the purpose of life was. His answer was, "Beethoven! Beethoven is it, clear and simple." We, too, may look to other people to provide
our purpose in life. Finally, she turned
to the stars, and looked up into a beautiful sky, and she asked them what the
purpose of life was. She waits in
silence. There is no answer. Finally, she shakes her fist, and says,
"Dumb stars.” She leaves.
I want to say to Lucy, wait. The
answer will not come from stars. The
answer will come out of the silence, as you listen to what is within you and
around you. The Lord is embracing you,
right here and right now. Learn to trust that. If you do, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[1]
Paul wrote this letter to the
Philippians from a prison cell. His
greatest desire, to continue traveling and preaching the gospel in new and
distant places, was apparently a lost cause.
He sat old and ill in a jail, only able to write letters of encouragement
and counsel to those he had already reached.
[2]
Caesar Augustus re-established Philippi as a Roman colony for the benefit of retired
Roman soldiers. This was a strategic placement of a group loyal to the imperial
power of Rome Egnatian
Way
[3]
“Gentleness” (NRSV), their “kindness”
(New American Bible), their “magnanimity” (New English Bible) (all translations
for v. 4:5).
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