Philippians 3:17-4:1
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
I love maps. One of my favorite maps is an upside down map of the world. It was made upside down to remind the viewer that when looking at planet earth from outer space there is no such thing as north or south. North and south are mere perspectives that help orient us inhabitants of planet earth who are stuck here by the force of gravity or God's will or perhaps both. We humans have a strong impulse to locate ourselves in the universe. Sometimes we use statistics to determine where we are on the map. Presbyterians rely on statistics to determine where we are are on the map and how we are doing.
This is the time of year when each congregation must turn in the Annual Statistical Report to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The statistics say we have a older congregation. We have 138 members over 65 years. We have 120 members between ages 45 and 65 years. We have 34 members under age 45 years. Nearly half of our members are older than 65 years. We have a mature congregation. This is true of very many Presbyterian congregations. While we benefit from the acquired wisdom and reliable support of the older members, we also look to the future with a sense of concern.
In the Houston Belief paper last Thursday, Kate Shellnut discussed "Five facts about race and faith: Houston's struggle for church diversity." She notes Lakewood Church with 43,000 attendees is a third white, a third black and a third Hispanic, and says megachurches are more likely to be diverse because minority groups find comfort in the large number of fellow members. She also lauds the diversity of Willcrest Baptist with more than 40 nationalities represented. Its congregation has gone from nearly entirely white back in the early '90s to a mixed, multiracial ministry with an active program for international missions. Shellnut says a decade ago, just 7 percent of all religious congregations in America could be considered diverse. Attending diverse churches has the greatest effect on white people, who tend to change their general views on race relations, immigration and interracial marriage as a result.
I think we do a good job of including all races in the leadership of this congregation. With 290 active members, we need just a couple more black or Hispanic members to reach the 20% required to be termed a "diverse congregation." Here at St. John's we have 236 white members, 50 black members and 6 Hispanic members. We have several African nations represented in our membership inlcuding Cameroon, Congo, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda.
Paul was keeping track of a congregation he had started in the city of Philippi. He wrote them a letter to thank them for their support of his ministry and to tell them he was sending them his colleague in ministry, Epaphroditus. That letter is now know to us as the book of Philippians in our New Testament.
Phillippians gets its name from the city of Philippi. Lets map the city of Philippi as it was in the days of the Apostle Paul nearly 2000 years ago. Philippi was a city in Macedonia just across the Mediterranean Sea north of Africa and east of Italy. Philippi in Paul's day was a city of 10,000 people. Agriculture was the chief business and especially the production of grain and wine. There was no significant Jewish population there. The most influential group were the Italian aristocracy. The city flourished under Roman administration, discipline and culture. As a Roman colony Philippi enjoyed special privileges such as not having to pay taxes to Caesar. Latin was the official language and the cult of the emperor had a strong presence in the city. The mixed population of Philippi meant that various religious cults would have been practiced in the city, alongside the official cult of the emperor. So Paul's reference to Jesus as "Lord" in his letter to the Philippians may have been intended as a deliberate challenge to the loyalty they were expected to give to the Roman emperor as Lord.
Both Paul and the Philippian congregation had been through some tough times together and had developed some inside jokes. Paul may have been making an inside joke in Philippians 3:20 when he writes: "We're citizens of high heaven!" Citizenship had been a big issue when Paul was starting the church in Philippi. While preaching in the city Paul had been accosted by a fortune telling woman possessed by an evil spirit. Paul cast the evil spirit out of the woman and thereafter she was no good in telling fortunes. Her owner claimed Paul had damaged his merchandise (the fortune teller whom he owned) and had Paul thrown in jail. While in jail in Philippi Paul demanded his civil rights as a Roman citizen which included entitlement to a just trial. In his later letter to Philippi Paul refers to his citizenship being in heaven. We can almost hear the congregation muttering, "That's not what you said when you were in jail here — you claimed then to be a citizen of Rome!"
Paul says our citizenship is in heaven but Paul's vision of heaven is broader than just a place we go after we die. Paul envisions heaven as something that will be brought down to earth. Paul sees God's salvation in Christ as encompassing everything in creation that was lost when Adam sinned. This includes the ground that was cursed, the trees, the animal kingdom and humans. Even 2000 years ago, Paul presents a holistic view of salvation.
Paul believes planet earth is still on God's map and God is charting a course toward salvation for our entire planet. God is not abandoning space ship earth but God is still working to transform this planet and to restore what was lost when sin entered the world. God is still active on our planet working for the salvation of everything that exists.
And we are to work with God for the salvation of the world. Teresa of Avila said: "Christ has no body on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion is to look out to the world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now." God is working for the salvation of all creation and calls us to work with Him on this grand project.
Presbyterians are very intentional about keeping track of our membership. I appreciate when you will help me, as your pastor, keep track of who needs my attention by telling me when we have people in the hospital or people who need to be added to the prayer list. It is vital that we keep track of one another spritually, emotionally, and health wise. In this congregation, we do a good job of keeping track of one another in those respects. Paul admonishes the Church in Phillippi: "Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal." Maybe Presbyterians get their penchant for statistics from the Apostle Paul.
Paul says God's map of the universe includes the salvation of the entire planet earth. Let's broaden our map of God's salvation to include planet earth and the entire universe. Let's chart a course for how we can cooperate with God in achieving the salvation of all creation. So let's keep track of one another and stay on track as we cooperate with God's plan of salvation for all creation. That was Paul's invitation and challenge to the church he founded in Philippi 2000 years ago. And this is Christ's invitation and challenge to St. John's Presbyterian Church today.
We keep track of one another by weeping with the one who weeps and laughing with the one who laughs. Paul's message to the church members in Philippi is Christ's message to this congregation: "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." Christ wants us to keep track of one another and to stay on track.
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Pastor Jon Burnham preached this sermon at St. John's Presbyterian Church on 28 February, 2010 (2nd Sunday in Lent, Year C)
