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Sermon - The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (A) - 28th September 2008
St Alban’s Epping 7, 8 & 10 am
Readings: Exodus 17:1-7 Psalm 78:1-4, 11-16; Philippians 2 Matthew 21: 23-32
Who said that churches such as ours do not read the Bible? How can they say that after all the readings that we have had this morning? I am a little overwhelmed by it all. Probably so are you! Never the less, we do need to read, mark and inwardly digest all that the Bible has for us. As Anglicans we are called to interpret the Bible by the use of the three concepts of scripture, reason and tradition. We do not simply just read the Scriptures literally and then follow them unthinkingly. To a certain degree no one does as we all interpret out of our personal experience. For example if we were to read the Matthew 18:9, “if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away…” we would all eventually be blind at sometime in our lives! Having worked in psychiatric institutions I have seen quite a few poor souls who have taken this verse seriously and literally.
So what are the implications of this mornings reading from Philippians for Christian living? What does it mean for Christians to acknowledge Jesus as their Lord? The reading upsets our normal assumption about what God is like, it has a radical effect on our understanding of what God expects from us. We who confess Jesus as Lord should not be looking for status or power; nor should we be acting from selfish ambition or conceit. Rather, we should be humbly considering others better than ourselves. Furthermore, because we are to be concerned with the interests of others we are to be of one mind and one purpose, having the same love and of one accord. In stark contrast to the modern spirit of encouraging competition and giving rewards to individuals who get to the top, Paul insists on mutual concern and service.
Paul’s words are a terrible indictment of the lives and attitudes of many who have called themselves “Christian.” How many of us have really taken the self-giving of Christ as a model for our behaviour? How many of us have been more concerned with airing our own opinions than with coming to a common mind with others? How many church leaders have seen their own role in terms of position and power and have forgotten that true honour comes to those who make themselves as nothing or no body of importance? How many have been prepared to take on the role of a slave? We can all point to notable examples of Christians who have endeavoured to show the same attitude as Christ. Unfortunately, the very fact that such examples are notable proves how exceptional they are.
It has to be confessed that the church as a whole has never taken to heart the true significance of this passage. We have sung the hymn of Christ’s glory as it is contained in this reading, many times, but have ignored its implications for our lives, by attempting to detach theology from ethics, God’s gracious act from the divine demand that follows, ignoring the “therefore” that insists we work out salvation in our lives. Some Christians have emphasized the idea that Christ suffers for us to such an extent that they have assumed that Christian life consists simply of enjoying the benefits of his passion and have conveniently ignored the persistent emphasis in the New Testament on the need to share Christ’s self-giving and poverty and sufferings. We have found it all too easy to forget, that those who acknowledge Jesus as Lord claim for themselves not only the praise, but also the rejection, the service and the willing obedience. Is this, perhaps, why, in Philippians, the day of judgment is referred to as the day of Christ or the day of Christ Jesus, reminding us that it is by his actions and example that we shall all be judged?
If we accuse ourselves of our frequent failure to follow in the footsteps of Christ, we can also take courage from the description of his final triumph. Those who confess that “Jesus is Lord” and who live in his service can be assured that his way is God’s way and that the final victory will be his. At a time when Christians formed a tiny minority in the ancient world, Paul confidently declared that ultimately every tongue would confess Jesus to be Lord and that every knee would one day bow before him. Christians today, who in certain parts of the world feel outnumbered and isolated, may take courage from these words.
As so often it is in Paul’s letters, his instructions about how we should live and show our obedience are general and imprecise. We are told to live “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ”. But Christian obedience does not mean living in accordance with a set of rules. Rather, it means responding in the appropriate way to the self-giving love of God. The vision that Paul provides us with is, in fact, far more valuable than any set of rules. Living in a world far different to that of Paul, we are faced with innumerable ethical dilemmas, which multiply each year with advances in science and medicine. We cannot expect to find ready-made answers to these modern-day questions in the Bible! We may be grateful that Paul, in his ethical teaching, always went back to first principles. In effect, he is saying, “This is the gospel. This is what God is like. This is what God has done for you and this is what God expects you to be like. Work out what that means for yourselves!”. If we are to do that, then we, too, need to go back to first principles, to ask, “What is the Christlike thing for us as a Christian community and for us as individual Christians, to be doing? How do we respond, in obedience, to what God has done?”
The answers to these questions are not necessarily easy! In any particular ethical dilemma, we may well find Christians sincerely supporting opposite viewpoints. If someone is apparently in an irreversible coma, is it more worthy of the gospel to preserve life by continuing treatment or to allow the patient to die? When a tyrant like Hitler arises, is it right to resort to war in order to put a stop to his atrocities? What is the Christlike approach to using foetal tissue in medical research, in order to prevent disease? How does one balance the advantages and disadvantages to society when environment seems to clash with conservation? In seeking to answer these questions, we may not always make the right choice. What is important is that we should approach all such problems in humility (not thinking we know the answers) and in love, looking to the interests of others and not seeking to exploit what we consider to be our rights.
We see, then, that although Paul may not have given us precise guidelines about what to do in particular situations, he has, throughout this section, given us very significant hints. The basis for all our actions is our life in Christ. Unity is a must for us who are one in Christ. The humility and obedience expected of Christians are rooted in humility and obedience of Christ himself. The source of all these qualities is Christ, in whom Christians also find encouragement, love, fellowship and compassion. Paul appeals not only for unity and also for humility, but courage. The courage to stand firm is a way of witnessing to opponents and it is especially necessary in view of the possibility of sharing Christ’s own experience suffering. Because our suffering, like everything else, is in Christ, we find that this, too, becomes, in a sense, his suffering. Paul speaks of his being poured out as a libation or a drink offering. Libations were accompaniment to both Jewish burnt offerings and pagan sacrifices. Like everything else, suffering is transformed in Christ. Where as we usually think of suffering in Paul views it positively, negative terms, since it is used by God to witness to the truth of the gospel and to bring comfort to fellow Christians.
“Christ Jesus was in the form of God but he did cling to equality with God. … Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him a name above every other name. … And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
May we be work out our salvation with an considered approach to life as Christ was obedient so that God will be given the glory.
This sermon created using The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol XI, Abingdon Press 2000