Theologian Karl Barth once said that
we should hold the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. I can’t imagine life in our nation right now
for those holding the newspaper alone.
Newspapers point to the bleakness of reality. As we watch a virus continue to take 20 lives
in our state a day, as we watch footage of George Floyd dying under the knee of
an officer as three others stand idly by, and as we see news footage of low
income apartments and immigrant owned restaurants and businesses burned to the
ground, we are filled with grief. As
Christ followers, we know that just as newspapers point out bleak reality, the
Bible also points to reality. The Bible
shows that darkness won’t reign forever.
Night has broken with the rising of the Son.
We have been going through the book
of Philippians these past months in our sermon series. I chose this particular book because Paul writes
it from a place of tangible suffering.
He is imprisoned, apart from his dearly loved friends in the Philippian
church. Even more so, he anticipates potential
execution. From this circumstance, we’ve
seen several focuses come to the forefront of what Paul wants to share with his
Philippian brothers and sisters in Christ.
The world around us faces suffering
with hopelessness. As we interpret our
suffering (the newspaper) through the lens of hope (the Bible), Paul invites us
to find a treasure the world would never expect: joy. Paul is filled with joy as he recognizes that
his imprisonment has served to advance the gospel, and he rejoices that ultimately,
he will experience deliverance because of his faith in Jesus (1:12-26). We find ourselves in the midst of pandemic, with
a global health crisis and economic upheaval.
The bitter pangs of racism, violence, and rioting stain our nation. How could these possibly be fertile ground
for joy? As Christ followers, we know
this darkness isn’t the entire reality. As the world scrounges for a
vaccination to Covid-19, we hold the ultimate cure to helplessness and loss. Christ has won and he will redeem this broken
world. We find joy in knowing that we
hold the only hope the world needs and its ours to freely share! Paul calls us to shine as lights in the world
in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation (2:15). Oh, what an opportunity to shine brightly in
the darkness!
Another theme Paul draws out is unity; that the Philippians would stand
firm in “…one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the
gospel” (1:27). This unity is found
through Christ like humility “…do(ing) nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility count(ing) others more significant than yourselves” (2:3). The racism that our nation is stained with flows
from sinful pride; an inability to count others as more significant than oneself. When one doesn’t consider others as more
significant than oneself, one will fail to consider how the history and experience
of black and brown people in our country shapes their present reality, aborting
empathy before it has an opportunity to form.
Likewise, when facing injustice
like the death of George Floyd, one is tempted to further press division rather
than seek healing. We see this in the riots
that only broaden the divide and tension within our country. Paul entreated Euodia and Syntyche, two
sisters in Christ divided through conflict, to “agree in the Lord” (4:2); to
find unity, to stand side by side. Our
country is divided into groups of “us” and “them”. The church, established by Christ, is called
to be a unified “us” in the hope of the gospel and the worship of our Lord. What an opportunity we possess as the church
to display the beauty of Christ exulting unity to a divided nation lost in
hopelessness. When looking to
Revelation, we see a picture of every tribe, tongue and nation worshiping the Lamb together—a beautiful diversity united in Christ (Revelation 7:9-10). This is the picture the world needs to see.
The last theme I’d like to examine
from Paul’s letter to the Philippians is righteousness. Paul warned the Philippians the dangers in
following the Judaizers who believed they could be righteous before God through
practicing ritual law. Paul, once a
pharisee himself, looked upon all the self-righteousness he pursued through ritual
practice and position, counting them as loss compared to the surpassing worth
of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord (3:7).
In fact, he saw self-righteousness as skubala—excrement…utterly repulsive
and worthless—in order that he may gain Christ (3:8).
When the world is reminded in such
a palpable way of its evil, people long for righteousness. Its true that our nation needs reform. Wilberforce worked for decades to end slave
trade in the British Empire. Martin
Luther King worked tirelessly to bring justice during the Civil Rights
era. Both men were Christians who
chipped away at injustice through reform, and oh that believers in Christ would
do the same today! But be not mistaken—no
amount of reformation can ultimately bring transformation in the heart of an
individual or the heart of a society.
Only the Holy Spirit through the blood of Jesus Christ can do that! While policy and law focus on symptoms, the
Holy Spirit transforms the heart. Righteousness
is found in Christ alone!
May the joy, unity, and righteousness
we find in Christ be like sweet honey on the lips of a starving world. We have the hope the world needs.
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