Pentecost 17A (2023)

17th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

I have occasion to sit in places that play the news on large TVs. Most of the time, I don’t really pay attention to them, but during lulls in conversation, I find myself glancing over to catch the headlines or the news ticker along the bottom to get a quick idea of what’s been deemed “newsworthy” that day. I do this because I’ve stopped watching full news shows. So, this gives me a quick idea of what’s going on in the world.

And then, in very short order, I’m reminded of why I stopped watching the news. I don’t recognize my society or my country. Just look at the headlines, and you’ll see what I mean. A few examples: somehow, just in the last 10 years, the US flag has become offensive to some of my fellow Americans. A Christian woman was arrested for silently praying in public near - not in front of - near an abortion clinic. “Men” claiming to be women are competing in women’s sports and using women’s bathrooms…and anyone who dares oppose this are considered bigots. Oh yeah, and those human beings who are able to carry a baby in their womb are now being called “birthing persons” because some women - who claim they identify as men - don’t want to take the term “mother” because it’s too feminine, or something. I don’t recognize my society or my country.

So what’s a Christian to do about all this? Well, I would say start by praying the psalm for today - Psalm 27, and remember that we have nothing to fear. But Paul gives some very helpful guidance in his letter to the Philippians.

Today’s reading first calls to mind what happened to Paul on his way to Rome. As he travelled around the middle east spreading the Gospel, the book of Acts tells us that he faced terrible persecution by Jews: he was arrested, beaten, and even stoned…which he somehow survived. He used his arrest in Jerusalem to appeal to Caesar (as was his right as a Roman citizen) and gain an audience with the highest authority in the known world. Well, the highest earthly authority, anyway. And he was guarded in Rome by the most elite of Roman soldiers - which historians call the “Praetorian Guard”. They didn’t consider him a threat, so he was mostly under what we might call “house arrest” in a rented house with a guard…but it was still a form of imprisonment. Now, whether it was sheer volume of business for the authorities, inefficiency, or just lack of priority…Paul had to wait almost 2 years for his case to be heard in Rome. How does he take it?

“What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” So these guards who were tasked with watching Paul got to hear him preach day after day. They got the Gospel straight from one of the most passionate and gifted preachers of the first century. And when they changed guards, Paul got a fresh audience and got to start again.

Now, by the time Paul got to court, he had used the 2 years of waiting to preach the Good News and get to know his guards, so the “whole” imperial guard knew that he had not committed any crime according to Roman law. His imprisonment was simply because the Jews wanted to shut him up about Christ. They wanted to stop the spread of the Gospel. So most of the authorities in Rome, by the time the case was presented, already knew that Paul had no reason to be imprisoned or punished according to their law. It may even be that some of them were sympathetic to Paul after spending time with him.

So what does that mean for us today? This passage is rather humbling, honestly. Starting at verse 19, it becomes very clear that Paul’s ultimate goal is “that Christ may be magnified among men, whether this be by his own life or by his death.” [Lenski, 734.] Paul explains that he wants to be with Christ (which means to die), which would be “far better”, but since it’s clear that God wants him to return to the Philippians, he’ll probably live for a while longer - it’s “more necessary”. But either way, Paul sees it as a win. He’ll either be with Christ, or he’ll live to glorify Christ. Christ is the focus, the priority, and the goal of his life.

Let’s just pause there for a moment. Everything that Paul does revolves around Jesus Christ. His life glorifies Christ. And even if he dies, it will be in service to Christ. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain. He is not “frightened in anything by [his] opponents.” (v. 28) As we’ve said many times, the opposite of fear is faith, and Paul has that in great measure.

I think we can safely say from Paul’s letter that the Philippians aren’t quite as strong in their faith as Paul is. He’s using this letter to lift them up, and at the same time he’s setting an example for them. We can read this as the Philippians would have - looking to Paul as the example to strive for. Unless you’re already where Paul is…please come see me after worship. We’re looking for a few good Sunday School teachers.

So Paul tells this church in Philippi: “let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” I am intrigued by the different ways various versions of the Bible translate this into English: “Live as people who believe the good news of Christ should live.” (Worldwide English Version)

“Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ.” (New Century Version)

“Live as citizens who reflect the Good News about Christ.” (God’s Word translation)

I think this is my favorite: “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.” (New Living Translation)

How does one do such a thing? A good place to start is the next line. Paul wants to hear that they are “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel...” (v. 27) He wants the church to live together as a community… a unified body. You see, Paul knows that the church has adversaries. It did in Paul’s day, and it does now. All that craziness we heard a few minutes ago? That comes from God’s adversaries…and ultimately from His biggest adversary. Because of the threat these adversaries pose, the church “must thus keep together as a unit in order to stand against them.” [Lenski, 752]

To live in a manner worthy of the Gospel… to outsiders, if you ever listen to what they’re saying, you’ll hear much talk of “it’s just the church telling me how to live my life” or “why do you care whether I do this or that?” They see the Gospel as a set of rules and regulations… unreasonable ones at that. This just shows that they don’t know or understand what the Gospel truly is. The true “gospel is not thought of as laying down laws and regulations but as offering salvation and blessedness.” That’s quite a different way to look at it than what some outsiders think. Possibly some insiders, too...

So with that thought about the gospel in mind, how do you … how does the church community live a life worthy of the Good News? “The conduct of this united band of believers in the gospel is to match the blessed saving gifts they have received. The conduct is to reflect what the gospel and its riches have made of the Philippian congregation.” [Lenski, 752.]

The gospel’s riches don’t look anything like last night’s $750 million PowerBall jackpot. St. Peter gives us a better idea (in 1 Peter 2:9) “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” God chose us. He has claimed us as His own - that’s what Baptism does for us. And all of us, not just those who wear the funky collar, all of us are royal priests - part of the royal family, and part of the priesthood. No Christian is called to sit on the sidelines. God calls every single one of us to read and learn the Scriptures, to take part in worship, to take part in ministry, to take part in the life of the Kingdom of Heaven, to enjoy its blessings, to draw near to the God Who always keeps His promises, and Who has ensured our eternity with Him.

So when you hear or see the craziness of the world around you, and how much it is in direct conflict with God’s Word, remember that you have nothing to fear. Nothing that the opponents of God…our adversaries… is scary enough that we should fear it. They, on the other hand, can see a “clear sign…of their destruction” in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Stick with that Gospel. Read it, know it, and cling to it.

If you’re ever feeling like you’re afraid, or that your faith is not enough…please remember that you don’t create your own faith. It’s something the Holy Spirit gives to you. But you can open the door to your heart to let the Holy Spirit in. Growing in faith is also growing closer to Christ. Which is to say growing in your relationship with Christ. How do you grow any relationship? You have to spend time with the other person. If you want to be closer to Christ, spend time with him: in prayer, in His Word, in worship, in the Sacraments. If you spend part of your day every day with Jesus Christ, I promise you that you *will* grow closer to him. And as you do, I’ll bet you’ll find that your life will also grow to be what Paul is asking for: worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

That *will* happen, because you will be living as a citizen of heaven. This is a glimpse of what we have to look forward to in eternity - being with Christ constantly, and enjoying all the blessings of being in his presence. We can enjoy some of that right now. And as we enjoy that, we carry it around with us out into the world around us. What a great testimony to stand against the craziness of the world.

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.