Worthy Rubbish

Introduction: A word about the Lectionary.

Welcome to Ordinary Time!

Happy holidays!

They say that most pastors only have six sermons, and that after that they’re really just repeating themselves.

I’ve been here for 9 weeks now, so I hope you like what you’ve heard!

The lectionary is this rolling collection of passages that will keep me as a pastor on my toes.

And so this week’s passages include this text from Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

Philippians 3:4-14

If anyone else has reason to put their confidence in physical advantages, I have even more:

5 I was circumcised on the eighth day.

I am from the people of Israel and the

tribe of Benjamin.

I am a Hebrew of the Hebrews.

With respect to observing the Law, I’m a Pharisee.

6 With respect to devotion to the faith, I

harassed the church.

With respect to righteousness under the

Law, I’m blameless.

7 These things were my assets, but I wrote them off as a loss for the sake of Christ. 8 But even beyond that, I consider everything a loss in comparison with the superior value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for him, but what I lost I think of as sewer trash, so that I might gain Christ 9 and be found in him. In Christ I have a righteousness that is not my own and that does not come from the Law but rather from the faithfulness of Christ. It is the righteousness of God that is based on faith. 10 The righteousness that I have comes from knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the participation in his sufferings. It includes being conformed to his death 11 so that I may perhaps reach the goal of the resurrection of the dead.

12 It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose. 13 Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. 14 The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus.

Background

A letter from prison

Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison, presumably (at least in his mind) on death row.

As we will see next week when we dive in to this, he’s unusually chipper about everything!

When I read letters like this, I want to know how someone could will themselves to do this.

How is it that when chained to a wall on death row, Paul could have a good attitude?

I struggle on laundry day...

It turns out that Paul is giving us a wrong answer, and a right answer in this text.

The wrong answer

Jewish Work Ethic

There is this notion that we as protestants have a particularly great work ethic.

We like to put our heads down, and get stuff done!

And in large part, that’s true! And a lot of times, that can be a good thing.

But we don’t hold a candle to ancient Jewish folk.

Your entire standing with God was in what you did.

Are you circumcised, a rather permanent and unpleasant sign of allegiance?

There are 613 commandments in the Torah, including prescriptions about wearing two different kinds of fabric at the same time. Have you followed each…and…every…one?

Are you a Hebrew of Hebrews, able to read the Torah in your own native language, not just a translation?

Paul’s Got it!

Paul did not struggle with self-esteem issues.

He essentially says that if there is a prize out there for living the faith, he’s won it.

I am the guy who was born in to the right family.

I am the guy with the physical signs of allegiance.

I am the guy who’s followed all the rules.

He even uses the term “blameless!”

If Paul was in grade school, this is the kind of talk that gets you stuffed inside your own locker.

Isn’t that what we do?

When we find ourselves in need of a good attitude, or a pick-me-up, isn’t it true that we lean on our own accomplishments?

Like I may not have done much lately, but I was the bench warmer on the 1998 Murrysville Little League Champions, so I’ve got that trophy going for me!

We look up and down the street at our neighbors, their houses, the cars in their driveway, and as long as we are at least keeping up, we’re in good shape.

Or even, and I’m sure this is no one here, but when the world devolves into chaos, we might comfort ourselves by saying “Well, at least I go to church!”

But does that really help?

If the end goal is the ability to write with joy while life gets out of hand, does leaning on our past accomplishments really help, or does it just numb the pain?

“It” isn’t worth much.

Now I will confess in this moment, that your pastor has a bit of a mouth sometimes.

Like not in the pulpit, but when you stub your toe in the middle of the night, or your hockey team can’t string together two wins in a row against the 12th seed in the middle of a pandemic, some words come out.

Apparently I’m not alone!

Paul takes that big pile of accomplishment, all the things that he’s done right, all the ways that he’s lived a life pleasing to his religion, and says...

It’s all Skybalon.

The NRSV translates this as “rubbish.”

The CEB gets closer with “sewer trash”

You know what word Paul uses here, right?

Who knew the Bible could be so much fun!?!

But, Paul chooses this word for a very important and impactful reason.

All that work, all that achievement, all those trophies, all that is left over in your bank account, all your attendance records, all of it...

You know that’s BS, right?

Deconstruction alone isn’t enough.

Some people in the world only want to tear things down, and that’s enough for them.

It’s enough to call the world messed up, to name our achievements as worthless, to tear down the status quo.

Not Paul!

The Right Answer

So That

Paul doesn’t call all the pile of accomplishments in his life BS because he’s edgy or cynical.

In verse 8 he says it’s all BS because he knows Jesus Christ.

His accomplishments have done nothing to get him closer to God, but Jesus has.

His pile of trophies have never made him feel better in life, but Jesus has.

All the things he’s bragged about in his life have never brought him back from the dead, but Jesus has.

It’s not that the accomplishments in and of themselves are bad. It’s just that Paul’s found something so much better he couldn’t care less.

Empty, to be filled.

Put it to death

So Paul finds himself wanting to let go of the accomplishments.

Let go of the need to brag.

Let go of the need to have it all together.

Let go of status symbols.

Let. It. All. Go.

The only way to actually do that is to allow yourself to be filled up.

Nothing will put the sewer trash in it’s place quite like the life giving reality of the way of Jesus.

Nothing can put our BS in perspective quite like the gentle whisper of the savior “You know I love you, right?”

Put to death everything that is worthless. Cling to what is awesome.

We’re not there yet.

Even Paul, St. Paul, the writer of most of the New Testament, on death row, at the end of his life, says “You know what, I haven’t got this totally figured out yet.”

It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it.

And so he’s forgetting about the things behind him, but needs a pretty constant reminder of the things ahead.

We need reminders, too!

We need to taste and see what forgiveness looks like.

We need to reach out and touch the goodness of Jesus Christ, the way he claims us.

We need a daily sustaining, an ever flowing stream of energy to push us on toward what comes next.

I can think of no better theme for World Communion Sunday.

All around the world, brothers and sisters in Christ are remembering what Jesus had to say about them.

All around the world, brothers and sisters in Christ are leaving behind the BS and reaching for the things ahead of them.

All around the world, brothers and sisters in Christ are gathering around this table to taste and see that the Lord is Good.

I think we ought to join them!