Philippians 4:1-9
Discovering Our Christ Identity
James Sledge October
15, 2017
Back
in the late 80s there was a hit song by Bobby McFerrin entitled “Don’t worry,
Be Happy.” It was the first a cappella, number one song, with all words and
accompaniment voiced by McFerrin. It was infectious, and many resonated with the
words. “Ain't got no place to lay your head; Somebody came and took your bed, Don't
worry, be happy. The land lord say your rent is late; He may have to litigate; Don't
worry, be happy.”
Perhaps
this is good advice, an antidote for our anxious, worried age. Perhaps being
happy can be a discipline, like the practice of gratitude that has become
popular of late. Some say that keeping a gratitude journal changes their
perspective and helps them to see the good in the world. Perhaps we can find
happiness and get rid of worry in similar fashion.
In
his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul sounds a bit like McFerrin. He
speaks of not worrying about anything and rejoicing always. He is in prison
when he writes, but no matter. Don’t worry, rejoice.
But
does that really work, especially in the face of the news of late. Horrible
fires in California. Many areas of Puerto Rico still cut off from help and aid.
People still are hospitalized in Las Vegas with terrible wounds, and many more
grieve loved ones lost there. Surely none of us would dare say to any of these
folks, “Don’t worry, rejoice.”
But
Paul is not recommending rejoicing as a pastoral care technique or a strategy
for dealing with trouble. His rejoicing is not so that something will happen.
His rejoicing is something that he cannot help because of what he experiences
in his relationship with the risen Christ, because he is “in Christ.”
The
new life that Paul has because of what he calls “the surpassing value of knowing
Christ Jesus,” along with the assurance that his own imprisonment and
sufferings continue to help proclaim Christ, compel Paul to rejoice. The only
thing that would make Paul happier would be for the Philippians fully to
experience what he does.
Earlier
in the letter he asks the Philippians to “make my joy complete… Let the same mind be
in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of
God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but
emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.” And in today’s portion of
the letter, Paul echoes these words when he urges Euodia and Syntyche “to
be of the same mind in the Lord.”
It
seems that these two women, valued co-workers of Paul and leaders in the
Philippian church, have had some sort of falling out. This is heartbreaking for
Paul, not only because they are beloved companions, but because Paul sees divisions
in the church as evidence that people do not have the same mind as Christ, that
their identity is rooted in something other than Christ. And so he urges the
entire congregation to help these women recover the identity and unity they
have in Christ. Then they will be able to rejoice and not be worried, or
perhaps better translated, not be overly concerned, with anything.
As
I was reflecting on these issues of division and identity, I started to think
about the divisions in our day and how they are linked to our identities.
America is certainly a starkly divided country, and I wonder if our divisions don’t
come in part from where we draw our identities. Very often, being American seems
to come second to being liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat. Both
conservatives and liberals can speak and act as though we share nothing in
common with those who disagree with us. The very fact that some Americans can
speak of “taking America back,” presumably from other Americans, is the perfect
illustration of the loss of a shared American identity.
Something
similar often happens in the church. For centuries, Protestants and Catholics
acted as though the other was not Christian, not the true church. More recently
we’ve divided ourselves into progressives, conservatives, evangelicals,
mainline, fundamentalists, and so on. And quite often, we seem to identify more
with the particulars of our group than we do with the Christ we all claim to
follow.
A
colleague and friend of mine recently wrote a Facebook post about the local pastor
groups he’s joined in his small town. These groups include assorted
Fundamentalists, Charismatics, Pentecostals, and more Mainline sorts, and these
pastors don’t quite know what to do with one another. Some are doubtful that
the others are actually Christians. Amazingly, my rather conservative friend
said that some Presbyterians pastors who are more conservative than him question
whether he is truly Christian.
But
if our faith identity is based more in our liberalism, our conservatism, our
theology, our stances on social issues, our particular way of being church than
it is in Christ Jesus, such faith identities are far too small to face the suffering
and worries and anxieties of our world. Liberalism does not have the power to
give life and make new. Conservatism does not offer a hope stronger than death
itself. Evangelicalism cannot save anyone. Progressive Christianity cannot make
you whole.
Christian
identity rooted in something other than Christ is not able to rejoice in the
face of suffering or imprisonment. Rarely is such faith bold or fearless in the
face of all the brokenness and pain the world has to offer. Conservatives with
a bit of Christian flavoring are not a beacon of hope for the world. And
liberals with a bit of Christian seasoning are no more so. Neither is big
enough to transform lives or inspire deep generosity and profound self-giving.
But
the solution, according to Paul, isn’t to try a little harder, increase your
pledge a little bit, or volunteer a bit more often. The solution is a changed
identity. It is about being transformed. It is about a faith identity radically
focused on Christ Jesus. It is about having a Christ mind that completely reshapes how we see the world and
relativizes everything, the things that we fear and the things that we value,
so that they lose their power over us.
I
don’t know that the Stewardship Committee was thinking of such things when they
began discussing a theme of Fearless
Giving, but having a Christ mind is what makes for fearlessness.
Stewardship presentations can sometimes convince people to give a bit more by
asking them to support great programs or respond to great need. But Fearless Giving is something altogether
different. It is a generosity rooted, not in any calculation, but in a new
Christ-shaped identity.
The
more we experience the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, the more we come
to have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, then the less captive we are to
our fears and anxieties. The freer we become for joy and love and true
generosity. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? For our worries and anxieties to be
replaced by joy and love and boldness and fearlessness?
Let
the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus
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