The Message, October 15, 2023: "Live This Way," Philippians 4:1-9
Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
October 17, 2023
“Live This Way”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Philippians 4:1-9
I try to do my worship planning
several weeks in advance. The purpose of that is to give Jacqui a chance to
select music and prepare our choirs to offer beautiful and meaningful music
that complements the message and theme of the worship service. It can be tricky
to consider what one might say four or five weeks from now. (I usually do not
know what I am going to say five minutes from now.) It is also tricky because one
never knows what events may transpire in the intervening weeks.
That is certainly the case today.
For the last week we have watched or heard news reports about the attacks and
counterattacks in Israel and Gaza. The news is heartbreakingly horrific. The violence
escalates, the death toll rises, the misery is unimaginable. And we know that
it is only going to get worse. We also know that the war in Ukraine continues
to cause death and destruction. And we also heard about a devastating
earthquake in Afghanistan this week. In the face of all of this pain and
suffering, how can we possibly rejoice?
The reality is that the entire
history of humanity has been filled with never-ending pain and suffering. Ever
since the first humans realized that they could use rocks or sticks to injure
or kill there has been violence and death. Our planet has always known
earthquakes, fires and floods. We know that plagues and famine are also part of
our long, and often difficult, history.
How can we rejoice?
Paul knew all of this to be true. He
was not viewing the world through rose colored glasses. He was not suffering
any illusions regarding humanity’s ability to inflict evil upon one another. In
fact, he wrote this letter that we read this morning while he was sitting in a
Roman prison.
Admittedly, I have not spent much
time in a Roman prison, but I cannot imagine that it was a place filled with
tea parties and sing-alongs. I do not imagine that those walls experienced
rejoicing very often. One might imagine that being incarcerated would be a
legitimate reason NOT to rejoice. But Paul did. How?
The answer is based upon our
understanding of what it means to rejoice. True joy … true rejoicing is so much
more than having fun or enjoying a good laugh with our friends and family. True
and lasting joy comes from the confidence that no matter what happens, we are
inseparably connected to God. Remember what he wrote to the church in Rome:
“Who shall separate us from the love
of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or danger, or sword?
“No, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him who loved us. For
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 8:35, 37-39)
We have nothing to fear, not even
death itself, because we are loved by God. We are God’s beloved children.
Rejoice in all things, no matter our circumstances. We can rejoice because God
is with us.
What is more, the word that Paul
used for ‘rejoice’ referred to public celebration. For Paul, rejoicing was much
more than having happy feelings within our hearts, so much more than laughing
with our family and friends. For Paul, rejoicing was a public proclamation. The
Roman world of the First Century was full of celebrations and festivals for
this god or that goddess. Paul was telling the followers of Jesus, that they
needed to be out there too. Celebrate God! Proclaim Jesus Christ!
Of course, we also heard Paul
qualify his call to rejoice publicly. He said, “Be gentle. Let your
gentleness be evident.”
When I was searching for a quote to
put in the bulletin this morning for our meditation, I found lots of negative
quotes about the church. In fact, there was page after page of quotes that
commented upon the evils inflicted by those who claim to love God. They cited
evils inflicted in the name of God and evils inflicted using scripture as its
basis.
Paul tells us to let our gentleness
be evident. Practice the characteristics of Jesus himself. Practice humility.
The word for ‘gentleness’ that Paul used had many meanings: “being generous
toward others,” “not seeking to exert your power over another,” “Not being
overly impressed with your own importance.”
Paul’s instruction is clear:
Proclaim God’s love in all circumstances for nothing in all the world can
separate you from that love. And do it in a way that is gentle … aware of the
other’s situation and circumstances. Pray at all times. Nothing is too big for
God, and nothing is too small or insignificant to God. Take it all to God in
prayer. Do this and you will experience the Peace of God.
I know that as I offer these words,
our minds turn to the world around us. Our minds turn to the news reports, and
we ask, “Where is the peace?”
Where
is the peace indeed. Again, it seems impossible to imagine when bombs are
raining down upon your home, or when your village has been destroyed.
For Paul, a First Century Jew, peace
was more than the absence of conflict. It had to be so for him. Most of his
ministry was characterized by conflict, punishment, and imprisonment. In Paul’s
mind, peace was total well-being, and that well-being came from God. He was at
peace because he knew that God was with him.
Children of God, do not be troubled.
Do not be anxious. Set your hearts and minds upon God. Make prayer a central
focus and practice in your life and you will experience the true and genuine
peace of God.
And, as is often the case with Paul,
there is a deeper meaning to his words. Peace is not passive. Peace is not
something that we sit patiently upon our couches or recliners to simply wait to
receive from God. Peace is active. Peace is a practice. Peace is something that
we DO.
The Peace of God pushes us. It
pushes us to act. It pushes us to stretch our imagination. It challenges us to
consider what makes peace for others. Peace is not simply an individual
experience. Peace is communal. We act not just so that we will experience peace
in our own individual lives. We act so that everyone can and will experience
peace.
Admittedly, peace is something that
is beyond our understanding. It can be almost impossible to imagine. Yet, we
have likely known people in our lives who have endured great pain and
difficulty yet still remained thankful, yet still experienced a deep peace in
their lives.
Peace is one of those things that is
circular. If we practice peace we will live in peace. If we live in peace, we
practice peace. True, deep and abiding peace is the experience that we receive
when we live according to the Word of God and the Way of Jesus Christ.
The truth is that how can anyone
possibly experience genuine and abiding peace if we know that there is more
that we can do to offer peace to others? Our conscience will not allow it and
our faith will not allow it either.
Therefore, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable —
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Consider them then …. put them
into practice! Consider all of those things you learned about Jesus. Think
about all of the ways that Jesus told us to treat people … to love people … and
DO them. And if we are able to commit our lives to doing those things, we will
proclaim God’s love with our very lives. If we are able to publicly proclaim God’s
love in all that we say and do, then the God of peace will be with us.
If I may be so bold as to correct Paul. There is
one thing that can separate us from the love of God and that one thing is US.
God’s
love is with us.
God’s
love is what we can choose to live and proclaim.
God’s
love is what we are called to live and share.
God’s
love can offer God’s peace to the world.
IF
… we choose to act. IF … we choose to rejoice. IF … we choose to love.
God
said … Jesus said … Paul said … “Live this way.” The question for us to
consider is will we do it? Amen.
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