Fifth Sunday in Lent, 03/13/2016

Sermon on Philippians 3:4-14, by Beth A. Schlegel

4… I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,[c] blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

When I have the presence of mind, I will take a reusable coffee mug into Starbucks for a refill. Not only is it cheaper that way, but it uses fewer resources and saves a cup from the landfill. But one thing is sure – in order for the baristas to fill my mug, I must empty it first. They will not pour fresh coffee on top of whatever is left from two days ago.
There was a song popular in St. Paul’s time that went like this:
   Christ Jesus,6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be hoarded, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of humanity. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:6-11)

Jesus emptied himself in service to us – even into death – so that God the Father could fill him with life in the resurrection.

Now Paul himself speaks of yearning to empty himself in order to be filled with Christ.
We know what it is to be full of ourselves – we learned that in grade school. It is to consider ourselves better than others for whatever reason is at hand – family wealth, grades, looks, teachers’ high opinion, athletic ability, brand label clothing, or whatever was considered “good” by the group we wanted to impress.
We learn the phrase in a backhanded way, for it is generally used by those made to feel inferior, as in “She’s full of herself” or “He’s just talking big.”
To be full of ourselves is not a good trait – for it distorts healthy self-esteem by comparison to others so that we feel good about ourselves at the expense of others.

Paul admits that he has every reason to be full of himself – by every standard, he is on the top of the heap.
But that will not get him close to Christ.
Christ keeps company with the sinners – eats with the frauds, talks with prostitutes, and accepts an expensive foot massage from an unmarried woman.
Jesus keeps company with lepers, considers Samaritans worthy of his time, and does not kowtow to those in power.
Jesus is unashamed to be seen lifted up on a cross, naked, bleeding, sporting a crown of thorns and being the laughingstock of many.
No, if Paul wants to be in with Jesus, he too must empty himself, accepting suffering and even death for the sake of being close to Jesus.
Jesus people are found at the bottom of the heap – crushed, broken, --and healed.
To know Christ is to empty ourselves – to set aside the qualifications we might claim as proof that we deserve to be saved – in order that we might be filled by Christ.
When we pray in the Lord’s Prayer “Give us today our daily bread” we are coming empty to God. And with what does our loving Father fill us?
   Not only with bread, but with the grains that make the flour, the fields that grow the grains, the farmers that work the fields, the millers that grind the flour, the food that is made with the flour, the economy that sells the food, the government that protects the food supply, and on and on.
Similarly, when we empty our lives to be filled with Christ, we come as those in need of forgiveness and grace, as those who have nothing to give in payment, but who come simply because we know there is no other life worth living.
Paul considers all his accomplishments and qualifications rubbish – worthless – in order to share the sufferings and resurrection of Jesus.
For knowing Jesus is of eternal value.
So like a racer, he does not look backward – he does not live in the past or worry about what went on before. He lives now looking forward – looking for the coming of Christ in glory.
By no means is this easy – and even Paul admits that he has not reached the goal.
But can it be that we can build on his experience?
Are there things of our past that we can let go of for the sake of the abundant future God calls us into?
What would it look like for all the churches in York to empty themselves of buildings, and past heritage, and programs and membership rolls and come together in the local stadium as simply Christians?
   What would it be like for us all to hold out our empty hands and hearts and together to pray for the Lord Jesus to fill us with his life, his Holy Spirit saying, “Your will be done, O Lord”?
   I wonder if the Lord Jesus would answer that prayer by dividing us up into little groups by race and class and denominational labels and tell us to build separate little buildings.
   I wonder if the Spirit might not do something totally different to fill such an emptied group with the power of the Gospel for the world.
…
Or take St. Peter’s – I wonder what Jesus would do if we emptied ourselves of our nostalgia and came before the Lord with nothing and asked Jesus to fill us – I wonder how he would?
I wonder how he would resurrect us?
When we come to the Lord empty, we begin to see everything as part of the filling up that comes from God’s grace.
   Suffering, affliction, and even death is part of the filling – for they lead directly to resurrection and new life.
Paul said, “ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
But also forgiveness, beauty, and the many gifts of everyday life are part of the filling up – the new life in Christ.
Into the empty heart and empty hands of the believer, God pours the rays of grace’s light, the clear water of Jesus’ forgiving mercy, the warm bread of his love and the rich wine of his life.
God pours into our emptied hearts the steady stream of everyday reminders that we are loved by him as much as Mary loved her Lord, pouring out the ointment and emptying herself of her tears.
Let us, too, press onward – emptying ourselves that Jesus might fill us day by day with his life.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Rev. Beth A. Schlegel
947 N George St. York PA 17404
E-Mail: pastorschlegel@live.com

(top)