Rev. Eugene N. Nelson, Jr.
The Community Church of Sebastopol
September 18, 2005 Launch Sunday
Philippians 1: 21-30
Opening summary of text – Paul in prison. Is that the best you can do? Threaten my life? Is that supposed to scare me? Rome, for all of its earthly power has no power over him. I wish I, one who is so easily intimidated and seduced by the world around me, had an ounce of such faith.
But Paul doesn’t stop there, just talking about his own faith. He goes to talk to the Philippians about their faith, about their church, and their life together. He urges them, as a community of faith, to “live your life in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” What do you suppose he means by that?
“That piece of furniture was made by Thomas Jenks,” said the curator of the museum. “Thomas Jenks was a slave who lived in Charleston, South Carolina, and made wonderful furniture – some of the best furniture made in America before the Revolution.”
“How do you know that this piece was made by Jenks?” asked a museum visitor.
“You can tell by the craftsmanship,” explained the curator. With that he pulled out a drawer and held it up for everyone to examine. “See those dove joints? See the way that they fit perfectly? You only get work like that from the hand of Jenks.”
I suppose you could say the same thing when you drive around Sebastopol and see a giant silver dog or a big Elvis or a distinctive cow standing in a field or a gopher guarding a hardware store or a one of a kind Noah’s ark with all manner of wonderful animals. You know that Patrick Amoit has been at work, you can tell by the craftsmanship, and if you are like me, you have to smile. The distinctive mark of a unique craftsman. You only get work like that from the hand of Patrick.
“Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” How do you know someone is a disciple of Jesus? In the words of one pastor, “You must look for signs of the craftsman in a person’s life, for traces of his handiwork. Courage in the face of adversity, care and concern for the needs of others, strength under fire, quiet faith in the ultimate triumph of the purposes of God. These are among the signs that the craftsman who has shaped this life is named none other than Jesus.” What and whose craftsmanship, what and whose handiwork, does the world see at work in our lives – in the life of our church?
“Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Ross Wagner and Darrell Guder of Princeton Theological Seminary suggest that Paul is actually calling the church and Christians at Philippi to live their lives as worthy “citizens” of the Gospel of Christ. The emphasis is on the public life of the believers. There is a sense that the whole world is watching and therefore the life of the community becomes an ongoing witness to the gospel that all can see. The life of the community becomes an embodiment of the good news of Jesus Christ.
It’s an old story. Once upon a time, long ago, a young man decided to become a saint. He left his home, family and possessions. He said goodbye to relatives and friends, sold all he owned, gave the money to the poor and walked off into the desert to find God.
He walked through the desert sands until he found a dark cave. “Here,” he thought, “ I will be alone with God. Here nothing can distract me from God.” He prayed day and night in the dark cave. But God sent him great temptations. He imagined all the good things in life he was missing and wanted them desperately. However, he was determined to give up everything in order to have God alone. After many months, the temptations stopped. St. Anthony of the Desert was at peace, having nothing but God.
But then, according to legend, God said, “Leave your cave for a few days and go off to a distant town. Look for the town shoemaker. Knock on his door and stay with him for a while.” The holy hermit was puzzled by God’s command, but left the next morning. He walked all day across the desert sands. By nightfall he came to the village, found the home of the shoemaker and knocked on the door. A smiling man opened the door.
“Are you the town shoemaker?” the hermit asked.
“Yes, I am,” the shoemaker answered. He noticed how tired and hungry the hermit looked. “Come in,” he said. “You need something to eat and a place to rest.” The shoemaker called his wife. They prepared a fine meal for the hermit and gave him a good bed to sleep in.
The hermit stayed with the shoemaker and his family for three days. He asked many questions about their lives. They talked a lot and became friends. Then the hermit said goodbye to the shoemaker and his wife and returned to his cave, wondering all the while why God had sent him on this visit.
“What was the shoemaker like?” God asked the hermit when he had settled back in his dark cave. “He is a simple man,” the hermit began. “He has a wife who is going to have a baby. They seem to love each other very much. He has a small shop where he makes shoes. He works hard. They have a simple house. They do not have much, but they give money and food to those in need. He and his wife believe very strongly in you and they pray at least once a day. They have many friends, and the shoemaker enjoys telling jokes.”
God listened carefully, then said, “You are a great saint, Anthony, but the shoemaker and his wife are great saints, too.”
“Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel…the world can tell by the craftsmanship it sees.” The issue for Paul is not church growth. He does not ask how many members joined the Philippian church last year. Paul isn’t worried about money. He never even mentions church budgets, salaries, PG & E bills. He doesn’t talk about success. He doesn’t suggest that they hire a church consultant or build a new building. But he does want to know…how are your sharing the Gospel, how is your life as a church, how are your lives as people of the church, witnessing to God’s love? You cannot underestimate the emphasis Paul places in this letter on the public nature of our shared ministry as individuals and as a community of faith.
I have repeatedly heard the phrase, “I would rather see a sermon than hear one any day.” (of course, no one here would ever say such a thing!) But there is an element of that in the words of Paul. I think back to that simple shoemaker and his wife, not doing anything dramatic, but working, caring, praying, showing compassion day after day, and thereby, in their own quiet way, spreading the Gospel. We cannot forget, as we go about our daily lives, that when God wants to leave a calling card, God will generally use a person. The world can tell by the craftsmanship.
And one further thought about living as citizens worthy of the Gospel. That word, citizen, is an important one for Paul and for the Philippians. Philippi was a Roman city. The members of the Philippian church were Roman citizens – citizens of the most powerful empire the world had ever seen. But of course, Paul was a Roman citizen and he finds himself in jail – literally a prisoner for Christ. So there is also a political edge to his words in this letter. For if Christ is Lord, then Caesar can’t be. Paul is telling these proud citizens of Rome that they are also citizens of another realm, another kingdom, and they serve another Lord, a Lord who takes precedence over Caesar. Paul presents the church as an alternative community, a community where the world can see another way of living, another way of being, another way of relating to each other. That’s also part of living a life worthy of the gospel. We say to the world that we do things differently here. Sounds good. But is it true?
There was a church that, as part of its mission statement, said that it welcomed all – much as we say in our mission statement. This was a simple enough goal until the community around the church began to change. Indeed, until society began to change. So the question arose for the church, just what do we mean by “all?” Does “all” cross over economic boundaries, does it cross racial differences, and what about people with different sexual orientations? A simple word – “all” – but an increasingly challenging one.
So the people in the church began talking about it. Soon they began arguing about it. Then they found themselves divided by it. Divided by “all.” But rather then splitting apart in anger and misunderstanding, they went a different direction. They decided to take seriously Paul’s words about living lives worthy of the Gospel, about being citizens of a different kingdom, an alternative kingdom.
They scheduled another conversation to talk about this “all.” But this time when the people arrived, there in the center of the room, waiting for them, was a loaf of bread and a chalice; waiting until after the conversation; waiting for communion; waiting and saying, “Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel.”
And, guess what, the conversation was different this time. In one circle, for example, there were two men - one older, one younger – who were at an impasse over how the church should respond to homosexuals. This was particularly problematic for the younger man because he was gay. But there, with the bread and chalice in the middle of the room, he laid aside his assumption that the older man hated and feared him. Instead he opened himself to learning that the older man cared deeply about fidelity to the scriptures and just couldn’t quite figure out how to read the Bible differently. And the older, heterosexual man also – with the body and blood sitting right there in front of him – allowed himself to listen and hear the young man’s story about what it’s like to be a gay man trying to live out a faithful Christian life. At the end of the conversation, and this time it truly was a conversation, these two men still had some disagreement between them. The conversation had not resolved every issue. But now they were able to stand side by side and receive the Lord’s Supper; they were able to stand side by side in communion with each other.
As we look forward to a new program year, it is my hope and prayer that we can do just that, that we can walk into each other’s lives, learning to appreciate and better understand others who might live and think quite differently than we do, and in the process shaping our individual and community lives around the inspiration of Jesus, always seeking to live lives worthy of the gospel.