The Gospel of Whatever (10.11.20)

The Gospel of Whatever
Philippians 4:1-9
October 11, 2020
Rev. Elizabeth Mangham Lott
St. Charles Ave. Baptist Church

1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Four weeks ago now, we began an introductory study on the Greek word doulos and some of its uses in the New Testament. We entered this study through the letter to the Philippians, chapter 2, with an ancient hymn and a word to this early gathering church to model themselves after the self-emptying Christ:

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was[a] in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God,

    did not regard equality with God

    as something to be exploited,

7 but emptied himself,

    taking the form of a slave,

    being born in human likeness.

Be of the same mind, have the same love, be in full accord, be of one mind. Do not act from selfishness or arrogance. Humble yourselves like Christ humbled himself. Let that be the mind that is in you. We return today to this same letter, just two chapters later, and continue Paul’s words to a divided people. Even before we get to Euodia and Syntyche, we suspect they are divided based on how hard Paul has pressed for them to be unified.

We know something about being a divided people, don’t we? The past four years have been especially contentious, and it would be foolish of me to assume that even the 50 or so of us on this worship zoom this morning are of one mind. But we know divisions among our friends and among our families that feel too huge to ever be diminished much less repaired. Immigration, racism, abortion, universal healthcare, universal basic income, voting rights, marriage equality, climate change, black lives, blue lives, the Supreme Court, control of Congress, the Presidency, a peaceful transition of power. We know divisions.

I suspect that when I spoke many of those words just now, you felt that same aching grip in your chest that I do. When we are divided it is because we are talking about things that really, really matter to us. Even if that thing seems absolutely ridiculous like my Uncle Morris.

My Uncle Morris was married to my grandfather’s sister, Martha, and they were some of the only family that stayed in the hometown of Fayette, AL, for their entire lives. Morris farmed cattle, as far as I can recall, and his big farm house had a giant circle drive in the front. After Martha died, Morris threw all of his passion and heart and free time into Auburn University, even traveling with school’s ambassadors to official events. He had someone paint giant orange and blue tiger paw prints in his circle drive that I’m sure were big enough to be seen from any airplane, probably from space. His passion for Auburn grew so strong that he refused to travel logical routes from Fayette to most anywhere else in the state if that route required he pass through nearby Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama. 

It’s so silly and laughable to us, right? But the essence of Uncle Morris’ loyalty and devotion is what is at the heart of most of our divisions. Auburn was his team. Alabama was the enemy. Therefore, he would not drive through enemy territory.

It’s why Jesus wasn’t supposed to go through Samaria.

It’s why Samaritans weren’t supposed to be the heroes in the stories.

It’s why any respectable God wouldn’t be born a slave.

It’s why voters in the current presidential election can say, “If my guy loses, it’s because the other side cheated. But if my guy wins, it’s because he won outright.” 

These divisions we feel in our culture and in our relationships are largely about a panicked fear of the wrong team losing or winning. 

So what happens when that kind of divisive energy is in our church community? What happens when Euodia and Syntyche get into it and make things so contentious that no one wants to be around them anymore? That kind of division pretty much kills a sense of community, right? If the lines are drawn firmly enough, then maybe you feel forced to take sides. It seems every conversation comes back to “it’s not what Euodia said, it’s how she said it” or how Syntyche always dismisses your suggestions before you can even finish a sentence. 

Paul, it seems, is afraid all of the good hard work he has poured into this congregation is at risk of being completely lost to this division. He is afraid they community is at risk of forgetting who they are, forgetting what binds them together, forgetting what inspires them to work together for the greater good.

So he writes this letter calling them to their highest, best selves, and that means dropping the ego. Releasing the hubris. Trusting the people around you enough to let go of the arrogance. Closing your mouth and spending some time listening. Over and over again, he writes to them of being in synch—be of one mind, share the same mind, have the same heart.

Professor Ekaputra Tupamahu of Portland Seminary notes:

“Paul is reminding Syntyche and Euodia that of course they have differences, but that it is also important to remember their togetherness, their collectiveness, what they have in common. Their differences should not hinder them from working together for the common good. Three times Paul uses compound words that begin with syn- (together) in this text… This sense of togetherness is a way of life rather than a system of thought. It refers to an attitude that welcomes and works with others. It is no surprise, therefore, that when Paul speaks of rejoicing or gentleness in verses 4-5, he uses a plural expression—of doing these things together…

This text, therefore, is not so much about unity as about dialogical togetherness, interconnected collectivity.”

When we are divided, there’s a pretty good chance the ego is involved and we are focused on winning the argument or proving our rightness. But in the context of this early Christian community, Paul essentially tells them they cannot live in the way of division and experience the way of Christ.

When they finally manage to give up all of that competition and winning between them and return to the goal of oneness, then:

the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And when their hearts and minds have miraculously united in the way of Christ, then their focus will be:

whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

This passage of scripture has often been a favorite for bulletin boards and bumper stickers, and I know it has been used to describe how sweet evangelical women can be even sweeter with the sweet sweet love of Jesus allowing them to ignore everything but what is pure and pleasing. Well, it’s not that, either. Retired professor of New Testament, Holly Hearon, emphasizes the radical nature of “gentleness” that Paul is describing. She writes, “It is not just about being nice or kind; it is about the exercise of power.” The word he uses “is associated with tolerance, ‘not insisting on every right of letter of law or custom.’” Hear that shift as we consider “gentleness” as one of the fruits of the Spirit that Paul also describes. He is saying that the Spirit at work within us guides us toward this way of choosing “not to exercise power, or to exercise it differently” and this way “requires self-awareness and humility. This is the power of Christ. It is in this way that Paul says we are to engage everyone.”

Friends, Paul isn’t talking about vapid sweetness here, he is talking about expanded consciousness. He’s talking about shedding ego so completely that your focus goes from constant manipulating, bickering and competing and one-upping to a totally different way of seeing everything. In aiming for the mind of Christ, Paul invites us to a mind of peace, a mind of contentment, a mind so free of all that cobwebby old thinking that our focus shifts to what is true, what is just, what is excellent.

Can you feel the difference in your chest? One way is restricting, tightening, gripping. Our worldview becomes smaller, our hearts become harder, our shoulders rise up to our ears, and we are moving in such a scarcity mindset that we are angry or afraid all of the time. This call to one mind and one heart is about shedding that stuff that is actually limiting us and preventing us from being our fullest, highest selves. In this Christ mind, our breathing slows down and allows a full, long exhale. Our heart rate follows and then enables our shoulders to drop and roll back. 

Which way do you think is better for getting the good and necessary work of the world done? Which way draws others to walk alongside us? Which approach is better for being a community called to ask questions, seek justice, love neighbors, and welcome all? Paul is not describing a saccharine sweetness and “agree to disagree” path here. He is talking about being of a particular mind and a particular way and being so clear in that one heart that the work of the gospel is clear. The work of the gospel is releasing work and freeing work. Good news doesn’t jerk our shoulders up to our ears and make our hearts race in panic. Good news doesn’t rip us apart and have us on high-adrenaline alert for a fight at any time.

Good news frees.

Good news awakens life.

Good news is water for parched lips.

Good news is an overflowing cup.

Good news is generous oil on the hands.

Good news is knowing the Lord is near.

Good news brings rest.

Good news settles the heart.

Good news unites a people.

Friends, hear the good news of God today.

By God’s grace, we are being made whole.