CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Rev. Fred Weimert September 21, 2008

“One Mind, Striving Side by Side”

A few weeks ago

when Judy and I went down to Nashville

to visit with her family,

and celebrate her father’s 85^th birthday…

One evening I was riding in a car with one of my brother-in-laws …

and our nephew.

This Brother-in-law is a Doctor

and is what Walker Percy and others

might have called a failed Catholic…

a product of catholic schools…

who now has nothing to do with the Church…

or religion.

He is very rational…

Spirituality is a humorous irrationality to him…

and this brother-in-law regularly

and gingerly pokes fun

at me and my job…

which I feel certain he considers to be

not very significant

not like being a medical doctor.

In his eyes I really don’t do any thing

except try

to make people believe things

which they might do

without my doing anything.

But in his mind it is not like his job…

He makes people better…

fixes them.

Of course they might get better

without him,

but I don’t want to rankle him.

Anyway, on this ride …

on our way out to hear a Beatles band play…

my brother-in-law, some how,

got going on the subject of death…

and his death…

which doesn’t really surprise me

because he is a medical doctor…

and he does have diabetes…

and he isn’t always careful…

with his diet…

He will eat sweets…

Then he’ll just exercises harder…

but he has had some accidents…

and more now with his

growing neuropathy.

In his rational mind he is in control

But he has to be

tragically…

because who else

possibly could be…

Any way he got going about his death…

and he said At my funeral

I want them to play that song from the 60’s

and he started saying the words…

I’m not scared of dying,

and I don’t really care.

Well our nephew

who was sitting next to him…

and who has a condition which makes him

take everything said very literally…

This nephew turned and looked at his uncle

as if to say…

are you out of your mind…

You’re not scared of dying

and you don’t really care?

Maybe you shouldn’t be driving.

He didn’t say anything

but I could tell he was wondering

about his uncle’s sanity.

I didn’t try to allay my nephew’s concerns…

because, in a way, I share them.

I wonder about this brother-in-law…

maybe it’s the diabetes

the chronic

wasting nature

of that disease.

I am sure it causes him to suffer.

But I also know this brother-in-law

has always been

the certain

and in control person

he appears to be now.

And maybe it works for him…

but it surely causes me to wonder.

I wonder and worry about people

in this world

Especially in the part of the world I live in…

America.

I wonder about people who appear not to care about life…

or care for life.

Sometimes I wonder about the apostle Paul.

I wonder about his life…

and his intense focus on the world to come…

sometimes it appears to have eclipsed the world that is…

Today’s reading gives a glimpse

of what I consider to be Paul

at his intense and other worldly focused best…

the way I remember the opening verse of this text best

is from the King James Version…

so I must have learned it at a very young age…

“For me to live is Christ,

and to die is gain. “

It was kind of a serious verse for a little kid to learn.

Maybe my parents should have had

the suicide hot line on speed dial.

It may well be that this verse

has been used to enlist people to die for the cause…

the way parts of the Koran have been used…

by some within Islam…

to educate martyrs.

but is that how we should hear it?

or is it how our Christian faith

be lived out?

Philippians 1: 21-30

For to me,

living is Christ and dying is gain.

If I am to live in the flesh,

that means fruitful labor for me;

and I do not know which I prefer.

I am hard pressed between the two:

my desire is to depart and be with Christ,

for that is far better;

but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.

Since I am convinced of this,

I know that I will remain

and continue with all of you for your progress

and joy in faith,

so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus

when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,

so that, whether I come and see you

or am absent and hear about you,

I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit,

striving side by side with one mind

for the faith of the gospel,

and are in no way intimidated by your opponents.

For them this is evidence of their destruction,

but of your salvation.

And this is God's doing.

For he has graciously granted you the privilege

not only of believing in Christ,

but of suffering for him as well--

since you are having the same struggle

that you saw I had

and now hear that I still have.

Here ends the reading.

I don’t know how much Paul

or the people of Philippi suffered…

I know from II Corinthians 11 (23-27)

that Paul suffered many things

Prison,

beatings,

shipwrecks,

hunger,

thirst

and Church history adds…

martyrdom.

I know the early Christians

suffered many of the same things…

and I know that they suffered

because of this gospel message

they believed and proclaimed.

The sad thing for me is that this experience of suffering

appears to have robbed Paul

and many of the early Christian writers

of the joy of living…

of the sense of awe in creation.

In some ways they remind me of the children of Israel

there in the wilderness

complaining…

about having no food…

or drink…

and when it comes

their response is “What is that?”

I assume that the good news that we Christians have

is the same good news that Jesus brought.

Now, Jesus suffered…

even to the point of death on the cross.

But the amazing thing about Jesus for me

was that even though Jesus suffered

and was at times homeless…

Still, when he told stories

the stories he told,

and the things he taught

tell us that Jesus noticed

the beauty of the world around him.

Jesus talked about things growing

of sheep and shepherds…

of vines and fruit…

about fields white unto harvest…

about the beauty of the lilies…

and the value of one sparrow.

I think Jesus saw and appreciated God

in the beauty of creation around him.

I think Jesus loved life.

Yes, he spoke of his impending death,

but he loved life.

Paul at times bothers me…

because he is so focused on the suffering of life.

When I was in the service

my squadron flew close air support on a NATO exercise

up at the north end of the Aegean Sea.

an amphibious landing at Philippi…

even from a few thousand feet

it was obvious that this place

was one of the most beautiful places

in the world…

the blue crystal clear water,

beautiful beaches,

the green of the trees and fields.

I get concerned about Christians

who fail to see and appreciate

the marvels of God

in creation around us.

Yes, we are to live for Christ…

and Yes, we are to long to be fully in Christ’s presence,

but that should never obscure our understanding

that Jesus can be seen

in the face of our neighbors…

from greatest to least.

That God can be known in the wonder of creation.

May our single mindedness…

our striving together…

not produce a people

who see nothing of worth around us.

May our single mindedness

our striving together…

be a product of our ability to see

and marvel at

Creator and creation

to marvel at

God present…

even in places others might call

the wilderness.

Amen.