PROPER 22A 2008
Text: “….their minds are set on earthly…But our citizenship is in heaven..” Phil 3:19b-20a
If you are like me, you have felt a little uneasy these past few days. The headlines and the TV news shows are full of the financial weakness of our economy. Day after day we are infused with articles and stories about how bad it is; how the stock market is falling, how the big banks and investment companies are failing; how little credit there is for business to borrow and on and on. All of this produces fear – fear of the future. What will happen? What if it is really bad? What if it is like the great depression? And of course, to some degree, these are good fears?
But as I was reading our lesson from Philippians this morning, a phrase that Paul wrote captured my attention.
“….their minds are set on earthly…But our citizenship is in heaven..” Phil 3:19b-20a
Paul says here that certain people, who he calls enemies of Christ, have their minds set on earthly things. But, he says, our citizenship is in heaven.. This morning I would like to share some thoughts on this passage. What does it mean for us?
First, we need to admit, or believe,
that this life is not all that there is. Our Christian faith declares
that there is reality that is unseen.
Our belief in God, in Jesus, in
the Holy Spirit is not a belief that we can prove. It is hard to believe in that which we cannot
see. Who can see the
Paul believed in this unseen reality. He believed that Jesus of Nazareth had died and risen again. He believed that this Jesus was the Christ, and that he ruled over all creation, both that which could be seen and that which was unseen. This is why he says things like:
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
So while he lived here on earth in our present reality, he believed that there was another reality also. His way of putting it was to use an analogy of citizenship. We are not just members of the Jewish nation… we are not just Americans… or Mexicans… or Scots… … but our true, our real, our primary citizenship is in heaven.
This means that our true president, or King, or ruler, is Jesus. Our primary allegiance is to Him. And if this is the case, this changes how we live.
For instance, in this present financial uncertainty, we can think through what it is, or who it is
that we are really putting our trust in. If our minds are set on earthly
things, then of course we should worry
and worry and worry more. Because the truth is,
life can be very insecure and uncertain. I think about my parent’s generation
– which there are a few of you around. They
were in college during the Great depression.
Than Dad had to go off to war for many years while mom and my two
sisters had to live with her parents along with other cousins and aunts. Then after the great war came the Korean
war, and then the cold war, where we
were afraid of being blown away, and then
came the
The truth is, all of life is very fragile and brief and uncertain. This week I learned that one of my old best friends had a cancerous tumor taken out of his colon. All of a sudden his life is changed. In the little sketch that we just saw, life is suddenly turned upside down.
One of the things that changes in our lives if we are Christians is that we learn to put our lives in God’s hands. And as we do this, we worry less about the day to day ups and downs. In the words of the Psalmist, in God we find a refuge, a high tower, a strong rock to keep us safe. Under the shadow of God’s wings we find safety. So one thing that changes in our lives when we really believe in the unseen reality of God, and we come to believe that our citizenship is in heaven, is that our trust and our hopes are not just based in earthly things ---like stocks and bonds and houses and comforts and health. Our faith is in a better banker, a better leader, a better investor, our Lord Jesus!
Another reality that changes in our lives when we come to believe that we are citizens of the heaven is that our goals change. It is a great question to ask ourselves, what, really, is our goal in life? Is it to get into a good college? To make the team? To make lots of money? To retire early? These all might be good goals, but if they are our primary goal in life, we will be let down at some point. Even if we achieved every goal we set for ourselves… at some point, when our bodies give up, no one or nothing in this life can help us.
These all are secondary, or earthly goals. The Christian, however, has a goal similar to the Apostles goal.
I press on towards the goal for the prize of the
heavenly call in Christ Jesus… or as he says earlier in this passage: “I want
to know him..” or… “that I might gain
Christ.”
However we might feel it in our souls, or say it in our minds, the goal of life of a Christian transcends our normal and familiar earthly goals. Deep down inside there is a desire to somehow, in someway, live our lives for God.
This is not easy. The company demands our time and our energy. We need to work and take care of the kids or our parents and pay bills and on and on. These earthly things consume our time and our energy.
This is why the Christian life requires our attention and energy also. Having strong faith is not magic. I grew up singing the song “Day by Day.”
Day by day, dear Lord of thee three things I pray..
To see thee more clearly.. Love thee more dearly.. follow thee more nearly..
Day by Day..
The Christian life is a daily journey. It is not an add on, every once in a while.
When we have to work for a living, our jobs can be something we do simply to make money …or, for some people, their jobs are who they are. For some, their jobs are their identity. For some of us, being a Christian is something we do, but it is not who we are.
This is why Jesus tells Nicodmeus that he must be born again, or born from above. Being a Christian is like having the gift of a new life. Paul says that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. Paul even says at one point that he no longer lives but Christ lives in him.
The Christian has an infusion of the Spirit of God that changes how they view reality. Using Paul’s analogy, when we are a Christian we really come to believe that we are not just citizens of this world, but we are citizens of another kingdom. The writer of Hebrews says that we are strangers and pilgrims in this life… In the words of the old gospel song, we are just passing through this world.
So I would like to end this message with words of hope and encouragement. Yes, our financial situation might be bad.. Yes, it could get worse. The truth is that for many Christians around the world life is very tough. And yes, even if things get better financially, life still will bring its sorrow and struggles. And yet, our hope and our trust should not be in the illusory security of earthly things. At funerals we often read a portion of Psalm 46. Listen to these words and maybe even memorize them.
God is our hope and our strength *
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved*
And though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea.
Though the waters thereof rage and swell*
And though the mountains shake at the tempest of the same.
There is a river, the streams
whereof make glad the city of
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most Highest.
And then the Psalmists ends this poem by saying::
The Lord of Hosts is with us*
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
In the midst of all the ups and downs of life, God exists. If we can learn to rest in God, and set our hearts and our desires on heavenly things, and not just earthly things, we can go through this life with an inner strength and purpose that will drive away fear, and not just that, but give our lives purpose and meaning right up to the very end. AMEN!