SERMON 1

PHILIPPIANS 1 – LIVING BEYOND PRISON WALLS

Picture the scene. Paul in Rome, under house arrest. Timothy sitting near, pen in hand, as Paul dictates. The Philippian church has not yielded to the might of Rome and the cult of emperor worship. This is a faithful, diverse church consisting of wealthy people – like Lydia, a businesswoman, and poorer folk – like the jailer and his family, and the slave girl. The others? Maybe Gentiles who had worshipped the God of the Jews and come to faith in Jesus. Possibly ex pagans, alongside merchants come up the main East-West trade route, perhaps even some Romans. A mixed bunch living out their faith against a troubled background.

Paul writes with an inspiring freedom of vision. Accused. Awaiting trial. No obvious time frame. Held by a regime that deifies human power and oppresses the weak. Paul isn’t cowed. He lives beyond the horizon of his prison walls. Surely there are voices whispering to him that he has failed – a weak and helpless pawn in the hands of the mighty Empire. But these ideas have no purchase on our man.

Paul offers us a roadmap for living faith in troubled times. Rather than doubling down on his deprivations, he looks up and out. Notice that his faith is deeply personal: ‘I thank my God every time I remember you’. My God. Paul isn’t being exclusive, he is simply underscoring the foundation on which the house of his life is built. He is echoing the words of the psalmist ‘God you are my God’ (Psalm 63). The psalmist thirsts for God, nestling into the shadow of the divine wing. Like Paul, they cling to God, even in the face of suffering, trusting that the ‘mouths of liars will be silenced’. Living faith is not second hand. We each need our own relationship with God. Spending time. Being with. Open and undefended. God knows us completely. Do we consent to cooperate with being known? Resisting God, separating from others, cuts us off from the resources we need for living faith in troubled times.

Look how Paul draws the Philippian community into his relationship with God through prayer. He thanks God for them. He is overjoyed by their faithfulness and confident that God will complete the good work he began in them. His vision soars out beyond his prison walls, unlimited by the constraints of time. Here is a man who knows that all shall ultimately be well, whilst not denying anything of his reality – in prison, in chains. The Philippians face opposition, and Paul names this without being consumed by it. He grounds his entire outlook on the bedrock of Jesus Christ, living faithfully, confidently and full of joy. He doesn’t deny the reality of the powers of the day, but their power cannot cloud his vision. They are not an equal and opposite force to the sovereignty of God. Yes, they cause suffering and oppression. Yes, he knows he might die, but such is his vision he is able to locate his life and death before the God of life and death. Logically, whatever happens, Christ will be his all in all.

How does Paul live beyond his prison walls? He surrounds himself with rich narratives, rejoicing in the Philippian church, praying for their growth, celebrating the gospel. The old hymn, ‘He Who Would Valiant Be’ warns us that if we dwell on ‘dismal stories’ we will ‘confound’ ourselves. Actual and metaphorical doom scrolling disturbs and discourages. If we let them, fears of an imagined future and distorted reasoning will crowd in. Such ‘fancies’ must ‘flee away’; unchallenged their nonsense will derail. The hymn reminds us that God defends us by his Spirit. As Paul will remind us later ‘The Lord is near.’

Paul urges his hearers to, ‘live lives worthy of the gospel of Christ’ – focussed, aligned, hope-filled, trusting. We will find ourselves in difficult circumstances. Paul did. The Philippians did. But no trouble is beyond the reach of God’s love. Paul lived this vision. Not without struggle or denial. We know that he often tripped up over the same old flaws (Romans 7:15), but this only served to return him to Christ – who rescues us from our endemic faults and failings (Romans 7:24-25).

Take heart. Cling to your God. Look up and out. Let your vision shift beyond the walls of this moment and look to Christ, together with others. Tell a new story of living faith.

SERMON 2

PHILIPPIANS 2:1-15 – SONGS OF THE HEART

Beware the selfish heart. This greedy monster feeds on our instinctual desire to dance to our own drumbeat; seeking accolades, steeped in conceit. The song of the selfish heart is discordant and grating, a death knell to living faith. Driven by these off-key notes, we can become like hamsters on our wheels of self-interest. Trapped. Exhausted. Lonely.

Martin Luther King preached a sermon focussed on ‘The Drum Major Instinct’ (1968). This inbuilt human instinct is characteristic of the selfish heart. Dr King explored our hunger to be out there at the front of the parade, recognised, getting attention. From international politics to the little and local, the drum major instinct is at work. Its chest thumping, fist pumping self-regard is pitiful. The selfish heart shores up its unstable walls with buttresses of ‘my rights’. By nature, defensive and suspicious, it fractures communities, creating ‘us’ and ‘them’. It sees another’s success as a theft from its perceived rights and regards. How easily it is manipulated, creating tribes and stoking fear. Beware the siren song of the selfish heart.

Listen to the song of the servant heart. Jesus taught that ‘whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant’ (Matthew 20:26). These words sit well with our verses from Philippians. Here Paul offers a staggering picture. He assures us that the mind of Christ can dwell in us, if we let it. In relationship with God, we find the consolation of encouragement, love, compassion and sympathy, a beautiful song of healing and hope, goodness and growth. Selfish ambition and conceit will wither away as the interests of others bloom in our hearts – the flowers of living faith. The soil for this is the imitation of Christ – the daily decision to learn the steps of humility, service and sacrifice, and the simple willingness to let this work happen in us. God invites us to move to a different drumbeat. This is the only antidote to broken hearts and fractured societies. Can we relax into co-operation with the God who is dancing us in a different direction? Can we learn the song of the servant heart?

Paul meditates on the pattern of Jesus’ life which confounds the will of the selfish heart. Instead of elbows out, fighting for his rights, in Christ we see arms outstretched in support, service and sacrifice. The incarnation and crucifixion make no sense to the drum major instinct. The power at work in Jesus, his humility and deep trust in God, challenge the selfish agenda. In the Resurrection the servant heart of Jesus is lifted up – not to dominate and destroy, but to establish order from chaos, life through death, and love at the service of the world. Love raises up the broken, the defeated and overwhelmed. The selfish heart treads down. The servant heart lifts up.
Do you remember Edmund in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Tempted by the White Witch he stuffed his greedy mouth with Turkish delight and his selfish heart with the promise of power. Only Aslan’s radical act of sacrificial service on the stone table overthrew all that held Edmund captive. In this story we see the selfish heart and the servant heart laid bare. One is bound up in a story of individual preoccupation – Edmund with his sense of entitlement. The other is expansive and generous – Aslan, desiring Edmund’s very best interests, and giving himself for that purpose.

In Philippi the main religion was the worship of the emperor. If you wanted to flourish you needed to be seen to support the imperial cult: say the right words, and bow to the right powers. Edmund and the White Witch all over again. Paul encouraged the Philippian church to shine like stars, in contrast to the values and behaviours of their generation. Paul’s desire is that they are formed into a servant-hearted community focussed on Jesus.

Whose song are we singing? Are we feeding the selfish heart or nurturing the servant heart? At the same time as the servant song is being played within us, we must learn to sing the notes, harnessing our efforts to the God who enables us to ‘will and to work for God’s good pleasure.’ Human effort and divine grace work hand in hand. This is such good news for those who know the siren call of selfishness that leads into swamps of despair, loneliness and entrapment. We are not left to our own devices. As we co-operate with the mind of Christ, step by step, we can dance to a different tune, the song of the servant heart. The soundtrack of living faith.

SERMON 3

PHILIPPIANS 3 – THE HEART’S FOCUS

Jesus said, ‘where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (Matthew 6:21). The heart’s focus is the magnet for our life’s energy. Given that’s finite, it really matters what we treasure.

How easy to become fixated on the wrong things – which can seem deeply significant at the time. How swiftly ego grasps the steering wheel. Then what matters are my credentials, my success, my achievements, my plans, my power, my acceleration. Fundamentally, my pride.

Paul was no stranger to this as he made his way to Damascus to prevent the growth of the upstart movement focussed on Jesus (Acts 9). Picture him en route – this good Pharisee, this upright religious man with all the right credentials. Sure of himself, certain of his purpose, pedal to the metal, racing to Damascus. One moment flying along and the next face down in the dust – as Jesus Christ calls him to some radical refocusing.

Having learnt from experience, Paul offers a powerful antidote to egoistic short sightedness. His words have such power and energy as he describes his heart focus. He piles up all the things he has gained in his life and takes a hard look at them. Then he considers his relationship with Jesus Christ. The light of Christ puts all the rest into shadow. It’s a bit like a person who has only known a light bulb, seeing the sun. Compared to the ‘surpassing value’ of knowing Christ Jesus, his Lord, the old treasures are now seen as tat!

Paul’s heart focus is laser like: he wants to gain Christ, be found in him, faithful and made right with God. He layers up his desire – he seeks to know Christ, becoming like him in suffering and death and then somehow to attain resurrection. See how his heart focus is mapped onto the shape of Jesus’ life. He wants to plant his footsteps in those of his master. This desire to ‘know’ Jesus is not mere head knowledge, it is far more visceral and complete. This is where his energy is flowing. Determined, he presses on. Relentlessly straining to what lies ahead. He desires to increase his knowledge of Jesus; in this he is pursuing the call of God, in life, through death and beyond. This is his heart’s focus.

Well, that’s St Paul. His heart focus is impressive – but what of us who stumble along, making mistakes, inconsistent, egoistic, fearful, fragile and flawed? Can we possibly find the heart focus of Paul?

The answer is a wholehearted, joyous and absolute yes. Paul knew human weaknesses, the missteps and frustrations he bewails in Romans 7. But everything that has captivated Paul’s heart comes from Christ. It is gift and grace, not grit and grouse! Jesus can do so much with so little. Do we imagine Paul somehow made it alone? Not at all. His entire life was a work of Christ, that same Jesus who is calling us to refocus our hearts. Where is your treasure? Your deepest desire? The longing that moves deep in your spirit?

Perhaps we hesitate. Our deepest desire is for God. We know this to be true. It is hardwired into us as human beings, though we may mute it, subdue it or bury it.
Perhaps we are afraid; ‘I keep on failing, my focus is unsteady, I’m just not good enough.’

Yet, all we need to refocus the heart is that simple prayer, spoken honestly, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.’ As Julian of Norwich saw in her ‘Parable of the Lord and the Sinner’, when we run into the ditch, as we often do, we meet only our Lord’s love and patience. Every time. All God needs is our desire to seek the deep love of Jesus and to walk in his way. When we fail and fall, Jesus will pick us up, transform
our humiliation and continue to shape us in his image.

Certificates of achievement will rot away, prized possessions will be handed down and sold in auction houses, cars will rust and houses crumble. They all have their place, but what is the treasure that endures in life, through death and beyond? Tune in to the longing that moves deep in your spirit. Where your treasure is, there is your
heart focus.

SERMON 4

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7 – SAVOUR THE GOOD NEWS

Imagine a rich gravy, reduced down to intense concentration. Now, read Philippians 4:4-7. Here we taste a flavour to be savoured – many ingredients to sustain and nourish living faith. Savour the words:

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

Paul urges joy. It’s so important he repeats himself. This rejoicing is not tethered to everything being fine. It is based on the trust that nothing in life, however challenging, difficult or painful can ever separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Even when we fall into darkness, suffering and death, Jesus is near. Always. There is always hope. This is not a flimsy feeling but a cast iron truth. Paul urges and reiterates his call to a joyous outlook against the backdrop of his imprisonment, in the midst of trouble. This joy is not circumstance dependent.

Paul follows this with a call to ‘gentleness’. In the face of hostility we can harden, becoming angular, brittle and unyielding. Held against our will we might not immediately choose to let any gentleness come to the fore. Isn’t this just weakness? No. Such gentleness is a chosen expression of strength, grounded in deep confidence in God – the same God who is ‘always near’. Always. This gentleness is related to stillness and calm, a quiet willingness to listen and engage with the other – undefended, without hostility. It’s an attractive quality, grounded in self-control and a willingness to hand over our more aggressive reactions to God. It marks a refusal to be dragged into unnecessary conflict and controversy. This gentleness speaks of God’s peace.

So often we forfeit this peace, because we carry our anxieties alone, as though God is far away and uninterested. They gnaw away at us like termites undermining the stability of our lives. Paul is quite clear: ‘in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.’ This is not because God is unaware of the burdens we carry and needs a nudge! It is because in the act of communicating with God we build connection and deconstruct our defences. In reaching out we begin to change, to soften into dependence on God. We set aside the pride that says ‘I’ve got this. I can manage.’ Such prayer expresses trust that God is present, and cares about our worries and concerns – no matter how insignificant we might think them to be. The hymn ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’ speaks of the ‘peace we often forfeit’ and the ‘needless pain we bear… because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.’ Why is prayer so often our last resort instead of our instant refuge? To turn to prayer is to turn into the solace of the Divine embrace.

Paul describes to us the effect of bringing our troubles to God: it brings peace. Not a passive peace, but a sense of the active shalom of God, a sense of wholeness and harmony, wellbeing and completeness.

Such peace defies understanding – not unlike Paul’s peace as he looks on his prison walls. It is more than a feeling – it is the active presence of God which guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We are not left alone. Divine peace is protective. It defends us against the heart-swamps of despair and the mind-spins of false reasoning. God’s peace is marked by clarity and calm. Remember, ‘the Lord is near.’

This passage could be described as the Kendal mint cake of living faith. Memorise it. Carry it with you. Have it always in your back pocket, to take out and chew on when the road is hard, and you are tired. Its sweetness will gladden the heart and give energy to the soul. Its flavour speaks of living faith. Savour it!