"To Him be glory forever": Philippians

Showing posts with label Philippians. Show all posts

Monday, June 4, 2018

"…my remembrance of you…"

One of the disadvantages of preaching each Sunday is that I rarely have an opportunity to sit and listen to someone open up God's word, read it, and then proclaim its truth. I need to hear God's word for myself as much as the people I preach to need to hear it, but those kinds of opportunities to feed on God's word don’t come my way as often as I would like. So I was kind of excited this evening when I saw a link on Facebook to a sermon a friend of mine preached this morning. Actually, I was doubly excited. First, because I have never heard this friend preach, and secondly, because he was using a text that I preached myself last year. A familiar voice, digging into the soil of a familiar text. I clicked on the link.

His text was Philippians 1:3-5, where in verse three Paul writes:

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,"

My friend explained how Paul was very fond of the congregation in Philippi that he was writing to. He knew them well, as he had got them started when he first visited that city. And so it might seem natural that Paul would be fond of them. And then my friend brought out the fact that Paul thanked God as he remembered the Philippians, even though Paul knew that there were serious problems in their congregation. He knew them well as sisters and brothers in Christ, but he likely also knew that, like people anywhere, some could be hard to get along with, and that in the eyes of others he may have always appeared as an adversary.

And then my friend made things a bit more personal, saying that we all know people for whom we always have good thoughts whenever they cross our minds. In those cases it would be easy to thank God as we remember them. But going a step farther, he asked to think about some of the people who were difficult in our lives. Could we grow as Christians and develop an attitude such as Paul's, being thankful whenever we remembered them? The people whom we might not be all that excited about when we saw them? The people that sometimes we wish had gone to the store at different time than we did? That was when his sermon got more personal for me.

People who have heard me talk for any period of time, or read some of what I have written, about life on the reservation will have heard about how devastating alcohol and other drugs are here. After nearly five years in Dulce I can’t think of a single family I know of that hasn’t been affected by the downstream consequences of substance abuse.

As Robin and I prayed together this evening we prayed by name for a number of people we know who are so often in the midst of the struggle with alcohol. Robin mentioned that the list seems to be getting longer, and she is probably right. Being a pastor gives me insight to other people whom she isn't aware of, people that I also feel drawn to pray for on my own. Sometimes it seems as if they are living inside a tornado, violently thrown here and there but unable to escape the force that holds them inside. Sometimes they try hard to break free, but I can see that it is an incredibly hard fight. Occasionally there is real and lasting freedom from addiction, and I praise God for that, because I know each time his hand as been at work.

Getting back to Paul and the Philippians, I am glad that God has given me an attitude where I am glad to see those people I know who struggle with addiction here in Dulce. Personal contact with them is erratic and unpredictable, but when it comes there is often not only the opportunity to speak a word of encouragement but to also join with them in prayer.

I thank God for the opportunity to remember those here who are in bondage to addiction, and as I remember them then to also lift them to his care, asking that one day, perhaps even today, would be the day he brings them to freedom.

Note

I used a stock picture of what would seem to be among the most popular brands on the reservation, judging from the number of bottles I find scattered along the road. Its effects on the reservation are not nearly in keeping with the sophisticated image of the industry's advertising.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Have you ever found yourself taking a moment to consider your life at present and then looked back at an earlier time and wished that perhaps you were there in the past, rather than here, in the present? I know that I have, as recently as yesterday morning. I know that I do this kind of looking back more days than not.

There is almost always a trigger. There is something that is giving me difficulty today, or is perhaps disappointing in some way. I look back and see a different set of circumstances, when something that is hard to do now was effortless then. I see a relationship that is challenging now was nothing but joy then.

In a sermon titled, "The Young Man's Prayer," Charles Spurgeon said, "We look back upon our younger days and think that they were far happier than our present state. We sometimes fancy that we used to be satisfied then, but I believe that our thoughts imagine a great falsehood."

Ouch! There is a lot of truth that touches me in those words. The satisfaction that we recall from the past, that we may find ourselves longing for in the present, was likely not as satisfying as we remember it.

This coming Sunday I am preaching from Philippians 2:9-11, where Paul writes,

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

In these verses Paul looks forward, to the end of history, where the lordship of Jesus Christ will be clearly evident to all peoples. Christ will be seen in a place of unparalleled honor and glory and there will be great rejoicing from his people. To combine the thoughts of Spurgeon and Paul, the "good old days" were likely not as good as we think they were, while the "day to come" will be more glorious than anything we can imagine.

We can certainly learn from our past, but we shouldn't seek to dwell there. Paul points us forward, to the glorious future promised to all people with faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Enjoy a look back from time to time, but set your eyes, and your heart, on the future promises of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

It’s a Free Country?

For most people in the United States, the words, "It’s a free country" are a statement of fact, and not a question. We citizens of the US treasure our freedom and we use that sense of freedom, for better or for worse, to justify all kinds of thoughts, words and actions.

I myself am a lifelong resident of the United States, the country I was born in and the country in whose military I served for four years. But I find myself living in a part of it where there are a number of caveats to the idea of freedom, leading to the question that makes the title for this post.

For a little more than three years my family and I have lived on the reservation of the Jicarilla Apache Nation (The Nation). The Nation is sovereign but not quite in the sense of other nations that we consider sovereign in their relationships with the United States. For example, Canada has its own government, issues its own money and exchanges ambassadors with the United States. Canadian citizens don't vote in the elections within the United States. The Nation also has its own government but it uses the same money as the United States and is represented in Congress as a part of the delegation from New Mexico.

The election season highlights some of the unique things about living on the reservation. The reservation sits within two counties and I'm registered to vote in Rio Arriba county. So last week I could cast my vote for president, congress and a number of other offices and issues relevant to New Mexico and Rio Arriba county. But I live on the reservation as a non-tribal member and so I was not able to vote in the recent election for the Nation's president, vice president or legislative council.

Going a step farther, as a non-tribal member there are rules and restrictions as to where I can go on the reservation. I have no explicit rights to any kind of housing or the other benefits that are available to members of the Nation. There is also a sense of restriction to what might be called "freedom of speech," in that there are a variety of things which I feel are "off limits" for me to express an opinion on. For me to do could easily result in my being told to leave the reservation, which actually happened to a pastor here once. I don’t write this as if I feel suppressed in any way but merely as a statement of fact. I live here, and serve God here, so long as the Nation allows. This fact is basically true of all the non-tribal members living on the reservation.

So I live as a citizen of the United States within the boundaries of land belonging to the Jicarilla Apache Nation, voluntarily surrendering some of those things I might ordinarily claim as within my rights as an American. But I do so knowing that there is yet one other place to which I hold citizenship. In Philippians 3:20 the Apostle Paul writes,

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…"

No matter where believers in Jesus live on this earth, they all hold in common the fact that their true citizenship lies elsewhere. There are Christians living all over the world with restrictions that citizens of the United States would never accept.

You see, there is only one place where there is a truly free country. The freedom there is not based on its geographic location but is grounded in the nature of its ruler, the Lord Jesus Christ. Non-citizens may look toward it and shake their heads. In so many ways it seems a country like any other, with rules and boundaries. Give up the ability to live as I choose in order to live in ways that look more and more like the ruler's? I don’t think so.

But from the inside the perspective is completely different. In the presence of true freedom in Jesus the "freedom" given up in order to follow Jesus shows itself as just so much slavery.

The United States is truly a great nation and there is none like it in the world. But it doesn’t compare in the least to the freedom that comes in living as a citizen of heaven under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Happy birthday?

Last Saturday, August 1st, was my birthday. It was number 58, in a series that began in 1957 and will run until…well, I don’t have the foggiest idea when it will come to an end.

Birthdays in our family are traditionally celebrated in some fashion, although the fashion in which mine was marked this year was a bit unusual. We were on the road and out of town for a week, so the celebration was in multiple segments.

There was cake, a card and a gift with my in-laws last Thursday. The on Saturday there was another card and some singing from a few of my family members. And after returning home late last night the festivities will conclude this evening, with cake, ice cream and a few gifts from my wife and our youngest daughter.

And, thanks to Facebook, my birthday this year had what must be the highest number of well-wishes that I have ever received. All day long there were short notes of greeting and wishes for the best for me on that day.

And in many ways it was a very good day, a day that of all my birthdays provided memories that will be particularly treasured. For on my birthday I went to a funeral.

An uncle, the husband of my father's sister, died in mid-July, and the best date for our family to get together to worship God and remember him, was on my birthday. And while a number of my relatives gathered on Saturday in Wisconsin for his funeral there was another group of relatives gathered the same day in Florida for the funeral of my mother's youngest sister, who died last week.

I was unable to attend my aunt's funeral but saw that part of the scripture used on that day was from Romans 4. Verses 23-24 say,

"But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification."

At my uncle's funeral we heard from Philippians, Romans, and John, which said,

"Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 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 on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again." Philippians 1:18b-26

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-29

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;1 believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:1-6

These are powerful passages from scripture that point to true hope. They point to a hope found only in God, a God who never fails to deliver on His promises. We may have gathered in Wisconsin and Florida with heavy hearts, remembering family members we loved dearly and will never see on this earth again. But at the funeral I attended we were reminded that God has greater things in store for His children than anything that this world may hold.

We were reminded that my uncle, my aunt, and all who pass from this life with faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, are at this very moment in His very presence, and giving Him the praise and glory that only He deserves. While it may run against the logic of the world, I found it to be a very precious gift to be able to gather with God's people, at a funeral on my birthday, in such a powerful time of worship of my Savior. To Him be glory, now and forever. Amen.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

"Rejoice in the Lord always."

Yesterday a man whom I was privileged to call a friend went home. Charles Butler was called from this life to be in the presence of Jesus Christ, his faithful Lord and Savior. I believe Charles lived on this earth for 87 years. It was but for a time, with much that was good and also with its share of struggles. Charles has left us and is now in his Lord's presence, forever. And much as he loved life here, with his family and friends, the place he is now is his true home.

I didn't meet Charles until fairly late in his life. And I think that by the time I began to consider him a friend the illness that claimed the life of his wife, Marilyn, was already advanced. My perception of his later years was that his greatest loss was his wife and his greatest longing was to see her again, which I have no doubts happened yesterday.

Among my own memories of Charles, the most dear are the ones of the mornings we spent together in prayer. For a number of years we were involved in the leadership of a men's ministry and one of the activities of the ministry was a regular prayer meeting on Wednesday, before work. The number of people present varied but for several years the core of the group was Charles, another man, and myself. As Charles got older we moved the meeting to his home, so that it would be easier for him to attend.

Good prayer meetings begin with scripture. Sometimes one of us would open a Bible and read but often it would be Charles who started us, reciting from memory either Psalm 51:1-12 or Philippians 4:4-7. In the Philippians passage Paul says this:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."[1]

Today Charles is rejoicing with a gladness that overflows and will never end. The Lord is near to him in a way that I can only imagine. His Savior has been faithful and brought him home, to join in the everlasting praise of His glory.

[1] Quoted from the 1984 translation of the New International Version.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

That Big White Light

Last Sunday I was watching some of the coverage of the US Open golf tournament. During the broadcast they showed a human interest story about Erik Compton, a professional golfer who has had two heart transplants, one at age 12 and the second at 28. He is currently 34 and his play this week was by far the best of his professional career. On one of golf's largest stages he played better than he has ever played before, finishing in second place.

Stories like this touch our heartstrings. They draw us in with their emotional power. A man with a heart so weak that he was on the threshold of death…twice. The narrator referred to the open door of death as "that big white light." Erik Compton was at that door, twice, and could easily have passed through. He was held back through the generosity of an organ donor and the skill of a medical team. And on Sunday he stood almost at the very pinnacle of his profession. A story of triumph over adversity.

The narrator of the story gave the sense that in receiving a new heart and the life that went with it, which for Compton has included marriage and a daughter since the second transplant, the best possible outcome has been achieved. But as a Christian I think there are a some other points to consider.

The Apostle Paul, writing from prison and facing the possibility of death, wrote this in Philippians 1:20-23,

"It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better."

For Paul, the thing that mattered was that he gave glory to God. If he lived, he wanted it to be to the glory of God, and in the same way he considered the possibility of his death, that it would be a death that pointed others to God. And he knew that from the perspective of what was best for him personally, it was death, for he knew he would pass through death's door and into the everlasting presence of his Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.

I know nothing of the faith of Erik Compton. Neither the Wikipedia entry or his personal webpage have any insights into that. If he is a person of faith then I pray that as a husband, a father, a golfer, a friend…that whatever he does in life is done to the glory of God.

And if he is not a person of faith then I pray that God may turn his heart towards Christ, so that in his life post heart transplant he comes to know the joy of eternal life. When he comes, for the final time, to that big, white light, I want him to do so knowing his Savior is waiting for him on the other side.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Stories, part 1

We are nearly three weeks into our ministry in New Mexico. We have been warmly welcomed by the members of our new congregation, the Jicarilla Apache Reformed Church. We feel fairly well settled into our home, the church parsonage. Kat is making new friends and we are learning our way around the community, both geographically and in terms of the activities that are available to us. And, perhaps most importantly to me, I am growing into my new role as the church's pastor.

There is a lot to learn. Some things I learned in seminary. Others I learned through the things I did at my old church in Rochester. Some I have learned from friends in ministry and some other things through searching out the answers myself. The other day I fixed a toilet at the church with a paper clip...something I figured out completely on my own!

And there are other things I am sorting out in ways that seem to work and meet my needs at the moment. One of those things is going to the church on Friday morning and running through the worship service for Sunday.

I preach the sermon to a collection of empty pews and then go through all the other parts of the service except the sermon. I practice the call to worship, confession and assurance of forgiveness, anointing and healing prayer, the songs and the benediction. The songs are particularly important, because right now the only musical accompaniment is Robin on her flute, so I have to have an idea of the melody and be able to stay on it fairly well throughout each song.

So I sing aloud through each piece, and as I did so this Friday I slowly paced back-and-forth across the front of the church. And as I paced I began to notice the floor.

The church was built in 1914, with adobe walls and hardwood floors. As you may see in the picture, those floors have a lot of wear. Looking at the floor and seeing the wear I began to wonder about the stories the floor would have, could floors talk that is.

Stories of the rich ministry that has preceded our service here. Songs. Sermons. Baptisms. Funerals. Gatherings around the Lord's Table. Fellowship. And much prayer.

Stories of the faithful witness of several generations of God's people, gathered in the name of Jesus.

It is a privilege to walk those floors and know that we are taking part in the ongoing work of God here in Dulce. It is a privilege to be adding here, in this space and with these people, to the stories that are part of the greatest story, the story of redemption in Christ Jesus.

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:8-11

Monday, September 2, 2013

Beginning

Yesterday was my first Sunday as the pastor of the Jicarilla Apache Reformed Church in Dulce, New Mexico. We had a great turn-out for worship. The people were warm and welcoming, and I think the presence of myself and my family was warm as well. There were a few bugs to work out but no one seemed to mind. We are getting to know the people and they are getting to know us. Our journey here, from our first contact with the congregation until yesterday’s worship, was about 10 months. It is our hope that we are able to serve God well here for many years. All-in-all I think it was a really good first day.

But while yesterday was our first “official” day there were many busy days leading up to it. There have been days of prayer, interviews, conversations and e-mails. Study, sermon preparation and worship planning. And moving.

Moving has been the overriding activity of the past three weeks in particular. Packing, almost without end. Or so it seemed. Loading the truck. Four and a half days of travel. Unloading the truck, which was completed as quickly as it was only due to the help of members of our congregation. Then unpacking and getting things settled in the house. And at noon today, just one week since we arrived in town, virtually everything we own is out of its box and in its place. The only exception is my wife, Robin’s, shop for working on stained glass. And all of the credit for “driving the bus” in the activity of unpacking and getting settled in town goes to her. Robin has been phenomenal during our move, especially since we arrived in town.

And now on Monday afternoon we had an opportunity to relax a bit and consider what comes next. Robin posted this to her blog. While I took our daughter to the park Robin wrote lesson plans for home-schooling, which resumes tomorrow. We have decided that Monday will be my day off, but on this Monday I have a half-dozen things floating through my mind that I need to get to work on soon.

I think that we are off to a good start in this particular ministry. I know that as the days, weeks, months, and God-willing, years unfold that we will experience a full range of experiences and emotions here. But today I am mindful of these words from Paul to the church at Philippi:

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

We have had a good beginning here. My prayer today is that we would faithfully follow God, to His eternal glory, throughout the time that we live and serve with His people in Dulce. Amen.