PENTECOST
19-A . PROPER 20
21 SEPTEMBER AD 2008
Philippians
1:12-14, 19-30
Have you
ever wondered about your purpose? Have your questioned why God
put you on this earth?
It is not
unusual for those who very sick look for death. I have known not
a few folks in that situation. When I served as a vicar in Charter
Oak, Iowa, I was privileged to visit Mrs. Fiene. Mrs. Fiene, at
106 still lived at home cared for by her 83 year old daughter,
Irma. Mrs. Fiene would periodically get up and do a lap or two
around the house to keep herself healthy, but at times life was
a struggle. Mrs. Fiene once asked me, "why am I still here?"
She wondered what on earth God could still want from her. I wished
that I had an answer for her. But I was young and didn't really
know what to say.
I watched
my grandfather get older. We had a big party for him at 80; lots
of people. We teased him that he'd live to be a hundred. "I
hope so," he said with some enthusiasm. We had another party
when he was 90; not as many there. Since Oma was slowing down
we had that celebration in a restaurant. We teased him again,
"you'll live to be a hundred." He smiled and just leaned
forward on his cane. Sometime after that his son passed away from
cancer and my brother was killed in a car wreck.
It was around
that time that he stopped planting the garden. My Oma always made
him plant that garden, together they either canned or froze what
it produced. But now he was at it alone-something to do. My grandmother
just sat there and said nothing. When he was about 92 or 93, one
of those years, we teased him about living to be a hundred and
he said, "I hope not. I just have to keep going, I have to
take care of your grandmother." But after a year of waiting..,
well let's just notice that the next year he planted the garden
again, and kept at it until he was 98. The Lord took him home
just about seven weeks after my grandmother.
Opa had his
purpose in life. His thrift was legendary in family circles and
even at church. When he was the trustee he never called a repairman,
always fixed it himself. Of course, sometimes it looked like he
fixed it himself. But take care of his family, he did: take care
of matters at church, he did: take care of my grandmother, even
when she was no longer lucid, he did. And when he had done all
he let go of everything-even gave the checkbook to my mom, and
never asked
about it again.
We wonder,
is God cruel to leave us around for such a long time? Not really.
" We ourselves look forward to long life.
" Long life would seem to be God's blessing. Psalm 91:16,
"with long life I will satisfy him."
" Psalm 128:6 prays that you see "your children's children!"
" The final editor of Deuteronomy tells us, as if he himself
were surprised, that "Moses was 120 years old when he died.
His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated," (Deut. 34:7)
" Psalm 90:10 suggests that 70 years is good, and 80 is better,
exceptional.
St. Paul
in today's reading from Philippians considers all that he has
lived through. He had been beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, and
chased out of town. He is at a point where death would be welcome-if
that were God's will. The thing is that Paul knew what lay ahead.
2 Corinthians 12 indicates that Paul had received an ecstasy;
like St. John of the Apocalypse Paul had visions of the glory
of heaven-he had seen paradise. He was anxious to get to that
eternal life.
With confidence
Paul can say, "to die is gain"! When he writes, "I
am hard pressed between the two," he's torn between the options
of living and dying. He's ready for that reward which is his by
faith in Jesus Christ. His "desire is to depart and be with
Christ…" But! he is certain, that God will answer their
prayers, and that he will be delivered from his chains. Did I
forget to mention, that if Paul is not at this point in prison,
then he is at least under military guard.
Paul understands
that his suffering and imprisonment serve God's purpose. For the
whole imperial guard has learned that he is under arrest on account
of Christ. The guard knows that Paul is innocent of wrong doing;
He is under arrest because of the Truth he preaches. Then they
didn't even pretend then to have free speech rights. If he remains
in chains, Paul reasons, then the military will continue to learn
of Jesus. If he is set free then he plans to come to the Philippian
church to help them progress in the faith.
In God's
hand it's all good. Life is a precious gift from God and from
beginning to end it serves God's purposes, though we can't always
understand them. Life serves God's purpose whether it is strong
and righteous, or frail, weak and sinful. I know what you're thinking;
Pastor from that vantage point you can even justify the war in
Iraq. You are right. But I can still stay that war is a bad thing,
and it is to avoided whenever possible. But yes, it must serve
some purpose in God's grand design.
Life, whether or not its beginnings are legitimate or not, --it
makes no difference at all. Consider; if you were judging by your
own standards and those of the world, what would you have concluded
about the infant Jesus? Sometimes the eyes of faith have to strain
a little to see the hand of God working in our lives and in the
lives our neighbors, and in history. But the hand of God is there.
Recently,
a reading from Paul reminded us that the folly of God is wiser
than human wisdom. There was nothing noble, strong, or heroic
about crucifixion; it was simply a cruel and effective way to
execute someone. And yet, by means of crucifixion God offered
his Son as the sacrifice that makes atonement for the sins of
all humankind. That was God's will and purpose for Jesus. Our
Lord himself understood it, he saw it written in the scripture;
it was the Word of the Lord and it had to be fulfilled.
But you know,
if it didn't work out that way, the redemption of our souls would
have happened by some other means that included an atonement and
defeat of Satan. You can't thwart God's will and purposes.
When the
time is right, it is okay to want to be with God. But until then
we have a purpose under heaven. With Paul and Peter, and all God's
faithful we must declare the wonderful deeds of "the One
who calls us from darkness to marvelous light."
By Word
of God and prayer you can discern what that purpose is. Devote
yourselves to it-cheerfully. "Only let your manner of life
be worthy of the gospel of Christ." Amen
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Hamburg, NJ 07419
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