A Sermon Delivered
by
The Rev. John D. Painter
at
Centenary United Methodist Church
Metuchen, New Jersey
October 9, 2005
Text: Philippians 4:1-9
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to every-one. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplica-tion 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.
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is any-thing worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
—Philippians 4:1-9 (NRSV)
Imagine that you’ve climbed aboard an amazing time machine and traveled ahead to the year 2505—five hundred years from today—and you’re browsing about in the ancient history section of a university library (assuming universities and libraries still exist in 2505). Glancing through the titles, you come across A History of the 20th Century. It catches your attention, and as you open it, you find a list of the top ten events that shaped the world way back then…and still matter in 2505.
So, here’s the question to ponder: What are the top ten events listed in that book? What events that occurred in the relatively recent past will be remembered 500 years from now? Inter-esting, huh?
Some have suggested that to really understand the question and our answers, it might be helpful to put our time machine into reverse: What do you think were the two most important events that occurred within the last 500 years—all the way back to 1505 or so? That might be quite a challenge, since many of the events our forbears might have considered earth-shattering in their day have likely been relegated to the dustbins of history—or consigned to an obscure Ph.D. dissertation, which some would contend is the same thing. It may be hard for us to imagine that “9/11,” or the Iraq War, or the dual devastation of Katrina and Rita may be only minor blips on the grand radar screen of history half a millennium from now.
What do we honor or revile from 500 years ago…or maybe even 100 years ago? I can imagine any number of possibilities. Wars and battles…was the battle of Gettysburg a pivotal event in America’s Civil War, or is it mainly remembered because of what Abraham Lincoln said there after the battle? Scandals and political intrigues…can anyone here name the main players and problem in the Teapot Dome scandal?; Can your kids tell you what Watergate was all about?; will anyone remember Enron in the next decade, let alone 500 years from now? Great art and architecture…the Sistine Chapel is magnificent, and so are many great works of art and splendid buildings around the world. But are they the first things that leap to our minds when we think about the past 500 years?
A few folk have suggested that the more enduring markers for any age are the ideas and explorations that advance human understanding. James Trefil, a physicist, proposes that new dis-coveries are really what stand the test of time. He concludes, for example, that the two most piv-otal events in the past 500 years or so were Copernicus’ discovery that the earth is not the center of the universe—ushering in the age of modern science, and Columbus opening up the European exploration of the New World. While Dr. Trefil acknowledges neither is the subject of any great literature, “each forever changed humanity’s view of its place in the universe.”
You could probably debate those two events and, in the case of Columbus, argue as to whether “discovery” is always a good thing. (Probably not a considerate thing to do on the eve of Columbus Day.) I might substitute Guttenberg’s invention of moveable type printing, for exam-ple. Dr. Trefil’s point, however, is that ideas and discoveries last because they seem to move us into the future.
So what of the next half millennium? What will be remembered about us 500 years from now? Dr. Trefil says that two 20th-century events—landing a man on the moon and cracking the genetic code—will be the most important. “Future humans,” he says, “will look back on the Apollo program the same way we look back on the early European explorers.” Understanding the human genome will enable us to better understand how life works and help us learn how to “get under the hood and change the system, to alter life.” Again, one might want to debate the implications of this contemporary exploration.
Well, that’s what one scientist has to say about the timelessness of ideas. What does the ancient theologian have to offer?
The Apostle Paul certainly lived more than 500 years ago…actually closer to 2000 years ago…but it appears that he had his focus squarely on the things that would last. In his letter to the fledgling Christian community at Philippi, Paul urges them to “stand firm in the Lord” (Phi-lippians 4:1). And that may be an important word in the midst of an apparent conflict between Euodia and Syntyche, two sisters in Christ at odds with one another within the Philippian Church. Sensing their anxiousness about the struggle, the Apostle urges the Philippian commu-nity to move out of their present focus on problems and instead “Rejoice!” because “The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4-5). “Do not worry about anything,” says Paul, reminding them of the big-ger picture, but guard your hearts and minds with “the peace of God, which surpasses all under-standing” (Philippians 4:7). It’s a peace that transcends even the cycle of human conflict.
Paul’s worldview of what really lasts was bound up in his understanding of the cross and resurrection. The death and resurrection of Christ was the linchpin of history, ushering in a new age and anticipating an age to come. He understood that human history has an end point, but God’s Kin-dom does not. What really lasts, says Paul, are the ideas and actions that mirror Christ. “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).
There is an old Quaker story told about a king who asked for an inventory to be taken of all the flowers in his kingdom.
He sent out a census taker with a clipboard to count all his flowers. Then he realized that the information would be of little value to him unless he had something to compare it with. So he called for a second census taker. This one was asked to count all the weeds in the kingdom. Be-fore long, the first census taker came back, floating into the king’s chamber, draped in smiles and warmth. “King, whatever you do, don’t ever transfer me or my family out of this kingdom. It has to be the most beautiful kingdom in the world. It is overrun with flowers.”
Just then the door slammed and the second census taker came stomping in, threw down his clipboard and demanded an immediate transfer to another land. “King,” he shouted, “this has got to be the worst kingdom in the world. It’s overrun with weeds. I didn’t even get past the drawbridge and I couldn’t count all the weeds in this kingdom. I want out!!”
The moral of the story is, that in this life you are going to see what you are looking for, and it will affect your feelings and behavior. If we look for the things that are excellent and good, we will excel and be good. Look for the junk, and you will feel and behave junky.
Paul had a strong sense of the excellent, beautiful and timeless as opposed to the banal and temporal. He understood the difference between that which was eternal and that which is ephemeral. He believed in the Unseen as having more value, or as being more “real” than the Seen, the Spiritual as being more “real” than the Physical.
He understood that everything—everything!—we see when we look around is some day going to pass away. Nothing will be left standing. Something may be built in its place, but it too will come down either because we tear it down, or because it falls under its own weight, a victim of natural processes.
But Beauty—well, that’s a concept, an Idea, a Form that is absolutely eternal. As is Love. As is Truth. Justice. Honor. Pleasure. These things cannot—repeat, cannot—be destroyed. There is no power or force of any magnitude, dimension, range or design that can destroy these things.
That’s why Paul suggests that in anxious times, in our worrying moments, we should re-turn to the Timeless, to the things that count.
So what about our lives so far?
Few of us will be remembered individually 500 years from now, or perhaps even 50 or 100 years from now. I well remember the day many years ago when I was reminded of my own mortality and the fickle finitude of history. In the midst of what I thought was a significant mo-ment of conflict and challenge…perhaps between a couple of folk like Paul’s Philippian sisters in Christ, Euodia and Syntyche…a wise man gently asked me: “John, a hundred years from now, how important do you think this event will be?” Indeed, I don’t even remember the actual event or the people who were involved anymore…but his question continues to offer me a reassuring perception of what really matters.
Our lives on this earth are, in perspective, pretty brief and not likely of great historical note. If we really want to increase the store of human happiness and well-being and leave our mark on the world, then, the best way to do it is to follow the way of Christ—to think on and do the things that really matter in the long view of God’s Kin-dom.
The truth is that we humans have short memories…but God doesn’t. What we do for God is what will really last!
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PRAYER
O God, how often we forget that to which you have called us. Ensnared by worldly en-ticements, our spirits become numb to the pulsating richness of life wholly centered in you. Transform our weary self-centeredness into your greater glory. Instill in us the vision that lifts our eyes off present struggles that we might once again see the big picture. Guard our hearts against unforgiving hardness, anxious worries and covetous behavior. May we reflect but one small fraction of Jesus’ glory and love to a world longing for gentleness, peace and unconditional understanding. All honor, glory and praise be yours. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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