Communion Meditation

Philippians 3:4b-14; Exodus 20:1-20

 

        When is the last time you updated your résumé? Those of you who have retired are probably thinking my last update WAS my last update. The Apostle Paul might suggest you not be so hasty.

        Paul sent the Philippi church his faith résumé. On paper it was impeccable. Allow me to share it with you.   Paul was circumcised on the eight day; he was a member of the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents. He was a Pharisee who had proved his zeal by persecuting members of the early church. As for righteousness, according to the law, Paul was blameless.

        What else could Paul say? In terms of his past, he had done everything right. He was intelligent, loyal, diligent, and trustworthy. Yet his résumé was woefully lacking. It said nothing of his future.

        Résumés are often nothing more than a stepping stone to your next job. It lists who you have been, not who you are becoming.   When I was interviewed by your PNC they asked a few questions about what I done in the past but they were more interested in who I might become and who you might become if I was offered the opportunity to serve you. I had the credentials, the track record and a bunch of great references.  But none of these guaranteed I had the energy and drive to take on a new adventure. Résumés don’t include your future, just your past.

        In Philippians 3 Paul took a long hard look at his past and declared, “Whatever gains I had, I now regard as loss.” This personal catharsis might be good for the soul but it would seem to be counterproductive in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the good church members in Philippi. But I think something else was on Paul’s mind.

        The folks in Philippi knew Paul. They knew his history. They were aware he had persecuted Christians but now all was forgiven. Paul had proven himself to be the leader of the Christian community. He was a hero and his story was celebrated. But Paul feared his success was overshadowing his message.

        In an absolutely brilliant move, Paul undermines his own résumé by insisting everything before Christ was based on his total misunderstanding of the purpose of the law.

        The centerpiece of the Hebrew faith is the Torah. The very essence of the Jewish law is comprised in those statements we call the Ten Commandments. As a boy Paul learned that strict obedience of these commandments was the key to living a life that was acceptable to God. What Paul, and I might suggest we have forgotten, is that these principals were never meant to be static and prohibitive. This sacred code was birthed in liberation.

         The people of Israel were led by God out of Egypt, out of slavery, into the desert. In the wilderness they were challenged to examine their souls and create something they had never known; a community based on faith in God and faith in each other. The critical piece of this declaration, this Torah, this law, was, “I am the Lord your God.” But the bridge that held the relationship of God and community together was the commandment, “Remember the Sabbath”.

        For a people enslaved and forced to work seven days a week, the Sabbath was a gift, a liberation from that which enslaves them. But as the Hebrew people moved from the wilderness into their own community, observance of the Sabbath became more restrictive. Rule upon rule was created to enforce every action that was acceptable on the Day of Rest. Once the Sabbath was shackled, the observance of the other laws became prohibitive rather than liberating.  The law became something to be observed rather than celebrated. The law, not God, became the center of this religious institution. Policy replaced faith, observances replaced imagination, and worst of all regulations replaced poetry. To correct this corruption, God reentered the world.

        It is amazing how often Jesus was engaged with the Pharisees over interpretation of the law. In the Book of Matthew they seem to be arguing on every other page.  The teachers of the law wanted to hold Jesus to those strict interpretations that had been “perfected” for centuries. Jesus wants to return to the original text which served to liberate a community from its shackles. The final solution became the death of the liberator. Or so they thought.

        Paul’s résumé was based on a strict observance of this tarnished code.  Paul’s actions, under this corrupted law, mirrored perfection, but they were not Godly.

        Paul needed to be liberated ………… and he was.

        Paul needed to be exonerated ………. and he was.

        Paul needed to forget the past and live in the light of the grace of God …… and he did……………. and so can we.

        One of the radical assertions of the Christian faith is that history is linear not circular. How can that be? Everyone who took Western Civilization 101 will tell you those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. In other words, what goes around comes around.

Let me welcome you to Bible 101. From the beginning our Biblical text affirms that God has always been in the habit of doing a new thing, an astounding thing, a liberating thing. Paul witnessed this liberation in the death and resurrection of Christ. Paul saw this event, this cosmic interruption of history, as something that had never happened before and would never happen again. God became flesh and walked among us once, and for all time.  Paul no longer saw himself legitimized because he kept a stagnant law. Rather he saw himself glorified because he believed in the risen Lord. What Paul had done in the past was trumped by what God was now doing in the future. And Paul wanted to be part of this new adventure. He writes, “Forgetting what lies behind and straining to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of God in Christ Jesus.”

        Do know what the most dangerous words spoken in a church are? I won’t hold you in suspense. It is when someone says, “I’ve fought the good fight.  I’ve done my part. It’s time to let someone else take my place.” 

I have never read any place in the Bible where it says God is finished with us.

        God is always moving forward. God is always in the process of doing something new. That is why the word of God continues to be radically liberating. I know we get tired, I know we get discouraged, I know there are some things we can’t do anymore. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other rivers to swim and other hills to climb.

        God is not interested in what you have done. God is only interested in what you are about to do. God is not interested in where you have been. God is only interested in where you are going. Liberation can never be stagnant. When you live in the light of the resurrection of Christ, each new day is the beginning not the end of your journey. When you dare to approach life with that restored attitude, it changes everything.  If you don’t believe me, just ask Paul.      Amen.