Thank you for the gracious invitation
to be here today. I have been so blessed
by First Presbyterian Church, by my friendship with Pastor Wirth. I love
I also thank you for the partnership
we share, for the mutual commitment of First and FTE to support theological
education, to invite young people to think carefully about vocation, to
consider pastoral ministry. I’m glad for
this chance to be with you in person, to celebrate our shared love for the
church.
So,
I pray, dear friends and partners in the Gospel, grace and peace be unto you
from our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
I remember
the Mother’s Day before my Grandmother died.
We were returning from a family gathering, and as we began the 200 mile
journey, I struggled to think of how best to share that time with my
Grandma. She had Alzheimer’s, and it was
hard for any of us to think of activities that wouldn’t frustrate or sadden her
as she tried to make sense of things.
And, then I
remembered how Grandma used to sing and play the piano for me when I was a
girl. She did it all by hear – no need
for music. So, there in the car, I
suggested we sing. And we did –
everything from What a Friend we have in Jesus to Home on the Range. And Grandma sang too – she still knew the
words. In fact, she knew them better
than anyone. When we got to the third
verse of the old-time hymns, Grandma had a solo. We couldn’t remember. We sang and laughed and sang and
laughed. And when we got home, we knew
we’d been blessed.
In our
lesson for this morning, the apostle Paul shares a sort of song with his
friends in
But Paul is
also concerned. He worries that the
Philippians are quarreling, bickering among themselves. And he worries that they might be tempted to
fall away from the faith. Right before
this text, Paul writes: live your life in
a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, standing firm, striving side by side,
in no way intimidated by your opponents.
Stand firm, side by side, do not be intimidated. And then, Paul sings a sort of song for his
friends – a song about what Christ has done.
Most scholars agree that verses 6 through 11 are a hymn, a song which
some have analyzed to include three stanzas with three lines per stanza. It’s possible that Paul is quoting a hymn
that the Philippians already knew. It
might have been one of their favorites.
Consider Christ Jesus,
6 who, though
he was in the form of God,
did not
regard equality with God
as
something to be grasped,
7 but emptied
himself,
taking
the form of a servant,
being
born in human likeness.
And being
found in human form,
8 he humbled
himself
and
became obedient unto death—
even
death on a cross.
9 Therefore
God also highly exalted him
and gave
him the name
that is
above every name,
10 so that at the
name of Jesus
every
knee should bend,
in heaven
and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every
tongue should confess
that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the
glory of God the Father.
Though it’s
a beautiful hymn, it seems sort of like an interruption – like stopping a
contentious church council meeting with a verse of O Sacred Head Now
Wounded. Let’s all just stop now and
sing, “Were you There when they crucified my Lord.
Yet, the
song draws us back to the basics; it reminds us of where our life begins. It begins with Christ. We were raised to a new life, a life of discipleship,
through Christ’s life, death and resurrection for us. Our story begins with a God so full of love
for the world, so full of love for you and me that God stopped at nothing –
entering even the very depths of our sin and death – to make that love known to
us.
It is this
song that shapes our whole lives. It’s
meant to be like that song we just can’t get out of our heads. The one that pops into our minds as we drive
the car, go for a run, the one that interrupts our thoughts, that stays with us
all through the day – all through the week.
It’s the gospel song.
But it’s not meant just to stay in our heads. Paul pushes the Philippians. “You know the gospel song, the saving song of
Christ. Live your life (your whole life)
in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, 3Do nothing from selfish
ambition or conceit, 4Let each of you look not to your own
interests, but to the interests of others.
Have this
mind among yourselves – the mind of Christ.
It’s as if Paul asks us, “Now, what is the song that you’re singing with
your life? What melody are you bringing
to the world?” Does it reflect the love
and justice of Christ? Paul calls us to
add our voices, to participate in Christ’s work to heal the whole world.
What song
are you singing? You sing beautifully
here in this congregation. But, we all
know that most of our singing is done outside these walls, in our jobs, our
volunteer work, our homes and schools.
And, we know there’s lots of diversity in the melodies we sing. But all of us are meant to contribute to the
concerto of God’s shalom – God’s desire to heal the world. All our songs are meant to love and serve the
neighbor.
Martin
Luther spoke a lot about vocation – about serving God in daily life. And, he always seemed to be pushing Christians
back into the community. “If your town
needs a mayor,” he said, “become a mayor.
If it needs a school, help build a school.” He also said, if you’re called to be a
cobbler, then your call is to make good shoes – not to make bad shoes with
little crosses on them.” Your call is to
serve the neighbor. So we ask, “What can
I do in life that will benefit the community?
How can my gifts serve others?
And,
sometimes, we see that what we’re doing doesn’t really fit with the song of the
Gospel. After I’d served as a pastor in
And,
sometimes, the song is right -- we’re doing good, serving the neighbor – but
some of the notes are wrong. Some of
business practices are shady, there’s dishonesty, back-biting and gossip. The melody is good, but some of the notes are
bad. Again, Martin Luther was
clear: When he spoke about Christians serving
as merchants, he affirmed it as a good and important vocation, but condemned
certain practices – like taking advantage of another’s vulnerability, building
a monopoly, using profit as an end and not as a means/excessive profiteering.
It’s not easy to discern how to sing God’s song in our lives
– where to work, to volunteer in the first place – and then how to address the
wayward notes, the unjust practices that we might find there.
So, we
return to this place, week after week, Sunday after Sunday, to hear the song of
Christ – the Gospel melody. Here, we
hope that the world’s static might be silenced a bit, like getting the exact
frequency on the radio dial, and that we might be so shaped by God’s song that
we recognize how we’re called to sing in our daily lives.
And for that to happen, we also
pray that God will call people to sing their life as pastors. We need ministers who preach and lead worship
and teach Bible study and offer pastoral care, so that we hear God’s song. We need pastors who will guide and shape
communities, so we’ll have strong and faithful companions for the journey. Earlier this year, our Mayor Shirley
Franklin, in her acceptance of the Kennedy Profile in Courage award, said:
“Growing up in
No, it’s
not always easy to sing the song of faith.
But, as my husband says, “I can be a great tenor in any choir – as long
as I get to stand next to a really great tenor.” We need to stand by each other to be
sustained in the melody of discipleship.
And we need pastors to lead and shape communities of fellow
disciples.
But ministry – Christian ministry – is a
vocation “at risk.” We don’t see as many
young people today – especially those who are highly gifted – choosing ministry
as often as before.
A retired
professor of
At the same
time, one might argue that pastors need even greater wisdom, greater gifts and
agility, than in previous generations.
Sociologist Peter Berger argues that, since WW II, religion has been
invaded by the market mentality, so that is has become another consumer
good. Consumer Christians shop for the
church that is most convenient for their needs and switch, as casually as they
change brands of dishwasher detergent, if they think they can get a better deal
elsewhere.[i] Consumerism and individualism make the tasks
of the pastor, of holding and leading a congregation, as tough as ever.
Still, I agree with
long-time pastor, Eugene Peterson, author of many books including The Message,
that this is a remarkable calling. He
says, “I’ve loved being a pastor, almost every minute of it. It’s difficult life because it’s a demanding
life. But the rewards are enormous – the
rewards of being on the front line of seeing the gospel worked out in people’s
lives. I remain convinced that if you
are called to it, being a pastor is the best life there is.”
We need
pastors who can preach the Gospel and lead the community so we can hear the
Gospel song and go forth to sing it in our daily lives.
It’s no
small thing to learn the song as well as my Grandma learned the old-time
hymns. We need the community, we need
the Word. So that we will know it as
well as my Grandma – so that, even when our mind is confused, our memory
fading, we can still sing the song about Jesus.
And when
your breath gives out, when you can sing no more and remember nothing at all,
know this, dear friends, the creator of the song itself, the creator and
redeemer of your very life, still sings, softly and tenderly, gently calling,
come home, come home, you are my beloved child, forgiven and redeemed through
Jesus Christ.
Amen.