Holy Communion: Lent 1 Sermon by Margaret Evans LLM

Sermon Lent 2 yrC 160325

When I was a child, my much older brothers frequently referred to me as a solid citizen.  They were teasing me because of my physical build, which was sturdy, perhaps somewhat barrel-like – plump, to put it kindly.  I put that down to my earnest endeavours to imitate my brothers in the quantity of food they consumed.

Later I learned that “solid citizen” usually describes someone who is responsible, law-abiding, and contributes positively to their community. Trustworthy and reliable individuals who uphold good moral values.  I won’t ask you to comment on which meaning best fits me now.

In today's reading from Philippians, Paul describes two kinds of people:  those who are enemies of the cross, whose god is their belly, and those whose citizenship is in heaven, who imitate Paul and his co-workers in living a life modelled on Christ.

The city of Philippi was located on an important road carrying military and commercial traffic east and west, which enabled the spread of ideas across the Roman empire.  It was a Roman colony - an outpost of the Roman way of life, business and governance in a Greek area.  Official business was conducted in Latin and the city had a legal status on a par with Rome.  Some of the Philippians would be Roman citizens with the rights and benefits that this entailed and of which they might be proud.

But Paul is eager to point out that their true status is as citizens of heaven.  Philippi is a colony of Rome, but the Church in Philippi is a colony of heaven.  What does he mean by that?

Citizenship of heaven is not about focussing on life after death or escape to a better place, but about being part of the commonwealth of heaven now and here.  The Kingdom of Heaven spoken of so often in the gospels isn’t a place above the earth where God lives, but means living under God’s rule.  It means having our priorities determined by God as revealed to us in Christ rather than by emperors or their gods.  

Citizens of heaven don’t bow to the values of the empire, but imitate Paul and his co-workers in following the way of Christ.  The way of humility and self-sacrifice.

Citizens of heaven look for their security and protection not in the wealth or good governance or military might of their nation, but to the God who cares for us like a hen covering her brood with her wings.

Citizens of heaven are loyal to Christ, unafraid of would-be strongman rulers like the old fox Herod, the man who had John the Baptist killed.  They get on with doing the work of God as Jesus in our gospel today insisted he must do.

Citizens of heaven are being transformed by the power of Christ.  They are people who are being made ready for the new heaven and the new earth that will come in the fullness of time.

All this is contrast to the aspirations of those Paul describes as enemies of the cross.

The enemies of the cross are people whose minds are set on earthly things.  From other letters of Paul, we can flesh out what this means in our culture.

They are self-indulgent people, focussed on the gratification of their physical desires, their possessions, their personal security. 

They demonstrate an insatiable appetite for having it all, making their own lives the focus of their attention. 

They go with the flow of the surrounding culture rather than conforming to the values of the Kingdom of God. They enjoy the approval of their peers. 

They don’t risk upsetting the powerful for the sake of the weak.  In times of instability, they do what it takes to preserve their position. 

Paul weeps when he thinks of them, because this way of living leads to destruction.

Those whose citizenship is in heaven, by contrast, honour the cross.  They understand that the cross is God’s way to establish God’s Kingdom, which comes not by force or coercion but by willingness to be vulnerable.  God in Christ refuses to use force to overwhelm the rulers of this earth but instead draws us to him by love and grace.

We act as citizens of heaven when we refuse to put our trust in the benefits of our nationality, social status, political allegiance.  When we don’t rely on family, career success, reputation or possessions as the basis of our identity.

If we are to be solid citizens of heaven, however, we can’t ignore the requirement to make a positive contribution to our earthly community.  We’re called to support those who suffer the consequences of the injustices in our society, of the greed and corruption that infect the powerful, of the destruction of our environment. 

We are called to care for those who suffer, both personally, and by standing against the structures, policies and practices at work in the world that cause their suffering.

We are to seek together, as the body of Christ in this world, to support human flourishing.  To defend what it is to be truly human in the face of dehumanising forces.

We can do this because we enjoy the benefits of our heavenly citizenship.  We act not as individuals but in community, held up by each other.  And we act in hope because, as Paul reminds us, we have a saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform us and ultimately make all things subject to himself.

In this time of political turmoil, we have hope for a future based on our trust in God and in the power of God to make us like Christ. To heal, to help and to save us.

We look to the true source of our salvation rather than putting our trust in the latest versions of Caesar, who make false promises or promote solutions to our ills that take no heed of their effect on the powerless, the ordinary, the marginalised, those beloved of God.  Our hope for the future does not lie in our carefully curated selves, in super-rich influencers or the technocrats, but in Christ.

Paul’s message to the Philippians and to us is challenging.

In this season of Lent, let’s use the opportunity to take a look at anything in our lives which shows the characteristics of the enemies of the cross. 

And let’s make Lent a time to own our status as citizens of heaven, living in loving relationship to each other, serving God and our neighbours in humility and the power of Christ.

Amen