JOY!

Sermon Summary from Aug 16th ), “Joy” (Philippians 4:4-7) 

In the Spring of 1993, I arrived at the Sydney (Australia) airport at 6:00 am and my connecting flight to Canberra was not until 10:00.  I sat in the airport reading the entire letter to the Philippians and marveled.  It was wonderful.  I was reading it for the first time.  Philippians has become an important part of my faith journey, one of those books that has intersected over and over again with the mile markers of my faith.

To go back, in the Fall of 1985, Rosemary and I invited a pastor to our house.  That night she told me, “You need to take Sarah Smith’s course.” (Lay Speaking)  I did.  On the first morning, Sarah led a devotion using Phil 2:5-11 (Jesus emptying himself).  I was astounded.  I realized I’d never read Philippians before.  First, mile marker.

That had spurred my desire to know more of the Bible.  In 1992, I was part of a Disciple Bible Study.  Life happened in that group.  At one point, the woman next to me asked, “When are we going to study joy?”  I told her that was next.  That’s what found me in the airport in Sydney reading Paul’s Epistle of Joy, Philippians.

I could hear Paul talking to our group: “I pray that your love will keep growing more and more.” (1:9) And then Paul choosing to “stay on with you, to add to your progress and joy in the faith.”

Then Chapter 2:5-11 followed chapter 3 and some of the most soaring language in the bible: “I press on to toward the goal of the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (3:14) Then Paul assures us that our citizenship is in heaven from where Christ will return and transform us.  We will go to him, and we will become like him!  Sarah, I and a friend conducted a retreat in Hartford, CT and Sarah selected the verse (3:14) as our theme.

Chapter 4 tells us “Rejoice in the Lord always!” and “by prayer...let requests be known to God.”  And to “think noble thoughts and the God of peace will be with us.” And “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

When we got ready to leave Connecticut, we all had dinner together in New Haven to say good-bye.  Sarah remarked that when you are in your 50s, often saying good-bye is really that.  Eighteen months later, she was diagnosed with stage four cancer.  It hit me hard.  She had been a mentor whose path had intersected with mine for nearly 20 years.  She pressed on for the goal of the prize.  She could do all things through Christ, her Lord.  Sarah has now obtained the goal, the prize.  She was a beloved mentor who used Philippians as mile markers on my faith journey.  Amen.