Everything Coming Together for Peace
Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Pastor Bob Henry
February 2, 2020
Philippians 4:1-13 (NRSV)
1 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.
2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 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.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 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 anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 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.
10 I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it. 11 Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.
In our text for today, Paul closes up his letter to the Philippians, and then he does some pleading for peace or urging them to get-along with each other. Specifically, those who have been traveling with Paul and Timothy. Paul actually points out three different categories of travelers:
1. Loyal companions (some translations say close friends or even yoke fellows – people that were yoked together by a common purpose).
2. Women – who have struggled alongside Paul (It would have been rather shocking to the establishment in his day to call out women as fellow partners in the work of the gospel.
3. and Co-workers – or colleagues
I am sure as Paul and Timothy were working through this list of people, they would have some side conversations about specific situations:
“If they would just agree.”
“Those women have no voice – and have taken so much of the heat!”
“What a great worker that Clement is.”
“Man, these are some great people. Sure, they have problems – but they are great people – who’s names will go down in history.”
Paul and Timothy were, as we say, “going down memory lane” – reminiscing their adventures and hoping to return to these folks and their work after they are released from prison.
But as Paul closes this epistle or letter, he takes a moment to write one last P.S. He has a last word – I might call it a “reality check.” Paul has been saying he was willing to die, remember these phrases of Paul…
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. “
“But whatever was for my profit, I now consider loss.”
“Our citizenship is in heaven.”
And then Paul says, “Wait a minute! I need to encourage them – and I need to remind them.”
To REJOICE
To be GENTLE
To not be ANXIOUS
To PRAY (and not all requests but thanksgivings as well – balance it out)
And this will yield TRUE PEACE!
A peace that transcends our understanding.
A peace we can’t fully wrap our minds around.
This is what Paul would call Christ’s Peace (the peace that Christ has been showing him through the way he lived.) It was a peace that brought reconciliation between us and our neighbors and with us and God.
This is what it says in 2 Corinthians 5:19 which I often use as a blessing or benediction at the end of our services.
“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
This was a different peace than the world often seeks.
Remember Paul and Timothy are writing from prison. They understood the dire need for something more than worldly peace. Worldly peace simply was considered a lack of conflict. And Paul and Timothy knew that conflict was clearly part of this world. You and I know this, too.
Conflict is part of this world – it is part of the mundane aspects of life. We are surrounded by all kinds of conflicts 24/7.
We can work a great deal on our personal conflicts.
We can have a good attitude.
We can have “inner peace” about life situations.
We can, as Paul, not worry about living or dying.
BUT – that doesn’t mean we have the peace that Christ was living and teaching, or Paul was trying to convey. This peace that Christ teaches transcends – it goes above and beyond – it overpasses and exceeds our trivial conflicts.
For Paul the concept of Christ’s Peace was bigger than being released from his conflicts – even the jail cell he and Timothy occupied.
For us the concept of Christ’s Peace needs to be bigger than politics in our country, or divorce in our families, or helicopter crashes that erase our heroes. Christ’s peace must be able to transcend our conflicts, doubts, and struggles.
Paul says that is going to take you and me, “being aware, focused, and open to a supernatural peace.”
But just how can we stay aware, focused, and open to this true peace?
In verse 8 we heard it.
Paul says “Think about these things…fill your mind with these things…
Whatever is true,
Whatever is honorable,
Whatever is just,
Watever 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.
Notice Paul didn’t say, “Obsess, worry, fret, and allow yourself to be overwhelmed by
Whatever is false
Whatever is dishonorable
Whatever is wrong
Whatever is impure
Whatever is ugly
Whatever is unworthy
Whatever is poor
Whatever is corrupt.
But that is exactly what we do isn’t it. We focus on the wrong side of this list. Many theologians have pointed out and written about Paul’s list titling them the “Attributes of Christ Life.” And often the other list is labeled the “Attributes of Humanity” – or maybe even better or more relevant we could call them the attributes of the media.
John Ortberg in his book, “Soul Keeping” says,
“We are creatures with wills, and in every encounter with other people we WILL what is good for them, or we fail to do so, we will what is bad.”
How we think and what we think about – Paul says is important – it effects our peace and the peace of the world around us. It effects the…
Peace on a daily basis.
Peace in our relationships.
Peace at work.
Peace in family.
Peace inside ourselves.
What we spend our time thinking about is often the same thing we end up worrying and fretting over – or for some it becomes an obsession on those attributes of humanity that rob us from our peace.
Instead of worrying and fretting – Paul says we are to pray or meditate. As in verse 6 of our text, “…in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Quaker Catherine Whitmire in her book “Practicing Peace” says this to us this morning,
“Historically for Friends, the path to peace begins…with the practice of meditation and prayer. Listening within changes our perspectives on the world because when we open ourselves to a prayerful relationship with God, we are invited to view the world from God’s perspective.”
Paul says in verse 12, “I learned the secret” or as The Message puts it, “I found the recipe.” to God’s Wholeness and Peace.
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
On our own…
We can get bogged down with life.
We can get caught up, even narrowly focused on the negative.
We can get tangled up in worry and fretting.
And we simply miss that God is wanting us whole (another word for this wholeness is shalom). I am fond of how Eugene Peterson captured this thought, he said,
“God’s wholeness is everything coming together for good.”
Is is everything coming together for wholeness, goodness and yes, PEACE.
Let’s end this sermon this morning as Paul may have with those he was teaching – with some queries to ponder.
1. In what ways do you need to be “reconciled to God” – to bring true peace into your life?
2. What worries in your life do you need to shape into prayers this week?
3. How are you going to “think on these things” – whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, this week?