The Reason for the Season
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Philippians 3:1-11
1. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not irksome to me, and is safe for you. 2. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil-workers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3. For we are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh. 4. Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5. circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee, 6. as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless. 7. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ 9. and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; 10. that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11. that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Paul was the definitive Jew until Christ came on the scene! He was a “Jew’s Jew.” He could quote the laws verbatim, and brutally enforced them. He could recite the Old Testament prophets all day long, and prove his own knowledge and superior wisdom—before Jesus. He lived according to custom, and tradition, and the law, as a model of upright Jewish “royalty.” He served as an example to all on how to interpret and apply the laws of the day in his daily life—until . . . before . . .
Then everything changed! Paul was touched by God’s grace! Jesus and his teachings and his very life turned upside down everything, absolutely everything Paul had come to believe and live! And Paul was not a man to sit around and shake his head and think that all was lost because of the past error of his ways! No—he got to work! He became as outspoken, bold, and ardent a Christian as he had previously been a zealot! Jesus changed his life.
And you may be saying, “Of course he did! He changed mine too!” And mine is also changed! My internal barometer is on a whole new setting. And I try to practice the disciplines of faith. And I long for the day I’ll be in the presence of God, in heaven with all the saints who have gone before me! I do! I long for it! And every morning I re-commit myself to living as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
And then I walk out the front door, get into my car, drive to work, sit down in my office . . . OK, I think you can figure out what comes next. I have been off work this week and I have spent a lot of time and expended much energy trying to get my life refocused. I’ve been on the road a lot for work in 2004 – and I hadn’t realized how much of a toll it has taken on my family, and on me. I had forgotten how much they rely on me to keep things running smoothly – or at least running! I hadn’t realized how stressed we had all become. I needed this time to be reminded that I am, above all else in this life, a wife and mother. I kept saying it was so. And I value nothing more than serving in that capacity, and living a life with those two purposes as primary. But when you’re on the road, and have a lot of high-stress projects and tasks and duties and . . . OK, you get it!
I’m not beating myself up. I did what I had to do to for my job. I like my job—most of it! And my traveling will be minimized in the new year—I’m going to hire an assistant who will assume 90% of the tasks that require travel—someone at a different point in life than I am. And while I’m off next week, I’m going to bask in the wonderful holiday memories of 2004. This has been a great week! Both of my kids are off – my college-age daughter is home! We all have baked. We have shopped. We have stopped by Starbucks. We have baked some more! We have wrapped presents and decorated the tree. We have watched “Christmas Vacation!” And we have enjoyed being together. I have missed this. And I am grateful to work for a company, to have a boss who recognized that I needed to have more of this, and did something about it.
This is a lot about me today! But I’m hoping that in my story, you can see yourself, and your own story. We need to read Paul’s letter! He is so passionate! He is so focused! He is determined to make up for lost time! He is honored and humbled to serve as an example of what Christ can do when we invite Him into our lives. Jesus is the reason for the season. And He is the core of our lives. He gives our lives meaning and purpose and a solid foundation upon which to build our future. I am so grateful and humbled that we have been able to instill that truth in our children—now young adults—and that they have that foundation upon which to build their own lives.
We may just go through the motions sometimes and not realize that’s what we’re doing. Paul tells us that’s not good enough—not even close! We need to hope and strive for, like Paul, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
I hope today you may know Christ and the inestimable power of his resurrection, and that you become like him – through God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mary
