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The Rev. Frank
Logue
Citizens of Heaven Our second reading for this morning came from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. This is the most loving of Paul’s letters. In the third verse of the letter, Paul writes, “I thank my God every time I remember you,” he goes on to write, “I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:4-6) Paul loves these people and it shows. Paul lived among them, planting the church in Philippi. In fact, Paul’s earliest missionary activity in Europe came in Philippi, which is in northern Greece on the border with Macedonia and Thrace. Understanding the place of Philippi will add so much more depth to our reading of this letter that I need to take a few moments to tell you about this ancient city. Philip of Macedon built the town in 358 b.c. on the site of an earlier Thracian town. The site was a fertile region dotted with springs, eight miles inland from the sea. The Roman Empire put Philippi on the map in a bigger way when the town became a way station on the main road from Rome to the larger cities of the East. It was like getting their own exit ramp on I-95 and trade increased. As was inevitable at the time, Philippi was destroyed during one of several Roman wars. When the Octavian rebuilt Philippi, he populated it with veterans and gave Philippi a unique status in the Roman Empire. Octavian name Philippi an ius italicum, meaning that those who lived there and those who were born there were as much a citizen of Rome as one born in the eternal city itself. The people surrounding Philippi were considered country bumpkins, but for those within the city of Philippi, they had arrived. Philippians were given the full weight of protection of Roman Law, they were permitted to buy and sell property, and as the surest signs that they were now regarded fully as citizens of Rome, the Philippians were exempt from both land and poll taxes. There was no city in northern Greece so proud of its Roman-ness. By all accounts, the Philippians could our Roman the Romans when it came to observing Roman laws and customs and they were more proud than the people who lived in the City of Rome itself when it came to Roman pride. I’ll stop there. You have a feel for Philippi. But I want to make a comparison. I was born in Montgomery, Alabama. And anyone born in Montgomery has a great choice in life. It’s an either or choice with no middle ground. Like most people, I was born with the choice made for me. We were and remain and Auburn family. This great choice not only controlled by blue and orange wardrobe. It also controlled my opinions on those who deigned to where crimson and white. I knew from the cradle why though we were the Auburn Tigers we yelled “War Eagle” to celebrate Auburn touchdowns. We yelled in memory of a returned Civil War veteran’s bird that soared across the field in celebration of touchdowns. The bird was said to be the sole Confederate survivor of a battle. The undaunted spirit of the War Eagle became a symbol of Auburn pride. I did not understand the slogan “Roll Tide” and had no desire to do so. Sure their fans would and could wax eloquently about their coach “Bear” Bryant, but we had “Shug” Jordan and his 176 wins as coach and so we didn’t care. I grew up rooting for Auburn and for whoever was playing against Alabama. As a young boy, if I had learned that Russia was fielding a team to play Alabama, then I would have rooted for Russia. And if Satan had decided to suit up some imps to take on Alabama, then I would have cheered them on too. That’s how proud I was of being an Auburn fan. This college football example also gives you a feel for the depth of emotions the Philippians felt for Rome. Philippians were for Rome and against anyone who was against Rome. Paul’s mission to Philippi was quite successful and he planted their the healthiest of all the churches he started. The new Christians in Philippi were faithful to the Gospel that Paul had preached to them and lived out among them. But now, years later the situation has changed somewhat. Paul is writing this letter from prison. Paul is in Rome. It is between the years 60 and 63. Paul had been visiting Jerusalem two years earlier when he was falsely charged with inciting a riot. Using his right as a Roman Citizen, Paul appeals his case to Rome. It takes years before he will get his day in court and this letter is written during that legal limbo. Nero is now in power and Paul knows his case could go either way. Paul has decided what is fundamental in life. It his is faith in Jesus that matters more than anything. As long as what he is doing is obedient to Jesus, then Paul honestly does not care whether he lives or dies. Either way he can serve Jesus. Paul then writes his most loving letter to bolster the Christians in Philippi and to encourage them to ever greater faithfulness in conforming their lives to Jesus’ life. Paul even uses himself as an example of a Christ-like life and says that they are to live like him as he lived like Jesus. This is a gutsy move and one that I can assure you I will never make. Though Paul does assure them that he is not perfect, but is also a work in progress. He says, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” And he reminds the Christians that there have been some among them who were enemies of the teachings of Jesus. The enemies of Jesus are the ones whose minds are set only on earthly things. Then Paul gives the Philippians perhaps their greatest challenge. Paul writes, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is very strong language. First, it might be surprising to note that Paul almost never refers to Jesus as Savior. This has everything to do with context. The Emperors of Rome take on the title Savior for themselves. Paul wants to avoid confusing Jesus with this sort of earthly savior, who saves us through military might and oppressive rule. Yet here, Paul is countering the very heart of what it is to be a Roman. Paul tells the Christians in Philippi that their citizenship is in heaven and their Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ. This runs counter to everything they were raised to put their faith and hope in. It would be like someone writing to me as a young boy and telling me I didn’t need to put my faith in blue and orange, in “Shug” Jordan or even in Pat Sullivan’s amazing skills as a quarterback. It would have been hard for me to take in all at once. Yet, Paul loves them very much, and Paul knows these Christians in Philippi very well. He knows that despite their great faith, they are still holding back. Many Christians in Philippi would still be seeing themselves as Romans first and Christians second. The Emperor as their great savior against the Barbarian hoards first and foremost and Jesus as savior in some spiritual sense only. Paul calls these Christians to a deeper truth and one that they are perhaps only now ready to hear. Paul writes from arrest, waiting trial that will bring his death at the hands of the Emperor Nero to remind them that when push comes to shove the Emperor will do whatever is expedient, while in a meaningful way, Jesus had got their back. What about you? Where do you put your faith? Who is your savior? Is your faith in the U.S. Navy? Or the school system? Or the Diocese of Georgia or whoever else cuts your paycheck? Is your faith in this admirably great nation of ours? Do you put your trust in its military might? Or is your faith in your family and friends? Do you count on those close to you to look out for you? Paul says that we Christians need to pay attention to where we put out trust and our faith. We can trust Jesus in a general way, but put our real faith in driver-side air bags or chemo therapy, or whatever. Paul reminds us that whether we live or whether we die, we are God’s children. So our primary citizenship is in heaven, our primary allegiance is to God the Father as revealed by his son Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Last week, as I was closing my sermon I said,
We have moved ahead a week and have yet another stretching out in front of us. The way you decide to spend your time, energy and money will reveal where your citizenship is and where you put your faith. Yes, you can buy groceries without becoming a citizen of Publix, but the point still holds. Don’t tell me what you believe, tell me how you spend your days and I will tell you what you believe. I don’t day this because I have arrived. I’m not perfect. I too am pressing on toward the goal. And along the journey, I thought we could all use a reminder. God wants you to place your primary trust in him. None of us has gotten that down yet. The good news is, God is OK with that. We are not here to beat one another up. We are hear to cheer one another on, and to gain the inspiration and encouragement to go out and place our faith in God all over again, recognizing that we are already citizens of heaven. Amen. |
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