Sermon, 3rd Sunday of Advent

"Be known to everyone for your gentleness, your consideration for others." (Philippians 4:5)

The three-year cycle of Sunday readings has come around, and here I am, preaching on the same reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians that I preached on three years ago. Then, I was serving as an "intern" of sorts at a parish in the Diocese of Virginia as part of my seminary education. I was scheduled to preach on December 17. That day, this church, along with 11 or 12 others in the Virginia diocese, was voting on whether to leave the Episcopal Church, and try to take the property with them. By that Sunday, it was clear that the vote would be in favor of leaving. And I was clear that the Episcopal Church was – and is – my family in Christ, and that I would not leave it over the controversy of that day. It was a strange experience that day to preach on Paul's words, "Rejoice in the Lord always…Do not worry about anything."

But I can tell you now what I told them three years ago. As strange as it may sound to tell ourselves to be joyful and non-anxious in this troubled time; that is nothing compared to Paul's circumstances when he wrote to the Philippians of joy and counseled them to be known only for their gentleness, or their consideration of others.

Paul is writing to this church, which he loves so much, from a prison, in chains. He spends much of the first chapter debating whether it would be better for him to die now and be totally with Christ, or to remain here for the sake of his brothers and sisters in Philippi. So, he was in prison apparently on a capital charge, facing the possibility of execution. And giving new meaning to the phrase, "With friends like these who needs enemies;" he writes that there are Christians in the city where he is imprisoned. But they are not his friends. In fact, he says they "proclaim Christ…not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering" (1:17). Who were these insincere Christians? My best guess is that they were Jewish Christians, who we know from other letters of Paul, often came behind him in his missionary travels, and said he was preaching a false gospel by not applying the whole Jewish law to Gentile Christians.

But Paul does not stew in his misery. He does not tell the Philippians to feel sorry for him. "What does it matter?" Paul asks about those insincere Christians. "Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true, and in that I rejoice" (1:18). Fourteen times in this little letter, Paul writes of joy; his joy, the Philippians' joy, the command to rejoice always. And aside from that command, the one thing that the Philippians must do in their mission, according to Paul, is this: Be known to everyone for your gentleness, or in another translation, your consideration for others. He doesn't tell the Philippian church to snarl at the pagan community surrounding them, and tell everyone that they're going to Hell if they don't repent. Nor does he tell the Philippians to crouch in self-defense. Nor does he tell them to hide for fear of being found out to be different. He tells the Philippians to do, by their gentleness and consideration, what we here at Christ Church say on our website, our first means of communication to the Sand Mountain community. He tells them, in effect, to bridge Christ and community.

So, what will we be known for on Sand Mountain? There's at least one thing we're already known for, according to one parishioner, who told me that one of her friends from another church said to her, "You're the church that will take anybody." I believe that's a good thing to be known for. That kind of openness is what results from "gentleness," or "consideration for others." Unfortunately, our news media doesn't find gentleness and consideration for others very newsworthy. Instead, they focus on conflict. They look for "hot-button" issues, in which people are so invested emotionally that they often react before they think. You see the "News Media" in our Cable "news" shows, false email rumors and Internet bloggers of all stripes and the most extreme opinions. They do not offer reason for joy, or peace that passes understanding. Instead, they seem to think that people should be known, not for their consideration of others, but for their enemies.

But we have a say in what we will be known for. This week, we begin forming a foyer group of people dedicated to helping the suffering of this parish. Once this group, known as "Community of Hope" is formed, anyone checking out our website will know us for our consideration for each other. This week, hopefully, readers of the local newspaper will know our consideration for all those for whom this joyful season is also a reminder of what and who they have lost. And our Blue Christmas prayer service will be the sign to the whole region of that consideration. Once a new Outreach foyer group has formulated an Outreach strategy with the Vestry's approval, we will be known to the region for our consideration of the poor.

If Paul could be so gentle, and considerate of others, and in such joy and peace, in prison chains, how can we possibly fail in our mission to Sand Mountain? A mission that must begin with our gentleness, our consideration for others.