THE SPILLING OUT LIFE: [Alive and Living for Christ] We had a blast this week at Mega Sports and Creative Arts Camp! It was so much fun to walk around and hear the laughter and the squeals all over this building and at the different locations. I was reminded of our metaphor…This past month, we’ve been using this fountain as a reminder of the joy that should be spilling out of our lives. But, as I was preparing for this message, and thinking about the joy that flows out of kids, I wasn’t imagining this trickling, calm fountain—I was envisioning a roaring waterfall!One of the main reasons I love working with kids is because of their love for life! They live each moment to the fullest. I love the way that trips become adventures and make believe becomes reality. I am amazed at how something little or insignificant becomes a great gift in the hands and eyes of a child. And, most of all, I love the joy that consumes them and the laughter that spills out of them. It’s contagious.A few years ago, I met a little boy who really exemplified this kind of living. His name was Ian. Ian was 5 years old when I met him and had big bright eyes and an even brighter smile. His laughter was contagious. He was a huge Spider Man fan! He would run around, pretending to be able to swing from his web, and challenging his friends to “duels” or races. He was smaller than all the other boys his age, but he really believed he had super hero powers and challenged them anyway. It was a common sight to see children surrounding Ian, listening to him and laughing with him. Ian was a lover of life.What made Ian so special is that he didn’t have a lot to love about his life. You see, Ian was diagnosed with cancer when he was 4. By the time I had met him, he had already had all of the chemo and radiation that his body would allow. There was nothing more the doctors could do for him. Ian was sick. And, on top of that, he looked very different from other 5 year olds. Because of all of his treatments, Ian’s hair was gone. On the top of his head, he had a surgery that left a scar from one ear to the other. And, unfortunately, Ian was often made fun of because of this. But, none of these stopped him from loving life. . .instead, they made him celebrate it more!It’s this same celebration of life that we find in the apostle Paul. Paul became a Christian as an adult and left the security of his career to follow Christ. Persecution became his constant companion. He was misunderstood by his friends and hated by his enemies. Nevertheless, he pressed on joyfully. If there was anyone who had a reason to give in to despair and claim that he was a victim of his circumstances it was the apostle Paul. From his prison house in Rome, Paul writes one of the most joy filled letters anyone could ever write. In spite of his circumstances, Paul is confident, though a victim. Chains that were binding him could not shackle his joy.Let’s look at our scripture reading for the morning to see how both, Ian and Paul, were able to celebrate life in the midst of terrible circumstances. Scripture Reading--Philippians 1:18-26 (New International Version)18 Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.[a] 20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.Paul was able to be joyful because he was confident in his deliverance. I don’t know about you, but when I am experiencing difficult times, my prayer for deliverance looks like, “Lord, help me out of this—make this stop!” However, Paul’s prayer is much different. VS 18-20 Paul understands that he may or may not get out of jail, and that he may or may not even live through this situation. When Paul says that he is confident of his deliverance in vs 19, he is referring to something different than getting out of his circumstance. The word for deliverance in the greek translation is soterian, which means salvation. Paul is sure of his salvation—he just doesn’t know the details. Paul trusted in God’s plan for his life, whether it is getting out of his circumstance or in the eternal life was to come. Show Slide #6I remember one time, about a year after I had met Ian that he and the other kids were playing a relay game, where you had to depend on each other to win. We had a few new boys that were visiting, and they were being real vocal about not wanting Ian on their team because he would make them lose. I hadn’t heard their comments, but I noticed that a bunch of our kids were gathering around Ian. When I approached the huddle, I found Ian crying and the other kids comforting him. I was quickly processing how to best handle the situation, when Ian looked up at me and said, “Pastor Jenn, it’s okay. Those boys just don’t understand—that God made me special---he has a plan for me.” Instead of being angry or feeling hurt by what those kids said, Ian was confident in who he was and in the plan that God had for him—he was confident in his salvation!Secondly, Paul was able to celebrate life because he was confident in life or death. Vs. 20-24-- 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.In these passages, we get an up close and personal look into the thoughts of Paul. He is contemplating his possible outcome. There is a very real possibility that he might be killed. And, Paul is thinking about life and death. However, instead of being afraid or depressed, Paul talks about how to truly live! Paul says, “To live is Christ.” By that he means that Christ was in him and he was in Christ. Living was Christ to him! Someone wrote about this passage that, “For Paul, Christ had been the beginning of life, for on that day on the Damascus road it was as if he had begun life all over again. Christ had been the continuing of life; there had never been a day when Paul had not lived in his presence, and in the frightening moments Christ had been there to bid him be of good cheer. Christ was the inspiration of life; To Paul, Christ had given the task of life, for it was he who called him and sent him out as the evangelist of the Gentiles. To him Christ had given the strength for life, for him Christ was the reward of life. And, Christ was the end of life, for it was towards his eternal presence that life ever led. If Christ were to be taken out of life, for Paul there would be nothing left.” (Barclay) Christ was everything to Paul. What do you consider to be truly living? What is life to you? Among the ancient ruins of Carthage there is an inscription carved by a Roman soldier: “To laugh, to hunt, to bathe, to game—that is life.” So, what he was saying was, “For to me to live is to hunt, go to the baths, and party!” If we were to fill in the blank of “For to me to live is ______” I wonder what we would put. According to the tabloids and celebrity magazines, “for to me to live is partying, accumulating, and eating well.” Or on a more personal level, “for to me to live is to work, garden, travel, watch tv, vacation, family, etc.” My prayer is that you would truly be able to say, “For to me, to live is Christ.” For that, my friends, is the only way we can truly live—and have confidence in death.Paul’s confidence in this life extended into death--Death was entrance into Christ’s presence. Let’s be honest. . .Paul had a difficult life! Death was especially inviting for this man who had been beaten with hundreds of stripes, left for dead, and was now imprisoned in Rome. In this world, Paul experienced pain after pain and trauma upon trauma, but come death, it would all be over—no mourning, no crying, no pain. In death, the battle of this life would be over. For his sake, he wanted to leave this world, but for the sake of his friends and his call, he wanted to stay and live.I remember one of the last days that Ian was at church, when we knew that Ian’s time in this life was coming to an end, one of the other kids asked him if he was sad. Ian didn’t even hesitate and answered, “Why would I be sad? I get to be with Jesus!” You, know, kids get this. We as adults think the worst thing we can perceive about this life is death—maybe because we have experienced the grief of the separation or the pain of the process. However, kids understand that living is a celebration and dying is even better. And, Paul spoke with clarity, to live is Christ and to die is gain. . .which means that he thought so too. Paul didn’t use his circumstances as an excuse to give up on life. Instead, it served to fuel his passion for life and gave him hope for what was to come.I read a story recently about a man by the name of Andrew Chong, who had to have an invasive surgery performed on his heart. After some time, the surgeon came out and told the family that due to some complications, it was likely that Andrew wouldn’t make it through the night. So, all the children were rushed to his bedside, where they gathered weeping and saying their good-byes. Andrew had just come out of the anesthetic and was in intense pain and unable to speak. Seeing their distress, he made a curious motion with his finger, which they finally understood as a request for a pen. Of late, he had been unable to write in a straight line. But now, very slowly and with intense deliberation, he wrote 12 words in a single column. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Hallelujah! Then he finally spoke, “Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed.”And, this is my prayer for us. That no matter what our circumstances are, that we would have confidence in our salvation, and that we would be confident in life or death. That we would live life to its fullest--celebrating life because of the life we have in Jesus Christ. This morning as you walked in, you should have received the communion elements. I invite you join me in remembering the body and the blood of Jesus Christ that was given so that we might have the gift of life. Take and eat.Amen.
2008/07/20
