TEXT: Philippians 4:1-9
Standing Firm
I remember attending a funeral a few
years ago during which the pastor, seizing the teaching moment, stepped out from
the chancel and down to the end of a pew occupied by a man – a relative of the
deceased. The man in the pew apparently
had had less than commendable church attendance in recent months, and with his
hand on the man’s shoulder, the pastor allowed as to how the present reminder
of life’s fragility might serve as adequate incentive to the backslider to get
back into a holier rhythm. My eyes were
wide! The minister was calling this man
out – in front of God, the organist and everybody there! That’s pretty brassy!
But lest my
timidity be taken as norm, notice the Apostle Paul doing something of the same
thing in the context of conflict rather than slack. “I urge Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same
mind in the Lord.” Two women, church
leaders apparently, were at significant enough odds to be on the front burner
of congregational life. And Paul was
disturbed by it. We don’t know what the
conflict was about, and we certainly don’t know who was “right.” We only know that, for Paul, neither of those
issues of substance or slant was as important as their reconciliation. And so Paul sidles up to the end of their
pew, so to speak, and calls them out.
Because even leaders can get it wrong.
Because leaders especially need to pay close attention to the standards
expected of the membership in general.
“Be of the same mind…” Paul says again as he had said chapters before
when he recalled the congregation to the pattern of Christ’s sacrificial
love.
There is, Paul
publicly reminds the women, a larger concern than whatever the private contest
that is currently dividing these two friends and co-workers. There is their mutual share in the Body of
Christ, their common responsibility to bear witness to the reconciling love
known in the example of Christ, and their common faith and joy and experiences
together that ought to help them heal this breach. They can do better than they are currently
demonstrating.
But lest they fail to find their own healing
way forward, the congregation is charged with helping the pair along. It is not, according to Paul, the private
problem of these two individuals to solve as best they can – or not; the
community is called to provide that holding space of encouragement and
accountability needed to recall these two who are “on the outs” back “in.” It isn’t always the case, in other words,
that leaders minister to the many.
Sometimes the congregation is called to minister to the leaders.
This is a
difficult concept in a time and culture like ours preoccupied with
privacy. Nothing, it seems, is anybody’s
business but our own. And while there
certainly are “private” matters, we would do well to re-evaluate what we
include in that category. Time and
again, scripture takes “personal” problems and “private” conflicts and nests
them in communal hands. It isn’t because
of voyeuristic interests or gossipy curiosity about the inside salacious
details. It is because the health and
well-being of the community is the responsibility of the community – we are
collectively accountable for each other and the relationships that weave us
together.
On a massive
scale, of late, we have seen how critical such mindful responsibility can
be. When Hurricane Katrina struck the
So what concretely
would Paul have the congregation do for Euodia and Syntyche? Do they mediate – or even arbitrate the
conflict? Do they listen to the
respective sides of the argument, retire to their chambers, and return with a
judgment? I don’t think so. What I hear Paul acknowledging is the power
of environment to affect the character of actions.
“Stand firm,”
Paul urges; but stand firm on what? Your
position – as in “hold your ground?” As
in “don’t give an inch?” Stand firm, as
in “resist all compromise or any sign of weakness?”
Hardly. What Paul says is “stand firm in the
Lord.” Hold fast to all that you have
come to know about the will and way of Christ.
It isn’t, after all, just information.
It is pattern. Conform your
patterns, your tactics, your practices and ambitions to those you witness in
Jesus, “and you,” Paul says to the entire congregation, “can help these two who
are at odds with each other remember what those are and what they look
like.
And lest the
congregation, itself, find itself at a loss for memory, Paul proceeds to sketch
the outline of a Christ-like community.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your
gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Rejoice. Always. Be gentle.
And know that the Lord is near.
Neither abstract nor aloof, neither unconcerned nor remote, the Lord is
present in your moments. Be mindful of
Christ’s breath and touch and watchful gaze.
Imagine that your squabbles are in full view of the Lord, and consider
what you would have him see in the way you behave toward one another – for, of
course, he does.
And then a
more general note about tenor and tone of living. In the sequel to that cinematic masterpiece
Until one of
the Ghostbusters gets this ingenious idea.
If the sludge feeds on ill-will, why not counter it with love? Why not douse it with positive feelings and
generous behaviors – hugs instead of hurts, applause instead of “raspberries.” You’ll want to rent the movie to see just how
it is accomplished, but in short, he grabs a microphone and begins leading the
apprehensive masses in a song…
Think of your fellow man
Lend him a helping hand
Put a little love in your heart
You see it's getting late
Oh please don't hesitate
Put a little love in your heart
And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place
For you and me
You just wait and see.
And, of course, the city is saved. The sludge recedes, the cloud is lifted, the
hostages are freed, and life resumes on different terms.
But that is
only fiction – comedic, cinematic naiveté; one more paean to the power of
positive thinking; utterly divorced from the harsh realities of everyday human
life. Right?
Finally, Paul concludes his thoughts on
the matter, 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. 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.
Stand firm in
the Lord, in other words, by creating and sustaining together a corporate
environment of Christlike expectancy – a context in which all the rest of
living – and even arguing – can be held and supported. “Think on these things,” as Paul would say,
and you won’t believe the sludge you might eradicate. Think on these things, as one of the ways we
live as stewards of the pennies that are our moments, our opportunities, our
relationships, our ministry.
Stand firm in
the Lord…and the God of peace will be with you.