I’ve never felt closer to the kingdom of God than I did at a summer camp in Zhytomyr, Ukraine.
Every year, our partner ministry Mission to Ukraine (or MTU) puts on a summer camp for kids in their region.
There’s singing, dancing, crafts, all kinds of amazing activities… When I’m there I find it impossible to do anything other than smile or weep as I see just how much life and joy MTU brings these kids.
Meanwhile, the moms of these kids have their own camp experience, where they have group discussions and spa days and music of their own.
What’s especially cool is that MTU always leaves spots open for kids who have never been to their camp before. Meaning that many of the moms who come have absolutely no idea what they’re about to experience.
As a post-Soviet country, Ukraine does not have many of the accommodations for disabilities that we’re used to in the US, like wheelchair ramps or elevators. Plus, culturally speaking, there’s still a lot of shame and isolation connected to having a child with a disability.
These moms have been through a lot. But then they bring their kids to summer camp and they encounter MTU staff and volunteers who adore their kids. Who are going out of their way to make sure every kid is accommodated in every activity.
There’s joy and life and laughter everywhere they look, and these moms don’t know what to make of it. Their usual response is, “Who are these people?”
Of course, we know the answer to that question. “These people” are followers of Jesus. Practitioners of Christlike self-giving love. Or, as Jesus himself put it, they are “the light of the world.”
SERIES RECAP
We’ll come back to those Ukrainian moms in a moment. But first I want to say welcome to week 4 of “Reimagine,” our sermon series exploring the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi.
We just watched a video all about the Reimagine Initiative - what we dream of doing together as a church family to reach our community for Jesus in new ways. And, as we’ve seen, the book of Philippians is our inspiration, so let’s keep working through it.
As a reminder, Paul wrote this letter from prison in response to a generous care package the Philippian church sent him. But his words are more than just gratitude. He’s also passing the torch on to the next generation of the church he helped start. Which is why he said this:
Philippians 1:6
I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Today we’re going to talk about that work - the work God is continuing in the Philippian church and, by extension, the work God is continuing at Grace.
So grab a Bible and turn with me to Philippians 2, Page ________. While you’re turning there, I’ll pray for us.
WORK HARD
What we’re going to read today comes right after the passage I preach from more than any other. The beautiful hymn all about Christ’s self-giving love.
In this section Paul is trying to help the Philippians understand their role in this world because of what Christ accomplished on the cross. So let’s read.
Philippians 2:12-13
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
We’ll stop here for just a moment. As you can see in verse 12, Paul is trying to equip a new generation to lead in Philippi. “You always followed my instructions when I was with you… But now I’m gone. Maybe forever. It’s your job to keep the flame alive.”
Or as he puts it more literally, “work hard to show the results of your salvation…”
But wait just a second. Didn’t Paul say earlier that he’s certain God will continue his work in them? So who’s doing the working? The Philippians or God?
Well, the answer is yes. You see, Paul uses the word “work” three separate times in this passage:
Work hard…
God is working in you…
Giving you the desire to work for what pleases him…
What we see is this virtuous cycle. The Philippians do the work of God, while God works to transform them… into the kinds of people who desire to do the work of God. Which they then do, while he transforms them to desire it even more. And the cycle continues.
What he’s describing here is the process of sanctification. As we follow Jesus and do what he taught us, the Spirit makes us become more like him.
Work hard (follow Christ in your thoughts and actions) to show the results of your salvation (the love and the healing that flows through us because of it).
BRIGHT LIGHTS
Ok. Let’s keep reading…
Philippians 2:14-18
Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.
Alright, there’s a lot to unpack here, but I want to point out one cool tie in with what we talked about last week.
First of all, we don’t have time to get into this, but just know that this passage is practically overflowing with references to the Old Testament. Paul wants the Philippians to see themselves as a part of the same story of God’s faithfulness that began all the way back with the children of Abraham.
I put seven examples of what I mean in the app notes if you really want to see, but there’s one reference I want to draw your attention to.
Last week we talked about how Paul sees the generosity of the Philippians as a “sweet-smelling sacrifice” to God. Like an ancient Israelite animal sacrifice at the temple.
Well here, Paul draws the same comparison. He calls their faithfulness (their work) an offering to God. But he describes his own work in the Lord as a “liquid offering.” What’s called a
Libation - a pouring out of wine or other alcoholic drink in honor of a deity
Now, we don’t do that today, but in the Old Testament law, this is something that the Israelites were required to do in conjunction with an animal sacrifice.
Paul’s image here is a beautiful one. “Your work is the sweet-smelling offering. My work is the libation that goes with it. Together we are bringing a pleasing offering to the Lord by working for his purposes in the world.”
And what are those purposes? Well, verse 15. “Living clean, innocent lives as children of God,” and as a result, “shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” The Greek word for “light” is:
phōs - light
That’s what the Philippians are called to be: lights that shine into (literally) a “crooked and perverse generation.”
The Greek words Paul uses here show up all the time in the Greek version of the Old Testament:
skolios - crooked
diastrephō - distorted, turned away, corrupted
What I think Paul is describing here are people who are at the mercy of sin and brokenness. People who are “curved in on themselves” as we’ve talked about before.
Because that’s what sin does. We were made to walk straight paths in obedience to God, but when we do “whatever seems right in our own eyes,” things get dark and crooked fast. Skolios.
Paul’s also describing how the brokenness of our world - violence, hatred, poverty - distorts our ability to even see the straight path of God anymore. We’re turned away (diastrephō) from God’s desires by the brokenness around us and we’re left in the darkness alone.
This is imagery that’s all over the Old Testament. But so is God’s promise to one day bring healing. His promise to bring his light (phōs).
For example, in the Greek version of Isaiah 42, God says,
Isaiah 42:16 (NRSV)
I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light (phōs), the rough places (skolios) into level ground.
You see, God’s mission is to straighten out crooked and distorted humanity. To bring light into our self-imposed darkness.
How does he do it? Through thunderbolts from the sky? No. As Jesus himself put it, God does it through us, his disciples.
Matthew 5:14
You are the light (phōs) of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
You see, because of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us, we are the beacons which help light the way back to God.
As we learn to straighten up in our own lives, to turn away from ourselves and towards the healing purposes of our savior, as we learn to (verse 15) “live clean, innocent lives as children of God,” guess what happens? We start to “shine like bright lights” (phōs) in a dark world.
That’s the work God is doing within us. As we follow Jesus, that virtuous cycle of sanctification happens in us - we straighten our own paths (our work) and the result is light for the world.
That is exactly what I saw happening over and over again at the summer camps in Ukraine.
These moms of kids with disabilities were coming out of environments of horrible brokenness, systemic injustice, isolation... a world crooked and distorted by sin.
They were coming out of darkness into an environment so bright with the love of Christ that they were practically blinded by it.
“Who are these people?”
The response to that question year after year is a simple one. “We’re followers of Jesus. It’s his love you’re seeing in us. And you are welcome to join us as we follow.”
You’d better believe that many, many of these moms say “yes” to that invitation every year and find a community which loves and supports in ways they’ve never experienced before.
REIMAGINE
What if that began to happen here?
What if the people of Grace began to shine so brightly with the love of Jesus that our neighbors, and coworkers, and family, and friends were startled by our brilliance?
I know it’s possible, because it’s already begun.
For example, our Care Center offers joy and dignity to people in the darkest moments of their lives. We blaze with justice in a world of oppression every time we open our pantry doors. What if we doubled down?
Our disability ministry, LIFT, offers meaningful community and support for marginalized families. We practice the self-giving love of Jesus every time we make room for them. But what if we took it to the next level?
What if our unique values became what we were known for in this community? And even in the life of your “one”?
A church full of kind, loving people in a time of hatred.
A family that cares for widows, orphans, and foreigners in a time of distress.
A community of selfless servants in a time of self-obsession.
Peace in the midst of chaos. Joy in the midst of rage. Healing in the midst of brokenness.
What if we were to shine so brightly with the love of Jesus that everyone who came into contact with us was left with their jaw on the floor?
“Who are these people?”
——
Friends, that is what Reimagine is all about. It’s not about money. It’s not about a building. It’s about opening our space and opening our lives so that the Spirit of Christ can work through this family to bring light into the darkness.
This is the work God began in us 34 years ago, and I am certain he will continue it… if we keep saying yes to his call.