PROPERS: 5 LENT, YEAR C
TEXT: PHILIPPIANS 3:4b - 14
PREACHED AT ST. PAUL’S CHAPEL, MAGNOLIA SPRINGS, ON SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2022.
ONE SENTENCE: Perfection is not the key attribute for Christians; faithfulness and persistence are.
St. Paul is at his annoying best in the lesson today.
It is passages such as this that used to cause me to really dislike Paul and have an aversion to his writings. Like many of you, I suspect, I prefer humility and humbleness to boasting.
But, here he is today, in his Letter to the Church at Philippi: “If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”
Paul is placing his bona fides in the faith out before his audience. He is establishing his credibility. But, to me, it doesn’t come off well: You think you’ve got credentials? Well, I’ve got more!
I recognize, I think, what Paul is doing. He is establishing his piety as a straw man, which he will knock down with his subsequent arguments. And he does that very effectively – writing that all that has gone before… all the reason for his pride… is meaningless.
The point that he gets across is that his piety… his previous unblemished record… his education… hisreligious pedigree mean nothing. It is faith, based on grace, which gives him credibility.
Too often, though, people have claimed or expected primarily the trait of perfection in iconic figures. As human beings, we are woefully inadequate in meeting that standard. As a result, we get frustrated… and we become disappointed with others.
A question for you: What do Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Aimee Semple McPherson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight David Eisenhower, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Martin Luther King, Jr. have in common?
There are actually two answers, both of which are correct.
First, each was well-known and admired widely in the public eye. Barth and Tillich were 20th century theologians. Aimee Semple McPherson was an idolized Christian evangelist. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Johnson were important presidents of the United States. Martin Luther King, of course, was the leader of the pacifist civil rights movement.
The second characteristic they share is they had feet of clay. Their private lives would be considered scandalous today. Each violated marriage vows and had extramarital relationships.
Does that fact negate the truths which they brought – the importance of the messages they provided with their lives?
I think not. Each had a profound impact on the world and on the faith at that time. They showed a way to God… a way to peace… or a way to justice that may not have been voiced or realized were it not for them.
Look back on the biblical examples; Noah was a drunk. Moses was a murderer. David was a murderer and philanderer. Peter lied to save his own skin. Paul held the coats of those who stoned Steven.
The point is that God has used imperfect people as his messengers throughout all time – because that is all he has. If a person appears to be perfect, it is a misperception on your part.
To paraphrase a quotation I love to share: The expectation of perfection is the enemy of the good. We can ignore the truth by dismissing a person for human failings which are all too common.
The truth – pointing us toward a more holy, just life – is what is important. The challenge for us is to hear, recognize, and embrace that truth over the cacophony of the human experience.
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