"Stand Firm"

Lent 2C

February 28, 2010

Philippians 3.17-4.1

“Stand Firm”

“Stand firm in the Lord,” Paul urges his beloved Philippians and us, because he knows from personal experience that the life of faith is hard. There are obstacles and diversions, forces seen and unseen, which draw us away from Christ. On Ash Wednesday, at the beginning of Lent, we saw how important this time is for taking a look at our spiritual journeys, to acknowledge we sometimes get off track and need reorientation. But, what are the dangers that sidetrack us from living the true life God intends for us? What does it mean to stand firm in the Lord while we are moving along the road of faith?

A Warning and an apology: sports metaphor ahead! While watching the Olympics these past two weeks, it occurred to me that standing firm in the life of faith is similar to doing the (ironically named) Snowboard Cross. In this sport, snowboarders race down a course, around twists and turns, over hills and valleys. They do this as fast as they can while trying to stay on track and in control of their snowboards. Now, at this point it’s as corny to say that “Jesus is my snowboard” as it is to say he’s my “copilot” or “homeboy.” And, while I admit that all metaphors break down when pushed too far, I still want to explore the Snowboard Cross for the life of faith.

Some background first. It’s not clear who Paul refers to as the “enemies of the cross” who have “their god as a belly.” The Philippians were being assaulted by two opposite groups that had greatly misunderstood the good news of Jesus Christ. One group wanted to add the requirements of the Jewish law to the new Gentile Christians. They took a very legalistic and narrow approach to life in Christ with a lot of explicit dos and don’ts. The other group went off track the other way, saying that we are freed by Christ from any rules. Since we are saved by God’s grace, they said, we can do whatever we want: eat, drink, and be merry. And they did.

The problem with the narrow course of legalism is that the stress on rules and obligations choked off love. The legal beagles spent their time judging others, forgetting the Jesus came for a life of love. The Christian life is hard but it’s joyful and gives us life. The problem with the wide course is that people were so occupied with consuming the pleasures of life that they were focused on themselves rather than the true life found in living for others. So, when Paul says, “join in imitating me” he’s not being a snowboarding hot dog looking for applause. Instead he’s showing us a way to navigate the course, a way of being a snowboarder of faith.

Now, the course pretty wide that God makes available to us as we snowboard on our faith journeys. But the course does have boundaries and if we go outside of these boundaries the snowboarding life of faith is much harder and even dangerous. Yet, we also know that navigating the course too narrowly is equally dangerous and life draining. God has given us so much more. My thought for today: the course of faith we snowboard is both wider and narrower than we think.

So as people who are to stand firm in the Lord on this journey of faith I think it’s helpful to ask, “Where in my life am I living too narrowly, focusing on rules rather than love?” And, “Where in my life am I living too widely, ignoring God’s call on my life for others?” I’ve had periods in my life where I’ve made both mistakes, and even now I have to keep asking these questions. I think there’s more to it that simply giving up chocolate or adding another spiritual practice during Lent.

The good news today is that God not only encourages us in this reflection on our lives but God also encourages us with the gift of each other, fellow snowboarders in faith who help one another. We can’t see the end of the course right now but the promise of its existence and the assurance it’s there keeps us going and on track. We might be bumped and even slip off track now and then, but Jesus is there, putting us back up, helping us to stand firm in him. And, as people of the cross of Christ, the promise of “gold” sustains us in our journeys. God bless you today, not only on your Lenten travels but also on your call to live the life God desires. Amen.

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