Philippians 3:10-11

Dearest e-votees,  

Our appointed epistle lesson from this Sunday comes from Paul's letter to the community of  believers in Philippi.  In a letter that is full of powerful, deep and resonant themes and quotations is the following verse:

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Paul is at a place in his life and ministry where his imminent death is certainly becoming more apparent.  He doesn't shy away from that fate but rather embraces it.

When we are facing a literal or metaphorical death in our own lives, our work, our relationships, our vocations and our avocations, our social, political or religious contexts how do we respond?  Might Paul have something to teach us? 

Peace,

Karl 

---- 

Jesus calls on his followers to take up their crosses and follow after them.  That is not a call to comfort, wealth and undisturbed existence despite the turmoil and woundedness in the world.

Jesus came to do a work in the world.  It required confronting religious and political leaders.  It required seeking justice and healing for those who had been neglected, dismissed and ostracized.  It required calling out hypocrisy and holding up a mirror to those around him then and to us to this very day.

When we abide the call to take up our crosses and follow after Jesus we are called to come and die (as was brilliantly expounded upon by Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship).  In baptism our old Adams and our old Eves are brought to be drowned so that our new Adams and our new Eves could be raised.  In our daily lives of faith and discipleship we are called to repentance (to allow that which must to die in order to bring to life that which should come to life).  Our concern is not for our own welfare alone but for our neighbor as well.  We can't love God fully if we ignore neighbor.  We can't fully love ourselves if we ignore neighbor.  If we want to grow into Jesus' work of fulfilling the law, the prophets and the psalms we have to love God more fully and loving our neighbor and ourselves more fully.

Jesus laid down his life fully and completely for the sake of the world, for the sake of his friends and for the sake of all--those in the mainstream and those on the fringes.  We are called to engage in this work as well.  And in doing so we just may see Jesus' resurrection power at work in us--literally and metaphorically.

Lord of life, bring us to the deaths that we must endure.  Work your resurrection power in us that we might have life and be bearers of that life and resurrection hope in the world.  Thank you for the call towards the cross.  Amen.