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A Sermon Preached at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, Oak Park, IL
on the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, October 12, 2008 (Proper 23, Year A)
by the Rev. Paris Coffey

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. - Philippians 4:4-7

These past few weeks have been difficult - not just for Americans - but for people all over the world as our global economy has spiraled out of control. People are scared, wondering, "What will happen to my job? Will my retirement income last OR will I ever be able to retire? How can I afford health insurance, pay for college, stay in my home . . . or if you're the rector of a small church with little fluff in its budget, pay the bills and not lay anyone off?" People are worried, and everyone it seems has a different solution, IF they have any at all.

No wonder, then, I felt comforted when I read Paul's words to the Church at Philippi from today's epistle. "Rejoice in the Lord always," writes Paul. "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."

We may think Paul's words naïve in the face of 21st century problems, and yet I can assure you that Paul's optimism comes not from some starry-eyed vision or problem-free life, but from faith that is tried and true. After all, Paul writes NOT from some California spa on a Wall Street retreat, but from prison where at best he's awaiting trial and at worst, sitting on death row. The work Paul loves - preaching the Gospel and founding churches - is on hold indefinitely, while in his absence others are undermining what he's already done. Even disputes among friends are on the rise, as seen in today's portion of Paul's letter to the Philippians where he urges two women - companions in the faith - to set aside their disagreement and be of the same mind as Christ.

Such a mind includes joy, awareness of God's nearness, and gentleness, or as the Greek translates this last word, "generosity, magnanimity and consideration of others. Let your consideration of others be known to all whom you encounter," Paul writes AND demonstrates in prison, for in spite of difficult circumstances Paul is joyful - jubilant even - and concerned for the welfare of others. How different from the Paul we sometimes encounter in other letters, and yet how crucial for our times, for Paul's Letter to the Philippians has much to teach us in this sober and anxious time.

It has much to teach about generosity and support for the proclamation of the Gospel. It has much to teach about prayer, including supplication - seeking God's help - and thanksgiving, acknowledging receipt of it. It has much to teach about Biblical fellowship, which MORE than talking with friends at coffee hour is about intentional care and compassion for all - beyond our homogeneous groups - in the name of Christ. And it has much to teach about suffering, which when seen through a Christian lens is hardly something from which we should be exempt but is part and parcel of what it means to "live in Christ."

In fact, it is suffering more than success that brings us closer to God, which means our current crisis may be fraught with opportunity. At least this is what New York designer Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan believes. Cofounder and editor of a website called apartmenttherapy.com he writes, "While . . . the fall out from this crisis will touch every one of us in some way . . . unlike many, I think this may be a good thing. I believe that we're being handed a tremendous opportunity to refocus and rise to a new challenge, for as horrified as folks may be, there is no one in the financial business that I know who is surprised. These problems have been coming down the road for a while now and, if nothing else, it's a clear signal that it's time to change our style . . . to slow down, work off debt, de-clutter, simplify and pare down to those things that are most important."

Jesus, I'm sure, would agree, reminding us in Luke's Gospel that, "Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions (12:15)." In fact, Jesus might add that a society driven by its constant quest for more - which finds the very idea of simplifying, paring down or working off debt to be at odds with its lifestyle - will ultimately end up where we are. It will end up in turmoil, and although we might like to blame Wall Street alone for this, it's also true that we have made mistakes ourselves. OUR misaligned values, priorities and credit practices have helped create this crisis, and yet this is good news, for if we've helped create it, then we can help undo what we have done.

We can fast, for instance, from unwarranted spending. We can live within our means. We can exercise restraint in deciding when enough is enough, but most of all we can practice "living in Christ with joy, peace and generosity toward others" as Paul suggests. Indeed, generosity toward others may be particularly important in this time of crisis as my neighbor helped me see this past week. Returning from walking her dog, Patti stopped by to say hello. "How's the economy impacting your work?" I inquired, to which she replied, "It's funny you ask. Everybody at work is asking the same but our funding's secure for now. Still, I feel anxious until I'm out walking my dog, run into friends and then everything seems better, normal even. I feel like life will be OK - that there are people I can count on. I'm not alone . . . I guess the way people feel when they belong to a church."

It was an interesting remark, especially coming from Pattie, a scientist who goes to church only when she takes her mother. It gave me hope, though, that the church might have renewed importance in people's lives not only in strengthening one another but in helping us reclaim our deepest values. If so, our current crisis is a blessing in disguise, inciting us to the kind of change that hopefully will last beyond this immediate danger, although this was not the case with 9/11. Following that tragedy churches were suddenly filled to capacity, but when the fear died down most of us returned to business as usual. We took back control of our lives from God, and God let us, for God's interest is not in being a dictator but a partner in our lives.

God wants partnership in life's vineyard as we saw in last week's Gospel, and in life's celebration of love as seen in today's parable of a wedding feast. Such partnership sounds easy enough but with God there are no silent partners. Partnership is active, which means it's not enough just to show up, as did the man without a robe in today's Gospel; it's not enough to be an onlooker who takes no share in the wedding ceremony. Rather as partners with God we are to clothe ourselves in love, joy and generosity, taking on a new identity that's focused NOT on Wall Street - where we strive to have more and share less - but on God in whom true peace lies.

As Paul writes to the Church at Philippi or our church in Oak Park, "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." It's quite a promise, but also sound advice, especially in difficult times, challenging us to reclaim our values, correct our course and align ourselves with the Living God whose peace does indeed surpass all understanding.

Amen.