October 29, 2023
I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it. Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress. You Philippians indeed know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone. For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs more than once. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that accumulates to your account. I have been paid in full and have more than enough; I am fully satisfied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
This fall, we have been working our way through Paul's letter to the Philippians. Today we get to the purpose for writing the letter. This is a thank you note – with a very long introduction. It’s taken a while for him to get to this. I don’t know why it takes so long to get to writing a thank you, but I will confess that it usually takes me far too long to acknowledge a gift.
Today that’s what we hear Paul doing. The Philippians sent him a large sum of money. It was delivered by Epaphroditus, who risked his life to get it to the apostle. And Paul wants to write to his donors to acknowledge the gift. But it’s a most unusual note. For one thing, it’s too long. A thank you note should be brief. Like this:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Carter, Lucinda and I want to thank
you for the toaster oven.
Of the seven toaster ovens we received at our wedding,
we like yours most of all.
We appreciate your generosity. Sincerely yours, Mark.
Now, that's long enough. The note doesn't need to say anything more. They got the gift. That’s enough. But listen to Paul's letter. He goes on for two whole pages of stationery. And the tone is all wrong. He says, "I rejoice in the Lord that you finally revived your concern for me.” You thought of my again…finally. That word "finally" is harsh.
Fortunately, the ink is still wet, so Paul eases his tone. "Well, I knew you were concerned, but you didn't have an opportunity to show it. Yet I don't really need the gift," he continues. "I've learned to be content in every way." (This is supposed to be a thank-you note, if you missed that.
"I don't sit around my prison cell waiting for care packages to arrive. I know how to get by on very little. I know how to receive an abundance. Christ gives me the strength to handle whatever happens. Nevertheless, you were the only ones who remembered me. Of course, I didn't ask for the gift. (He doesn't back off, does he!) Even though I received it, you didn't really give it to me, you gave it to God."
Now what kind of note is this? If this is how the apostle says thank you, it’s no wonder why the Christians in Philippi were the only ones who ever sent him a gift. Most of the time Paul wouldn’t let anybody put a few dollars in his pocket. He told the church in Corinth, "I preach free of charge." That's not something I'd say. I have groceries to buy, a mortgage to pay, and obligations to meet. But that’s what Paul said to that other church.[1] But the church in Philippi was different. He thought of them as partners in the Gospel.
Even so, he seems awkward as he acknowledges the gift. He's not entirely comfortable. "No other church shared in the matter of giving and receiving," he says. "But I didn't seek the gift. I have more than enough. Yet your gift is a fragrant offering." Can you feel his awkwardness? Gifts can make us uncomfortable.
Years ago, I
clipped an article by a man who wrote about his memories of Christmas. As a
child, he began planning for the holiday in February. He scribbled out the next
year's wish list before the winter snow melted off the ground. Each year he
listed a full page of toys which he wanted more than anything else. Then he
waited impatiently. When Christmas finally came, his joy erupted. Packages were
ripped open. Wrapping paper and bows went flying in delight. What killed his
happiness, he says, was the presence of his mother. She insisted he write thank-you
notes for every gift received. As he put it,
Every present under our Christmas tree was just the
visible tip of an iceberg of obligation. My mother tracked each package as
meticulously as a U.P.S. driver, and her master list haunted my siblings and me
for the rest of winter vacation. Bells would be ringing, snow would be falling,
our friends would be sliding down our street on brand-new Flexible Flyers - and
my sister, my brother, and I would be bent over tear-spattered sheets of
stationery, whimpering.[2]
Receiving a gift can be an awkward moment because it is a significant moment. In the language of the New Testament, the occasion is so profound that the same word is used for both the giving and the receiving of a gift. The word is charis, which is usually translated "grace." The word can be translated as "gift." It can also be translated as "thanks." It doesn't matter if it's being given (gift) or being received (thanks). The whole exchange happens equally between the one who gives and the one who receives. At its best, both giver and receiver are marked by the same graciousness.
There is no human occasion that more clearly reveals what God is doing in our hearts than the giving and the receiving of a gift. It is a tender moment. It is a demanding moment. It is a revelatory moment. That is, the way we receive a gift reveals who we are and what we're made of.
Now, there's no evidence that Paul was ungrateful. To the contrary, he told the Philippian people, "I thank my God whenever I think of you." (1:3) And he meant it. This is the most affectionate document in the whole New Testament. It could be that Paul is nervous how the gift may damage their relationship. Gifts can do that! Some gifts are given in such a way that they ruin the very thing they wish to establish.
Have you ever read
the book Spoon River Anthology, by Edgar Lee Masters? It's a book of
epitaphs from the people of the fictional town of Spoon River, Illinois. From
the grave, the townspeople tell the truth about their lives. One woman,
Constance Hately, reveals why her two adopted nieces grew up to despise her.
You praise my self-sacrifice, Spoon River,
In rearing Irene and Mary, Orphans of my older sister!
And you censure Irene and Mary for their contempt for
me!
But praise not my self-sacrifice, and censure not
their contempt;
I reared them, I cared for them, true enough! - -
But I poisoned my benefactions with constant reminders
of their dependence.[3]
Aunt Constance said, "Girls, I took you in when your mother died. I never want you to forget it. As long as you live beneath my roof, as long as you sit at my table, I want you to remember that your very lives depend on me." Year after year, they grew to detest her . . . because of what she provided for them and how it was given.
All the more remarkable, then, that Paul thanks them for the gift, yet refuses to orbit around their generosity.
He says, "I know how to have a lot. I know how to have a little. In every occasion I have learned how to be content. I have been initiated into the secret." That's an unusual phrase: "I have been initiated into the secret." Paul doesn't explain it. He keeps it a secret. Yet I’ll bet some of us will understand what he's talking about.
Did you ever notice how some people never ask for a gift, and when they receive one, they are absolutely delighted and strangely free? And others receive a gift, and they are unsatisfied? The first group of people knows the secret, while the second group doesn't have a clue.
Did you ever
notice how some people can give and give and give, and when somebody gives them
something, it fills them with abundant joy? And then there are others who constantly
give and give and give. Yet if someone should ever try to give them something,
the giver is pushed away. Do you know why that happens? It's because they do
not know the secret.
Any guess what the secret is? Paul never says, but I have a hunch. And if you promise to keep it a secret, I'll tell you what I think it is. It’s the secret that sets us free from having to possess a lot of things. It’s the secret that sets us free to receive a lot of things. It works both ways. In fact, I have met people who know their Bibles, yet totally miss the secret. Do you know what it is?
It’s the fundamental secret of the Christian life, the only secret that really matters, the one true piece of evidence that signifies that God in Christ is transforming your life. Here it is. The fundamental secret of the Christian life is gratitude. An attitude of gratitude.
"I can have a lot, or I can have a little. Either
way, I'm grateful."
"I can receive the money, or I can live without
the money. Either way, I'm grateful."
"I can appreciate the way you share my
difficulties, or I can be content by myself.
However life turns, my heart is full of gratitude. Christ is sufficient. "
That's the secret. It’s rooted in our experience of the greater generosity of God. Anybody who knows it, embraces it, lives it, is free. Absolutely free.
Back in the heyday of the Reformation, the Geneva Catechism asked the question, "Should we be grateful to other people when they perform some service for us?" The answer: "Of course we should, precisely because God honors them by channeling through their hands the good things that flow to us from the inexhaustible fountain of his generosity. In this way he puts us in their debt, and he wants us to acknowledge it. Anyone, therefore, who does not show gratitude to other people betrays ingratitude to God as well."[4]
God has so
arranged the world that we depend upon the gifts of others for our daily
survival. Every breath of life, every heartbeat, every conscious thought is a
gift. Every person we meet, every friend we make, every relationship that warms
the heart and challenges the soul is a gift. Every opportunity to work, every
meaningful task, every dollar earned is a gift. And the final work of God is
not merely to fill our lives with good things, but to teach us to receive all
things with gratitude.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment