SETTING THE CONTEXT

Paul wrote the Letter to the Philippians while in prison He was probably in Rome awaiting a trial and possible execution.

READ Philippians 4:10-14.

THE SERMON

We have seem so much tragedy over the last couple of weeks. Daily we see images of the terrible suffering of the hurricane victims. I have watched several mothers searching for their lost children. I think of my own children and I can well imagine their terror and agony. We see image after image of people who have lost everything and it causes at least me to wonder what would we do if we lost everything. This weekend is also the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, a human-made tragedy that continues to reverberate through our lives, like a stone thrown in still water the rings reach out in wider and wider circles. We see and read about the pain of families losing their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers to war. We continue to see images of terrorists bombing innocents, innocent Iraqis, innocent Israelis, innocent Palestinians, innocent Malaysians, innocent Londoners. What do we do with all this pain? Where is God?

In the midst of tragedy, I think many of us ask, “Where is God?” In the midst of terrible suffering, it would be understandable to feel abandoned by God. There is a part of me that stubbornly maintains, “It’s not supposed to be this way.” One of the reasons I love the Psalms is because they put into words some of our strongest emotions, even emotions we may not be proud of. Psalm 22 expresses the plaintive cry of one suffering. It Is a cry that two Gospel writers have Jesus repeating just before he dies on the cross and I daresay a cry many others have repeated in their moments of despair. “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” The question of suffering and the question of why God allows suffering is never fully answered in Scripture. It is one of those mysteries where climbing to the mountain peak of one answer only opens up a dozen other questions. What is very clear is that suffering exists even for the people of God. From Adam’s pain of loneliness to Job’s horrendous suffering to Jesus Christ himself to the apostles like Paul to the Christians referenced in the Book of Revelation, the Bible is very clear that suffering even suffering of the innocent is a part of human existence. The Bible also offers many witnesses of what to do and where to expect God when you are afflicted.

The psalmist reached back into his faith story, perhaps recalling the story of the Exodus. “In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted and you delivered them.” In Jesus’ hour of terrible suffering he reached back to his Scripture to this psalm. The tradition of Jesus’ day was citing the first words of a passage indicated that the person identified with the entire passage.^[i]  That leads me to wonder if the rest of the psalm, the words of assurance weren’t echoing behind his cry. And of course his resurrection adds a whole new dimension and power to the words of the psalm, “To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.” Jesus is a beacon of light for those who suffer. As scholar James Mays says, “He joins the multitudinous company of the afflicted and becomes one of them in their suffering. … He gives all his followers who are afflicted permission and encouragement to pray for help. He shows that faith includes holding the worst of life up to God.”^[ii] And he shows them that God will indeed give them new life, that resurrection is possible even from the most outrageous affliction. As he became one with the afflicted, as one they rise with him into the resurrection promise of new life.

It is this trust in God through Jesus Christ that allows Paul to find contentment even in the midst of deprivation and suffering. I have to say that it is an audacious contentment, one that some would think is foolish and crazy. Paul was no stranger to suffering. In 1 Corinthians 4:11, he describes being hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, beaten and homeless. He had been jailed, beaten, stoned (I mean with real rocks) and run out of town more than once and yet he radiates joy. He can say at the beginning of the chapter we just read, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice.” (Phil 4: 4) It is an amazing testament to the trust he has in Christ. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Now that is a Scripture we all need to commit to memory. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Some time ago I preached a sermon on domestic violence. Someone who heard the sermon shared with me that she had been in an abusive marriage. As is often the case, I was utterly surprised that this person had experienced that tragedy. She said that as she was trying to break away from the abuser and as she sought to rebuild her life with her three children, she repeated this Scripture often. The going was very very hard, but she would say to herself over and over again, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” And over time she with Christ’s help built a new life of joy, safety and blessing and God even gave her a second husband who cherished her every day of his life. Tragedy and suffering are a part of human existence, but God’s creative power is stronger than tragedy even stronger than death itself and that is the promise we can cling to.

What can those of us do who see the suffering of others? Paul mentions the comfort he has received from the church community. They have shared his distress and showed their concern for him. Do you remember the story of the feeding of the five thousand? There was this huge crowd of needy people and as evening approached the disciples were worried about all those folks getting hungry. So they went to Jesus to have him send them away. Jesus’ response was “They don’t need to go anywhere; you feed them.” At first they protested but then they offered what they could and Jesus made it more than enough for everyone. In times of tragedy such as the tragedy of the hurricane, I hear Jesus words again, “you go feed them and cloth them and give them the help they need to get back on their feet.” We do our part and trust God in Christ to make it work together for good.

St Teresa of Avila a Christian mystic from the 1500s said, “ Christ has no body now on earth, but yours, No hands but yours, No feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.”^[iii] Let us cry with the victims, let us groan our prayers of pain to God, let us find the strength in Christ to care, to share, and to dare to trust God with the future. Amen.

Sermon delived by Rev. Nancy Cushman on September 11, 2005.