And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So, you too should be glad and rejoice with me (Philippians 2:16b-18).

We are still following Paul’s reflections on ‘working out our salvation with fear and trembling’. This phrase does not mean nervous apprehension with which the guilty face a judge. Rather, it expresses the awe that we experience in the presence of God. Now we discover that this fear and trembling includes joy; the deep, foundational joy of the Christian life.

The salvation process in which we participate along with the Holy Spirit is worked out in all circumstances, even in pain, suffering, loss, death, prison, uncertainty, perplexity. It is not that we are glad for the pain, but we know the suffering is temporary and God is at work within it. So, even during unpleasant circumstances we know the ‘joy of our salvation’ (Psalm 51:12).

This joy does not ignore the suffering of loss or the darkness of depression. It does not suggest that every Christian should be happy every day. Rather, it comes with the sacrifices we willingly make for the sake of the gospel. It is the joy that comes when our sacrifices result in others entering the shalom of God’s kingdom.

In Hebrews we read, “For the joy set before him, [Jesus] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:2). Our salvation was wrought through the shame and suffering of this cross. Christ’s suffering also stands as an example for us to follow. He endured the torture, at least in part, because he knew the joy salvation would bring to us. Likewise, we are called to suffer for the sake of the gospel because of the joy it will bring to others.

Here is an element of the Christian faith that we may resist. My parents speak of the sacrifices they made to establish churches and Christian schools and to send out missionaries. They would go without for the sake of the kingdom. Have you made such a sacrifice? Take some time to reflect on this. Let the Holy Spirit speak truth to you. The Philippians have done much and sacrificed much to aid Paul in his proclamation of the gospel; he names this “the sacrifice and service coming from your faith”.

In Leviticus, there are several passing references to a ‘drink offering’, commonly understood as a small and final offering. It was still common practice in pagan rituals in Paul’s day. He alludes to his potential death as but ‘a drink offering’ added to all the sacrifices the Philippian Christians have made for the gospel in the process of “working out their salvation with fear and trembling”. He will be glad to give his life for the sake of the gospel in addition to all that the Philippians have given. Paul views the Philippians’ continued obedience and steadfastness amid persecution as an offering to God of greater worth than the offering of his own apostolic labors—labors that may end in his death.

We have no animals to bring but we do have a sacrifice acceptable to God. The gift of a life of obedience—character-building, holiness and witness—the life to which our faith prompts us. This is our priestly service to God. May we all joyfully offer it to him.

As you contiue to work out your salvation, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life" (Philippians 2:14-16a).

There are times I wonder–and maybe some of you have too–whether God might not have picked a more effective strategy for building his kingdom than this rag tag group of people called the church. Whenever I ask this question, I return to the writing of one of my favourite theologians–a missiologist and missionary in India for much of his life by the name of Lesslie Newbigin–because he answers it.

Here’s one of the quotes from his book The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society which helps me when I wonder about the church: “I have come to feel that the primary reality of which we have to take account in seeking for a Christian impact on public life is the Christian congregation. How is it possible for the gospel to be credible, that people should come to believe that the power which has the last word in human affairs is represented by a man hanging on a cross? I am suggesting that the only answer, the only hermeneutic of the gospel, is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it.”

This, I think, might be something similar to what Paul is getting at in our passage for today. “Do everything without grumbling or arguing” is quite a command. As is the expectation that his audience could become “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Why would he set such a high bar for struggling people? The reason, I think, has to do with what Lesslie Newbigin is articulating–that no matter what a church professes to believe, if it doesn’t change the way they live, the gospel isn’t going to seem all that convincing.

To live out what we profess, or to “shine” in a context Paul describes as “warped and crooked” means, for the Philippian church and for us, to acknowledge the way in which we ourselves are warped and crooked. We don’t get to be self-righteous and assume that the warping and crookedness is only in the people around us. That’s often where we get in our own way as Christians interacting with others outside of the church. If we are going to be effective witnesses, we’re going to have to acknowledge our own failures first. This is part of the working out of our salvation “with fear and trembling” that Pastor Michael talked about yesterday, and the humility we talked about last week.

But then, as Newbigin points out, when we have acknowledged our warping and crookedness, and have received grace through Christ, the Spirit uses what we profess to work reconciliation and make an actual tangible difference in the relationships and actions of members of the church as they interact with each other and go out into the world. It makes the church, as Newbigin says, “the only hermeneutic of the gospel,” or, in other words, the way people understand and interpret what the gospel is all about.

Neither Paul nor Newbigin makes this transformation optional for the Christian community. Paul insists it is part of the church becoming “blameless and pure” and Newbigin suggests that for a community of people who seek to make the gospel credible, it’s the only way. As Pastor Michael pointed out yesterday, “Sometimes it appears that Christians reduce the godly life to the gathering of correct information.” Paul and Newbigin tell us that’s not enough. Our lives need to reflect what we believe. But this isn’t just another rule to follow. When we live this way, we ourselves will be blessed as we both receive and extend the grace and love of Christ. It’s the beauty of the gospel; it really is good news.

So as you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.