If Only For a Moment

“If Only For a Moment” was preached at Princeton Theological Seminary on Wednesday, December 2, 2015. This sermon was my final project for the course Preaching Paul. Students were allowed to choose the epistle text and its respective topic for their message. I chose one of the lectionary texts for that following Sunday: Philippians 1:3-11. Inspirations for this sermon included scripture, spiritual disciplines, Wayne Muller, The Schmuel Song, and the season of Advent.

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Philippians 1:3-11

3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

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Long, long ago, in the beginning of beginnings, there was an artist that surpassed all other artists. So beautiful; so divine. The architect of eternity; the designer of infinity. The alpha and the omega of all masterpieces.  She was known as the Great Creator. And in the beginning of beginnings, the Great Creator began to create.  She would devote herself to a new piece, a piece of wonder and beauty. It would be considered one of her greatest works. As she worked, time ceased to exist. How many days passed as she dedicated herself to her art? How many years? Centuries? Generations? It was just the Creator and her work with limitless time to dream and to create. Her fingers flew and her creation swirled. It was almost like a dance – a grand whirlwind of color and formation. There was separation. There was configuration. She shaped it all. Everywhere was individually designed and formed by her touch.

Her fingerprints were on everything. They built up the mountains. They dug down the valleys. Every mountain and valley were perfectly molded, a symbolic cohesion of one’s highs and lows. Rivers like ribbons wove throughout the piece. They connected to lakes, ponds, and oceans, speckling the creation with ripple and movement. Light bounced off the waters, devising a mirrored reflection of dazzling lights that danced with the Creator herself. It was the finest display of jubilation. She fashioned plants of all kinds that enhanced the piece with exclusive embellishments. There were trees that climbed their way towards the sky, and there were sprouts that flecked the ground with animation. Every plant ideally placed to give her art a purpose. After everything was built and created, after everything was shaped and crafted, after everything was fashioned and formed, the Great Creator began to paint.

She started with blue. Blue everywhere. In the sky and in the waters. There was blue. Then green to hint at world filled with growth. The plants were given green. So much green. She used white and black and every shade in between to distinguish between light and shadows. It gave a contrast to her piece of art. The sun was given gold and the moon was given silver. Each precious color had its moment to shine. And when sun and moon would switch dominions, she would use orange to signal the transition between night and day. She used red here and yellow there. Every color – every shade of color – was painted into her piece. She had given beauty to this world. Her hands had formed this world; her fingers painted it. But she had one thing left to do before her piece was complete.

With a giant gust of air, the Great Creator breathed into her creation. Every creature and creation felt her breath like a rushing wind traveling through the trees, up the mountains, and down the valleys. And with this breath, the piece was given life. And with that, she was done. Her masterpiece was finished. Every creature and creation bowed down to the glory of her work. They rejoiced in their artist. She smiled down upon them, and in that moment she gave thanks.  And when the creatures and creation saw the Great Creator smile down upon them like a sunrise of dazzling lights, they too rested and gave thanks. For one moment – for just one small moment – If only for a moment… all was still. All was beautiful. All was divine.

There was still so much work to be done. The Great Creator would have to sustain her masterpiece and eventually she would have to redeem it, but here, here in this moment, she gave thanks for the work she had done. She took a moment to give thanks for the gift she had given to her people for it was one of the greatest gifts ever given. It was a gift to be shared by every creature and creation.  It was the gift of life. She paused, she rested, and she gave thanks. That’s the message we need to hear in the season of Advent. That’s a spiritual discipline we can practice during the season of Advent.

When Paul writes his letter to the Philippians, we have this same message of pausing, resting, and giving thanks. At this point, Paul has accomplished a big part of his ministry, and empires – not just people – empires have noticed this. In fact, when Paul writes to the Philippians, he is currently imprisoned for spreading a message that is too great for the people to hear. He knows there is so much more work he and the Philippians both must do. They must spread the gospel, live actively in their faith, avoid enemies of the cross, obey and imitate Christ, maintain unity, stand firm in the Lord – there’s so much work that needs to be done, but here in the first chapter in the letter to the Philippians, before we hear any of that, Paul pauses and he rests and he gives thanks.

It’s almost like a comforting introduction as if he’s saying, “Let us take a moment just to breathe.” It’s a moment of prayer where Paul writes, “I thank my God every time I remember you constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you.” Can we hear Paul’s rejoicing? Can we hear Paul’s encouragement for the Philippians to rejoice? Every time Paul prays for the Philippians he does so with joy and thanksgiving. There is an emphasis on joy because the Philippians are beginning to distinguish things that truly matter from things that do not. And the good news is the things that truly matter are going well. The Gospel is advancing. Paul’s ministry is expanding. The work is being done, and this work will continue to be done until the coming day of Christ when their work will be complete. In this moment, Paul calls on the Philippians to rejoice with him. To be joyous and to be glad. Because, yes… there will be disappointment and worry, but here in this moment the Philippians are called to remove themselves from that. They are called to pause and give thanks for all that has been given to them by their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That’s what Paul doing. Pausing, resting, and giving thanks. If only for a moment. That’s what we should be doing.

Less than two weeks ago, we celebrated Thanksgiving and in a little over two weeks from now, we will be celebrating Christmas. It seems that there is always something that was just finished or always something that needs to be done. There’s no break. There’s no rest. There’s just… more. This “more” can overwhelm us. It causes stress, anxiety, worry, disappointment. We get so caught up in the preparing that we lose focus on what we’re actually preparing for. In the season of Advent, we are preparing for the coming of Christ. While we don’t know when or where, we know that it will happen as it has been promised to us.

This promise to the coming of Christ is the epitome of another gift God gave to God’s people. The same Great Creator who gave us of the gift of life also gave us the gift of grace. The same Great Creator who fashioned the world out of nothing also came down in the Word made Flesh to live among us. But instead of coming to us in extravagance and glory, Christ came as a humble servant born in a manger. He lived a life serving others – healing the sick, curing the blind and lame, performing miracles of all kinds. With twelve disciples and hundreds of followers, he traveled the countryside. He told stories and preached parables. He lived out God’s love for all us, especially the outsiders – the least of us. Christ knew something was about to happen to him, so with his closest friends, he had a special supper. The Last Supper; The Lord’s Supper. He paused, he rested, and he gave thanks. He broke the bread and poured the cup. It was a promise to our salvation. Then the people who once loved him turned on him. The people who Christ loved betrayed him. They sent him to his death. Christ – the one true Son of God – died an agonizing, painful death on the cross. With his blood – the red of his blood – the same red used in creation – the sins of humankind were forgiven with the gift of grace. With his resurrection, humankind was given new and eternal life. Christ promised to come again to dwell among us.

The life, death, and resurrection of Christ is a mighty account! It is exciting and humbling and sad and glorious. Because of this, we feel the need to prepare – to do “more.” There will always work that has been done and there will always be more work to do, but Paul’s message to the Philippians calls us to take a moment. Paul takes a moment to remind the Philippians that every time he prays for them, he does so in joy and thanksgiving. Even God – the giver of life – rested and gave thanks after the great creation. Even Christ – the giver of grace – rested and gave thanks before his agonizing death.

Give thanks for what has been done and what will be done. Love will overflow. Knowledge will be shared. Insight will be spread. The Gospel will be confirmed. We will be made pure and blameless in Christ. The work has been done. The work will be done. Breathe and be okay. This is Christ’s promise to us.

Despite the busyness of the holiday season: pausing, resting, and giving thanks can be a ritualistic, meditative spiritual discipline to practice. It is an act of participating in God’s gifts of life and grace. It allows us to embrace and live in the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. How this spiritual discipline looks is up to you. Pause, rest, and give thanks every time you light a candle. Pause, rest, and give thanks every time you smell a spice while cooking. Pause, rest, and give thanks every time you touch a door handle or as you enter your home Pause, rest, and give thanks on your drive to work or pause, rest, and give thanks on the bus or train. Pause, rest, and give thanks every morning you wake up and every night before you fall asleep. Find something that works for you. Be intentional about it. Every time you do something, pause, rest, and give thanks. You decide what that something is. Pause, rest, and give thanks. If only for a moment.

Continue to do the work that needs to be done, but give thanks for the greater works that God has done for you. Take a moment to feel God’s love for you overflow with joy and thanksgiving. Paul’s message to the Philippians is not one that asks us to stops what we are doing. We should not just sit back and relax believing God will do all the work. God promised greater works for us. Our work is to live a life worthy of those greater works, of those greater gift: gifts of life and grace. A part of that life is finding the balance between work and rest. A rhythm between the two. Both should be done in thanksgiving. We live busy lives, but God calls use to find rest, renewal, and delight in these busy lives. And when we do, we give thanks. And even when life seems too busy, we still give thanks because God will provide. Prepare for Christ because Christ is coming. But also pause, rest, and give thanks for that same reason: Christ is coming.

Advent is the time where we await in hope for the coming of Christ. We don’t know when or where that will happen, but that’s okay. The same Great Creator who gave us the gift of life and the gift of grace promised us that Christ will come again. Pause. Rest. Give thanks. Christ is coming.          Amen.

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Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer God.

You have given us great and loving gifts: gifts of life and gifts of grace. Gifts that we sometimes forget to cherish. Help us to be thankful for these gifts. Help us to pause, rest, and give thanks for your mighty works in our lives. Help us to find renewal. We want to learn from your example. Let us be an imitation of Christ and let our love overflow more and more for you. Advent is our time to await your coming, and we do so in hope. In your name we pray.

Amen.

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