Keeping the Gift in the Closet

<sup>Phil 3:7-16

7</sup> But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in ^[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶ Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Every year I become a little bit more of a fan of PBS. Sue me, I'm getting old. What used to look like a non-stop parade of fund-raising telethons and Lawrence Welk re-runs, is now filled with programs that treat me like an adult. The news shows fully explore issues and consider each side; the documentaries make me feel like a better person after I have watched them; the music features are great experiences to have.

Part of my new fondness for PBS is generated by my love for the Antiques Roadshow. Everyone has seen it; but, for the one who may have forgotten, the Roadshow is a traveling band of connoisseurs and antique experts who tell owners about the antiques that they have had in their families for years, as well as the monetary value that each object might fetch at auction. Many folks have a few clues about the history of their pieces; several of them know exactly what type of treasure they've managed to snare. The centerpiece of the show, though, is those guests who have absolutely no clue that they are holding onto an antique of extraordinary value.

Most of these "clueless" guests know that their particular piece has been around for a long time; many know that relatives valued the piece highly. Several of them simply think that the piece is of sentimental value, and that no real tangible value could ever come of it. It is a real pleasure to watch these antique owners' jaws drop when the experts detail the thousands of dollars that their treasures are worth. "I had no idea," many say, "it was just gathering dust in my closet!"

One of the central controversies of the early Church was whether or not Gentiles needed to first become Jews before they could become Christians. The controversy came to a head at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), when it was finally decided that Gentiles did not need to first become Jews. We know however, even with this powerful statement by the Council, that the controversy continued.

Several of Paul's epistles are concerned with this controversy; the most obvious one being his letter to the church in Galatia. Paul, a Jew of the highest level of achievement..reckoned "blameless" by the Pharisees, was particularly focused on making sure Gentiles were given the Good News without a meaningless set of pre-requisites. In Philippians, Paul continues his argument, identifying those who would force Gentiles to first become Jews as "those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh."

Why was Paul so strident in his opposition to this practice? The answer is simple: Paul had a front row seat into how useless self-righteous action was in achieving the blessings of God. Paul had followed the laws of Jewish society to the letter, including persecuting members of the Christian faith. What Paul learned through his conversion was that his efforts to be perfect under the Law were pure folly, and that the only way to truly receive God's blessing was as an unmerited gift. Paul knew this to be true, because he was the poster child for it.

Paul was well-aware of the value of this unmerited gift of mercy, and that a lifetime of struggling under the yoke of the Law could never approach its intrinsic value. Paul's life became about loving others, walking humbly, and struggling to serve the will of Christ. Paul admitted that he was not perfect, and mentions throughout the epistles that God works through his weaknesses to promote the faith. These efforts and struggles were not geared towards earning God's love, they were trying to live up to the love that had already been freely given.

In Midian, most everyone has their children baptized. Some folks even drag their children to Sunday School while they are young. As they go through life, many of these children will claim to be Christians, even though their faith sits in their closets...rarely brought out, and of little significance to their daily lives.

Like the lucky few on the Antiques Roadshow, a few of those wayward Christians will have experiences which reveal the value that the long-lost gift of Christ's sacrifice has for them and those around them. Many of them will be shocked that this thing of high value was in their possession all along; they will wonder why they never did anything with it.

None of us have reached our final goals in Midian. As we get up and continue on our journey, though, the most important guidepost we have is a valuable gift that we spend the entire rest of our lives trying to live up to.