Series: Growing Up Into Christ
#8: The Life of Love
Philippians 1:12 – 2:5a (TLB)
By John Gill ~ February 19, 2023

This morning we are completing our sermon series on our life’s spiritual journey as we Grow up into Christ (using a phrase the Apostle Paul used in his Letter to the Ephesians). We set out on the path on New Year’s Day, and have considered each step along the way: from our first recognition that God exists and has a claim on our life, to giving our life to Christ, to becoming a disciple of Jesus, to living out our faith as we strove to be productive for God’s Kingdom. Then came the unsettling realization that the immature and simplistic faith that we had claimed was not adequate to make sense of the complexities of the real world. And so, we turned inward as we struggled with doubts – until we hit a “Wall” - something happened in our lives that caused a crisis of faith that threatened to undo us. In order to move forward in our relationship with God, our faith had to mature. We had to deconstruct our simplistic beliefs about God and how faith works – and reconstruct our belief-system in a way that made more sense to us. As a result, we came through the Wall with a stronger faith and a deeper relationship with God. Our doubts faded, and we trusted God more fully with our lives. Because we had resolved the inner-conflicts and doubts, we were able to turn outward toward the world, even responding to a new call on our lives to serve God, as we focus less on ourselves, and more and more upon others. We are nearing the end of our journey.

Today, our sermon focuses on the completion of our life-long spiritual journey – The Life of Love.

We have been following the path laid out for us in the book, The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith1, by Janey Hagberg and Robert Guelich. In the final chapter on The Life of Love, this is how they describe a person who has arrived at the heart of God:

This stage, the Life of Love, is easily summarized. At this stage we reflect God to others in the world more clearly and consistently than we ever thought possible. We let our lights shine in such a way that God is given the credit and the thanks… When we are at this final stage, we have lost ourselves in the equation, and at the same time we have truly found ourselves. We are selfless. This factor allows us to do the most extraordinary things. We may figuratively wash other people's feet or give our very lives in the service of God (at times that means we die to self; at times it has meant and can mean that we die literally). we are at peace with ourselves, fully conscious of being the person God has created us to be. (Page 152)

At this stage, Christ’s life represents not just an example but a model for our lives. We willingly are obedient to God's call, even, if necessary, unto death. We have wisdom that God gives to direct and sustain us. We begin to understand deeply the paradoxes and pains of Christ's life. Our times alone with God come during the quiet times away as well as in [our] everyday, unceasing conversations [with him]. We have little ambition for being well known, rich, successful, noteworthy, goal oriented, or “spiritual.” We are like vessels into which God pours his Spirit, constantly overflowing. We are Spirit-filled but in a quiet, unassuming way. So pervasive is the presence of the Spirit in our lives that we may not even be particularly conscious of doing something of the Spirit. We are oblivious to the Spirit because we are accustomed to God moving very naturally through our lives, unexpectedly and surely. Consequently, we are genuinely humble and able to talk of ourselves and [our] purposes in very simple terms… We still experience pain or shock, it tires or angers us, but we can also simultaneously experience God's grace, humor, and comfort in the midst of it all. We do not fear pain, trauma, disappointments, or even death, because God is there to provide and to lead us on. For us life's struggles

provide a source of wisdom, a source for further learning, and a means to new discovery. We are aware that miracles can occur more frequently through pain then through joy. We experience life itself as both a gift and a miracle. (Pages 153 and 154)

[Hagberg and Guelich write]: At this final stage you will become aware that the more of God we have, the less of everything else we need… We gracefully accept life and have an inner satisfaction no matter how little we have outwardly. in fact, we really do not think about how much or how little we have… We are free from encumbrances. We travel light… We are full of surprises because we are so free, so full of God, and so whole. We can say or do preposterous things because we are not afraid of death. We can deliberately give up our lives, materially, physically, mentally, and emotionally for the service of others without feeling afraid of the deep loss. We are selfless, so who we are does not matter. What matters is who God is and who God makes us… We are so in tune with God, so at one with God's will, that our motives are God's motives. We are simply living love.. our joy is having God live in and through us. (Pages 155 through 157)

Wow! Have you reached that stage? I know I haven’t gotten there – not completely – but I long for the day I can say I have!

Every faith tradition culminates with this destination, based on complete union with God and living the life of love with all people. They name it different things: Christ-consciousness, God-consciousness, Oneing (or being at one with God0, Being Enlightened, Union with God, Full-sanctification, and more. Methodism’s founder, John Wesley, used the phrase, “Christian Perfection.” By perfection, he didn’t mean, without faults, he meant being spiritually fully mature. In other words, having been made perfect in love. This is how Wesley describes the goal of our spiritual journey. He said that we are ”Loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. This implies, that no wrong temper, none contrary to love, remains in the soul; and that all the thoughts, words, and actions, are governed by pure love.”2

Have you ever known someone who fits this description – a person who just seems to live on a higher plane, spiritually – someone whose “thoughts, words, and actions are governed by pure love”? Of course, the Saints of our Judeo-Christian faith became “Saints” because they lived the “Life of Love” above all else. But who in your life comes to mind who had reached this final stage of the spiritual journey? Take just a couple of minutes to share with your neighbor who that was, and more importantly, the qualities you saw in them that cause you to believe they had reached the goal of living the “Life of Love.”

(pause)

Ok – what qualities or characteristics did you see in the “saints” you have known – just call out words that describe them: ( repeat as characteristics are called out ).

Our scripture this morning focuses on one of the most significant of all those who have traveled life’s spiritual journey, the Apostle Paul. Toward the end of his life as he faced his own martyrdom, Paul demonstrated that he had finally reached this highest level of the spiritual life. In the passage from his letter to the Church at Philippi Janie read a moment ago, Paul shares his heart. He is sitting in a prison in Rome waiting for his trial before Caesar, fully aware that it is likely that his life would soon end. (In fact, tradition says that not long after he sends this epistle, Paul is beheaded.)

Let me remind you of some of the ways Paul, using his own words in our scripture this morning, describes his faith at the close of his life: “My patience has encouraged them… God has used me… I am glad… the Holy Spirit helps me… this is all going to turn out for my own good… I live in eager expectation and hope… I will always be ready to speak out boldly for Christ while I am going through all these trials… I will always be an honor to Christ, whether I live or whether I must die… For, to me, living means opportunities for Christ, and dying – well, that’s better yet!... Whatever happens to me, remember always to live as Christians should…Make me truly happy by loving each other… Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ.” (By the way, the very next words Paul writes in this letter are the words we used as our Affirmation of Faith this morning – what has been called The Kenosis Hymn – Kenosis meaning emptying – the agape love that describes the extent of God’s love for us in Christ, and the self-sacrificial love we share are to share with others.)

Yes, in Paul we see the entire “spiritual journey” we have been describing throughout this sermon series. Having grown up in a faithful Jewish home, he recognized God’s claim on his life, and became a strict Pharisee – an expert in the rulebook of the Jewish faith. His understanding of what it meant to be “spiritual” was to adhere to God’s demands and laws. And so, he thought he was being productive for God by enforcing the rules – especially against the followers of the Jewish heretic, Jesus of Nazareth. He made it his business to round them up and imprison them.

One day, Saul (as he was known then) endorsed and witnessed the stoning of Stephen, a leader in this heretic Jesus movement. As Stephen died, Saul witnessed Stephen’s dying prayer of forgiveness for those who were killing him, almost word for word what Jesus had said from the cross. I believe that was the moment Saul began the Journey Inward stage as he started to question the approach to faith he had been taught. He was wrestling with doubts.

Then, in order to track down followers of Jesus who had fled Jerusalem and gone to Damascus, Saul set out on the road to capture them and punish them for their false-teaching. That’s when he had his crisis-of faith – he hit his “Wall” – a dramatic encounter with the risen Christ, and Saul was transformed. His change was so complete that he chose to be known by a different name – no longer “Saul” but “Paul” (shifting from his Hebrew name to his Greek name). From that moment on, his Journey turned outward, sharing the Love of Christ with the whole world. In the end, Paul had “Grown Up Into Christ,” living the “Life of Love.”

Richard Rohr, in his book A Spring Within Us3, has described this transformation that leads to the Life of Love. Even though he wasn’t specifically speaking of the Apostle Paul, he could have been. He writes:

Jesus said the whole law… and the words of the prophets too, are summed up in the two great commandments: “to love God with your whole heart and your whole soul and to love your neighbor as you love yourself” (See Matthew 22: 37-40). It's almost too simple, and yet, as you well know, it's almost too hard. It's sadly easier to simply obey laws and to live inside of the always-defeating reward/punishment system. Somehow a win/win worldview, where God wins and the soul wins too, is largely unbelievable... until you experience and allow God's grace. True spiritual encounter changes you at a deep and unconscious level. Henceforth, the most important thing is to grow deeper and deeper in love. (Richard Rohr page 364)

The good news is that it's not about being correct. It's about being connected. When the Spirit within you connects with God's Spirit,… you [are] finally home. Now you know that your deepest you is God, and Christ is living his life in you and through you and with you and as you. (Richard Rohr page 292)

God's goal [for us] is always union [with him]… As Saint Francis said, “What a person is in God's eyes, that he is and nothing more.”… We are finally free and alive, living in quiet union with God, which is [now] all of reality. This is often called a second naïveté, our return to an almost childlike simplicity and serenity. It is where you should naturally find yourself if you have stayed on the full journey. [At this final stage] you don't have to try to be anything, because you have become one with everything. [When we have reached this ultimate stage of our spiritual journey, we are finally able to say with absolute confidence]: ‘I am who I am in the eyes of God, nothing more and nothing less.’ (Richard Rohr pages 385 and 386)

And so – we conclude our life’s spiritual journey of faith ending right back where we began the moment of our conception, when God lit the spark of our life in the womb of our mother. Our path has gone full-circle - we are back home in the very heart of God. It has been a long and winding journey, with up and downs, twists and turns, starts and stops, walls and doorways and bridges – all leading us home. We have persevered, we’ve run the race of faith, and we have received the ultimate reward – living the Life of Love.

Near the same time as Paul wrote to the Philippians, he also wrote to his son-in-the faith, Timothy. In 2 Timothy 4:6-8 Paul reflects on his journey and its ultimate destination: He writes this, “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

Paul was ready to face his death because he had completed his spiritual journey, and finally grown up into Christ. He was confident that his eternal life was safe in the very heart of God.

So, friends, where are you along the spiritual journey - at the starting line, running the race, struggling through a Wall, racing down the home stretch, or crossing the finish line? Wherever you find yourself, it’s all good. At least you are on the journey toward God. But don’t be content to stay where you are. Press on toward the goal – having “Grown up into Christ” and living the “Life of Love.”

After all, the Bible tells us that “God - IS - Love.”