"I Can Do All Things" (Philippians 4:10-13)

"I Can Do All Things" (Philippians 4:10-13)
Preached by Sam Locke on 6/23/19 at St. Peter's United Church of Christ (Carmel, IN)

Thanks for Their Gifts
10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me.Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
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“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


Wait a second, some of you may be thinking, this series is called “The Bible Doesn’t Say That” and, I just heard the reader say those exact words. You’re right … just like Lori’s text last week, the Bible does say this but, like last week, we take a look this morning at one of the many passages in the Bible that are often … dare I say usually … taken out of context.


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


Some others may be thinking, “Wait a damn minute … this particular scripture has helped me a lot, please don’t ruin it for me.”


I believe I have good news for both of these groups of people. Unlike some out-of-context passages, I think the contextual message of this one is actually stronger, even more inspirational than it is out of context. I hope you’ll agree with me.


Let’s think about where we see this scripture most often. When I typed the phrase into Google images, I got a lot of stickers and images perfect for sharing your challenge of the week over social media. Heck, I’ve probably even used in this way before.


I saw many, many ,many  references to sports. In fact, I seem to remember this phrase being painted to the wall of my rural Indiana high school football locker room but, I can’t say that with certainty because, as you might suspect, I didn’t have cause to go there very often. 


In my search, it popped up in a few corporate sales powerpoints - afterall, Jesus would certainly want you to hit those annual sales numbers, wouldn’t he? The general theme we’ve been taught about this passage is that is very futuristic, one brimming with opportunity to achieve. With God, I can be there … with God, I can do that … with God, I will achieve anything I want to achieve.


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


But to quote a book from Dr. Seuss popular during this graduation season, “Except when you don’t, because sometimes you won’t.” He continues, “I’m afraid that sometimes you’ll play lonely games too. Game you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.”


We know we can’t do all things. We might want to, we might think we can, others may think we can. But, none of us are perfect. No one can achieve ALL things. At the core of our intellect we know this is true, so we must dispense with this broken ideology that I could do anything, if only I had a little more faith. I can achieve anything with Jesus and if I’m not achieving, I must be out of alignment with God. That’s nonsense. I didn’t miss out on that job that I wanted because I didn’t have enough faith. I didn’t lose the soccer game because I didn’t pray hard enough. The outcome I didn’t like in an election isn’t because God loved the other side better. The verdict didn’t go a different way because of anything related to the divine. Despite what any Bible verse might seem to tell you, despite what any false prophet might lead you to believe, we have thousands of years of evidence to say that it just isn’t so.


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


So what do we do with this?


I’ve been at St. Peter’s for two years now, so many of you already know that I have a complex relationship with Pauline scriptures. The letters from Paul have caused so much damage to women and LGBT people within the church and yet, at the same time, Paul remains the preeminent voice in making the message of Christ’s gospel accessible to people who have never heard it, even now, two thousand years later. 


Because of these layers of complexity, whenever we study Paul, we must remember three things. One, all letters - Paul’s or otherwise - are written for a specific reason at a specific point in time, for a particular group of people. No one writes a letter thinking it will be enshrined as sacred for thousands of years. Two, we have to be aware of the writer and reader’s contextual place … where are they and what are they doing? And third, we have to read the entire document. You can’t lift one sentence out of any letter and claim to know what it means, that’s not the point of a letter - especially with a skilled communicator like Paul who often uses his writing style to sneak in points he hopes you will personify rather than project onto someone else.


Often folks are unaware that the Pauline letters are actually older than the Gospels we reference as the word of Christ. Paul has a perspective from the trenches of a church growing in the shadow of Empire. His accounts aren’t polished stories intended to stand the test of time. Rather, they are a window into life as a Christian when we were truly persecuted - none of this war on Christmas nonsense or feigned lack of religious freedom. This was legit. Being a Christian leader, one of the top Christian leaders in Paul’s case, meant risking your life every single day.


How does “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” sound knowing the reality of Paul’s daily risk?


As it turns out, Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians while in jail. Today especially, when I think of someone writing a letter, I imagine them outside with a picturesque lake in the background or next to their laptop in a Starbucks. Not this letter. Paul was in jail. Now, to be fair, this wasn’t Alcatraz … the Roman Empire knew Paul carried enough power that treating him poorly would potentially cause uprisings, so his conditions were generally pretty nice. Nice enough to write and send letters and even nice enough for visits from a young man trying to put the Christian story thus far onto paper… the document that would become Luke’s Acts of the Apostles. Conditions aside, he was in jail. Not only was he in jail, he was still working - this shows us his commitment to the Christian cause. Let me tell ya, if I were in jail, I wouldn’t be worried about clearing out my Gmail inbox.


How does “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” sound knowing it was written from a jail cell?


Fair enough, you say, we get it, the passage this morning isn’t then about achievement and gaining something in the future, it is about having the strength to make it through current strife and tribulations - if I believe, surely I will be liberated from prison and be able to go about my business. This interpretation would be better than the one normally taken away, but it still rings a little hollow, doesn’t it? After all, not only do we not always achieve, sometimes we don’t make it out of trials and tribulations. Paul knew he might never be a free man again.


How does “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” sound knowing it was uttered from a person who would likely never be able to live on his own terms again, uttered by someone who couldn’t fathom the freedoms we enjoy in this country today.


As the story goes, the church in Philippi was one of Paul’s favorites and they loved Paul just as much. As a rule, Paul generally didn’t accept the offerings given to him by many of the early churches, but he did accept the offerings from the Philippians. An interesting aside having just wrapped up our season of generosity … the churches in Corinth and Ephesus were far more affluent, but he accepted the offerings from Phillippi, because he knew how doing so would connect a more downtrodden people to the larger Christian community, how they would feel part of something bigger, even with a modest offering. 


A messenger from Philippi comes to Paul while in jail, likely in Rome, to present an offering. We are told the trip is more harrowing than normal, so the messenger stays with Paul for a bit - apparently this prison had guest rooms - and the messenger, likely at Paul’s prodding, “spills the tea” on what’s happening in the church in Philippi. Paul, as he often does, proceeds to send some unsolicited advice about how to balance living humbly and boldly as members of Christ’s church. Never one to hide his own light in a bushel, Paul lifts up himself and his imprisonment as an example of faithfully living out this balance. Arrogance aside, what we get is a remarkable narrative on optimism and spiritual fortitude. Not a message about future gains, or getting through tough times, but advice on how to be content in this moment  - finding happiness now - whether you are condemned to a jail cell, sitting through a sermon, or experiencing anything else might throw your way. This isn’t about achievement, or survival, it is about spiritual fortitude.


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


This message of fortitude is given to us throughout the entire letter, had we bothered to read it all.


In the first chapter, Paul says:
”I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.” 


That means our strength isn’t for us or for anything we might achieve, but exists for Christ and the building up of Christ’s church. If we make it through, it isn’t for our glory or fame but to achieve the ends of the church proclaimed on the rainbow banner we proudly post every chance we can


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”.


In chapter two, Paul writes: “Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. I am glad and rejoice with all of you and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me.” 


Rejoice with me, even though you know I’m in jail. Be the people you are supposed to be, even in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. What powerful words for today. We should do this the right way and if we don’t win, we will at least have strived together. As Michelle Obama said, “When they go low, we go high.” That is really hard for me sometimes. Really hard. When the competitive instincts of my enneagram 3 kick in, I go in for the kill. But Paul, like the Dr. Seuss quote from earlier, knows that the person with the lasting damage in this scenario is the person who constantly fights themselves and what we know to be our capacity for running in vain at all costs.


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


And then, in Chapter 4, Paul goes in to close out the sale. He writes, “Rejoice in God always, again I say rejoice! Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” 


Keep on doing what you’ve learned. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t but - always - the God of peace will be with you.


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


Not until now, near the end of the letter, do we hear the verse that is the star of our show this morning: “I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


And Paul continues, “In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.” 


I know what it is to have little, I know what it is like to have plenty. Both, in their own way, are imposters. The real value then, is not in striving to get more but living in mutuality with one another. Maybe the bumper sticker line should really be verse 14, “It was nice of you to share my distress.” 


Sometimes, life deals us some pretty crappy things. Things that aren’t changeable. Sometimes we are called to achieve and sometimes we are called to get through the wilderness of a bad situation. But often, we just have to deal with it, don’t we?


Anyone who has loved an addict knows this painful truth: the road to recover is long, windy, and may never have an ultimate finish line. We are driven to want to make things all better, and it is so hard to be in the moment showing love, but that is what this passage means. This means loving the addict as they are, not as we want them to be. So terribly hard.


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


We will never cure everyone in this world of homophobia. Never. We can set ourselves up to own an epic failure, or we can celebrate the gains of the last 50 years and smile when our conservative friends wear a rainbow at the pride parade or ask that awkward question.


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


We may cure cancer and HIV in my kid’s lifetimes, but there will always be disease. On a macro level, that’s very depressing. But enjoy the happiness of those who are saved and hold the hands of the loved ones of those who aren’t.


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


You might hit that annual sales goal at your job, or maybe you won’t, but, whatever the commission check ends up being, find value in supporting your family and the things you hold important.


“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


You may lose more athletic competitions than you will ever win, I certainly did. But, the people you’ve met and the stories you’ve shared along the way mean so much more than a trophy that will eventually be sent to the thrift store by your children.


Yes, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We will get through things together, we will achieve things together, but mostly we’ll just be here for each other, no matter what happens. That’s the community you really want, isn’t it? That is was the church in Philippi wanted, but they needed Paul to point it out. The strength to get through stuff together is the real strength Christ gives us. Dr. Seuss gets it right in the book I mentioned earlier too.


“But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.


So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's 
a Great Balancing Act.


And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)


Dr. Seuss gives us a 99 percent guarantee of getting through the thing we need to. This scripture gives us a 100% guarantee. We can indeed “do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” They just might not be the things we were expecting. Amen.

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