Today (March 31) the church remembers John Donne, an Anglican priest and poet of the 17th century. In recognition of this poet’s commemoration and in celebration of the arts, today’s message is a free verse homily on Philippians 2:19-24. First, I’ll read the passage. Then I’ll reflect on its patterns and themes in three stanzas.
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians:
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon,
so that I may be cheered by news of you.
I have no one like him
who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
All of them are seeking their own interests,
not those of Jesus Christ.
But Timothy’s worth you know,
how like a son with a father he has served with me
in the work of the gospel.
I hope therefore to send him
as soon as I see how things go with me;
and I trust in the Lord
that I will also come soon.
Word of God, Word of Life.
Stanza 1 – Timothy and Friends
Paul hopes in the Lord Jesus,
Hopes in the Lord Jesus to send one friend to other friends,
Which would make him feel good;
Imagining such a gathering has already cheered his heart.
You know how it is: we have friends, and then we have friends like Timothy
The kind of people who genuinely put others first,
Who really let you know that you matter
and something comes alive in you because you’ve been seen so well.
It’s not always that way.
Self-interest creeps in fast
Obscuring the interests of Jesus Christ.
(Can you believe it? Jesus has interests, and his interest is you.)
People like Timothy understand that; they get it.
And it’s awesome that we get to have friends like them, learn to be friends with them:
Embodied abundance of interpersonal riches.
The Spirit gives us these holy relationships, gospel treasures,
Together living into the good news, living out the good news:
The work of Christ’s gospel.
Paul hopes, therefore, to send and receive, to wait and see,
To trust in the Lord that he’ll keep getting to enjoy the blessings
Of these gospel friendships.
Stanza 2 – Hope in Christ
I hope in the Lord Jesus… for so many things.
I hope for peace and compassion.
I hope for mutuality and care between people, between peoples.
I hope that we come through our troubles okay.
I hope in the Lord Jesus.
I hope for the Lord Jesus.
I hope through the Lord Jesus.
There is no one like him,
Who was, is, and ever shall be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
In a world of competing values,
we meet some beautiful hearts, sparkling minds, helping hands; others less so.
Nevertheless, all things – good, bad, complicated –
Point to the love of God for us in Christ Jesus,
Who though he was the image of God
Became the icon of pain and shame
So that we might be images of God with him.
Put on his image; wear the icon.
Our living out of his image, our living into his icon is the work of the gospel,
Gospel work, gospel worth, the gospel at work
The kind of thing Luther was talking about when he wrote:
“you are to go to your work joyfully.”
I hope therefore that we get to keep being part of this holy team work together
I hope therefore that you feel like you’re a part of it
Because you are.
For myself, when I don’t feel like I’m part of a holy plan or heavenly team
I remember the interest that Jesus has in me,
I feel his genuine concern for my well-being,
the total attention that Jesus gives to each one of us,
and I find myself draped in his image.
In the end, how will things go for us? We don’t know.
We trust.
Stanza 3 – You Know the Worth
I hope in the Lord Jesus that we are making, building, and tending meaningful connections,
So that we can be there for each other no matter what happens next.
We have no agenda
Other than genuine concern for the wellbeing of the people around us.
Lord knows, it can feel like people mostly look out for themselves, and why shouldn’t they?
Exhibits Alpha to Omega, if you want them, suggest there is no God,
Creation doesn’t matter, we’re on this journey alone.
But you know the worth of what we have in Christ:
Like a healthy hive of bees or a caring commune of ants
We embody gospel miracles, cosmic truths, divine love
With lives sweet and nourishing as honey, powerful beyond our size.
I hope therefore that we keep living into Christ’s holy adventures,
With one another and with friends we haven’t met yet,
See what blessings grow along the way.
And I trust in the Lord that hope-filled sendings keep leading to gospel arrivals. Amen
Preached at Loehe Chapel, Wartburg Seminary, March 31, 2022
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians:
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon,
so that I may be cheered by news of you.
I have no one like him
who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
All of them are seeking their own interests,
not those of Jesus Christ.
But Timothy’s worth you know,
how like a son with a father he has served with me
in the work of the gospel.
I hope therefore to send him
as soon as I see how things go with me;
and I trust in the Lord
that I will also come soon.
Word of God, Word of Life.
Stanza 1 – Timothy and Friends
Paul hopes in the Lord Jesus,
Hopes in the Lord Jesus to send one friend to other friends,
Which would make him feel good;
Imagining such a gathering has already cheered his heart.
You know how it is: we have friends, and then we have friends like Timothy
The kind of people who genuinely put others first,
Who really let you know that you matter
and something comes alive in you because you’ve been seen so well.
It’s not always that way.
Self-interest creeps in fast
Obscuring the interests of Jesus Christ.
(Can you believe it? Jesus has interests, and his interest is you.)
People like Timothy understand that; they get it.
And it’s awesome that we get to have friends like them, learn to be friends with them:
Embodied abundance of interpersonal riches.
The Spirit gives us these holy relationships, gospel treasures,
Together living into the good news, living out the good news:
The work of Christ’s gospel.
Paul hopes, therefore, to send and receive, to wait and see,
To trust in the Lord that he’ll keep getting to enjoy the blessings
Of these gospel friendships.
Stanza 2 – Hope in Christ
I hope in the Lord Jesus… for so many things.
I hope for peace and compassion.
I hope for mutuality and care between people, between peoples.
I hope that we come through our troubles okay.
I hope in the Lord Jesus.
I hope for the Lord Jesus.
I hope through the Lord Jesus.
There is no one like him,
Who was, is, and ever shall be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
In a world of competing values,
we meet some beautiful hearts, sparkling minds, helping hands; others less so.
Nevertheless, all things – good, bad, complicated –
Point to the love of God for us in Christ Jesus,
Who though he was the image of God
Became the icon of pain and shame
So that we might be images of God with him.
Put on his image; wear the icon.
Our living out of his image, our living into his icon is the work of the gospel,
Gospel work, gospel worth, the gospel at work
The kind of thing Luther was talking about when he wrote:
“you are to go to your work joyfully.”
I hope therefore that we get to keep being part of this holy team work together
I hope therefore that you feel like you’re a part of it
Because you are.
For myself, when I don’t feel like I’m part of a holy plan or heavenly team
I remember the interest that Jesus has in me,
I feel his genuine concern for my well-being,
the total attention that Jesus gives to each one of us,
and I find myself draped in his image.
In the end, how will things go for us? We don’t know.
We trust.
Stanza 3 – You Know the Worth
I hope in the Lord Jesus that we are making, building, and tending meaningful connections,
So that we can be there for each other no matter what happens next.
We have no agenda
Other than genuine concern for the wellbeing of the people around us.
Lord knows, it can feel like people mostly look out for themselves, and why shouldn’t they?
Exhibits Alpha to Omega, if you want them, suggest there is no God,
Creation doesn’t matter, we’re on this journey alone.
But you know the worth of what we have in Christ:
Like a healthy hive of bees or a caring commune of ants
We embody gospel miracles, cosmic truths, divine love
With lives sweet and nourishing as honey, powerful beyond our size.
I hope therefore that we keep living into Christ’s holy adventures,
With one another and with friends we haven’t met yet,
See what blessings grow along the way.
And I trust in the Lord that hope-filled sendings keep leading to gospel arrivals. Amen
Preached at Loehe Chapel, Wartburg Seminary, March 31, 2022