“Maintaining our focus”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Thursday, March 3, 2022

Philippians 3:12-21 (Forward, p. 33) CEV p. 1230

Sad to say, it is far too easy for any one of us to get distracted by things that should not be our focus, that Paul here alludes to, things that our ‘world’ values and holds on to, things like worldly pleasures and our base appetites. Paul is saying that none of these things should be the focus of our lives. Instead, he holds up four other things that should be our focus, the object of our affections and endeavours:

First of all, our calling: we have been called to belong to Christ and to enjoy heaven as our ultimate destination. And so we, like Paul, are to remain focused on that, and to keep on running with that in sight. We forget what is past, and strain and struggle instead to grab hold of that prize. And, we do all this because of what Christ Jesus has already done for us!

Secondly, there is our community. We do not do this alone but do so in company with many others. Indeed, we not only join with them in this task and pursuit, but also learn from them and are encouraged by them. These folks provide us with living examples of what it is like to follow Christ.

Thirdly, there is our citizenship. Our citizenship is not here on earth but in heaven, which means that our loyalties and our duties, and indeed our objects and aims, are not here on earth, bound to earth’s values and standards, but in heaven. We belong to a far different world and a far different culture.

Finally, there is our consummation. God will take these weak, helpless, mortal bodies and turn them into something new and wonderful. In fact, they will be transformed and become just like Christ’s body in all its glory. Like a caterpillar being transformed, metamorphized, into a splendid, radiant butterfly, so will we be changed. Imperfection, corruption, weakness, the perishable and transient, will all be transformed into something glorious and permanent.

So, these things should be our focus, the very things that we hold dear and prize and value in our lives, which means, in practical terms, that we should discard all those lesser things that so often occupy our time and attention.

Instead, we should focus on these things of God, and run and strive and struggle towards these things, these goals. Just think: is this not a worthy and appropriate aim for Lent, and indeed, for all time. Amen.

Forward notes: “I press on toward the goal of the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus” (verse 14)

“At a Little League game, my 10-year-old neighbour dropped his catcher’s mask and trotted to the pitcher’s mound. ‘He’s calling a fastball,’ I heard his father say. ‘Easy out.’ Play resumed, and on the next pitch, the batter hit the ball hard, scoring two runs.

“I sense the athletic imagery in Paul’s gentle letter to the Philippians. I’ve seen tattoos of some of the verses from Philippians on the arms of athletes. Motivation, persistence, and humility are all themes in this letter. Paul encourages the new church in Philippi to persevere to the goal. But the goal is not a trophy or blue ribbon. It is not something to place on a shelf and admire passively. It is a heavenly call, a call to be Christ-like, to model Jesus’s life of compassion and service, encouraging each other on life’s journey.

“’What happened with that pitch?’ I asked my young neighbor. He replied, ‘Sam got hit by a pitch earlier. I could tell it hurt. I didn’t want him to be afraid. So, I told the pitcher to let him get a hit.’”

Moving Forward: “How can you be compassionate and Christ-like today?