Philippians 4:4-9

Sisters and brothers in Christ,

This evening’s Bible passage has been suggested to me by Josh Land. If other members of the congregation would like to suggest passages that might also serve well, please feel free to email me. I’d welcome your ideas. But for today, it’s Philippians 4:4-9 (ESV/NRSV):

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, beloved, 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. ⁹ Practice the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

At a time when worry and anxiety may seem like the most reasonable response to events, it may seem jarring to read Paul’s advice to his Christian readers not to worry but to bring their requests—even (perhaps especially) those that arise from their fears—to God in thankful prayer. Nevertheless, Paul assures us that this is the way to experience the peace of God. It’s not the peace of common sense, but a peace that “surpasses all understanding.”

It’s worth remembering, too, that Paul is not writing his letter from the comfort, let’s say, of a country estate or (as I am) from a warm home office, but under house arrest in Rome, not knowing whether the outcome of his upcoming trial will be death, freedom, or something in between. Even in such circumstances, Paul assures us, this God-given peace will guard our hearts and minds against the fears and anxieties which can so easily beset us.

“But,” you might respond, “I can’t pray all the time. I can do it with some regularity, but if I try to pray for long stretches, my mind just wanders. And I have things I need to do. I may be working from home, but I’m still working. Or I have meals to prepare and laundry to do.” I think Paul’s fine with that. He says, “Let your requests be made known to God,” not “nag God repeatedly.” (Remember that when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, he gave them the very short Lord’s Prayer.) So “let your requests be made known to God” and then return to your work without telling your worried self the lie that peace may be reserved for those who pray at great length.

Paul has a second suggestion. For the times when we’re not praying, he recommends that we fix our minds on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Rather than provide a limiting list of what “these things” might be for you, I’d rather let you spend some time meditating by yourself on each of the words: “true, … honorable, … pure, … lovely,” etc. The time you spend figuring out what each of these might mean for you will itself leave less space in your head for worry.

Put these two recommendations into practice, Paul says, and not merely the “peace of God” but—a remarkable change of word order—“ the  God of peace” himself will be with you.

“Practice” may be the key word here. Such habits don’t come naturally. But COVID-19 gives us a great motivation to develop these habits. Which of us, right now, is not worried about something? Some of us have also found ourselves with more time on our hands. Rather than use the extra time to worry, I suggest we use it to practice Paul’s advice. May the God who loves us in Christ bless our efforts, however fumbling or interrupted they might be. And, as we do so, may we be surprised both by the peace of God and by a growing sense of the presence with us of the God of peace.

Your brother in Christ,

Max