“STRAINING FORWARD
TO WHAT LIES AHEAD”
PHILIPPIANS 3:4-14
4 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in
the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel,
of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness
under the law, blameless.
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake
of Christ.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing
worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order
that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my
own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection,
and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection
from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already
perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.
But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward
call of God in Christ Jesus.
Have you ever heard of Griff Niblack? Apparently he writes for the Indianapolis News and he said something a
while back about nostalgia and the good old days. He wrote, “If you’re longing for the good old days, just turn
off your air conditioner.” While the good old days aren’t always great sometimes you can’t help taking a
stroll down memory lane. I did that the other day when I pulled out my wedding album. You see tomorrow Sara and I will be
celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary. Now I know what you are thinking, how did Sara put up with me for so
long? Let’s just say that she is a Saint and leave it at that. But seriously,
the other day I took some time to look at some of our wedding pictures and reflect on the memories of that day. And I must
admit, a part of me began yearning for that time in our lives. To be kids again, to be care free and to be experiencing new
things together for the first time. If I am not careful I can find myself pining for the past in a way that takes away the
love and joy of the present as well as the future. For example, if I was stuck in the past I wouldn’t be standing here
before you today as a seminary student, I wouldn’t have two beautiful children whom I love very much and home that has
more animals than I care to tell you about. Getting stuck living in the past can prevent us from enjoying and accepting the
gifts and blessings that God is giving us today and the blessings he has in store for us tomorrow.
Paul writes, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and staring forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God In Christ Jesus.” Optimistic words from a man writing
from prison, don’t you think? What makes Paul’s optimism even more amazing is that some of the Christians in Phillippi
were challenging his credentials. They were questioning whether he had really been called to be an apostle. Now Paul responds
by flashing his resume at them. You see, prior to this Paul was the man! He was a high Jewish authority who had the right
blood line and lived to the letter of the law. But Paul goes on to say that that is all in the past. Paul says in his letter,
“but whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” In other words, things have changed, I have
changed, something better has happened to me now and I have given that all up, I have moved on. Something better? He is in
prison. How can that be better? Yes, his body is in prison, but his heart and
soul belong to God and Jesus Christ. Paul isn’t looking and longing for the past, he is looking toward the future.
In the cartoon For Better or Worse, a mother is looking into the mirror and carrying on a conversation with
herself. She says, “My face is changing. It’s not the same-definitely not the same-different. It’s older.
Maybe if I parted my hair on the side. Maybe if I were to rub a little more moisturizer around each eye. A little different
colored blush perhaps? Nope, this is it. I look older and there’s nothing I can do about it. I remember my mother’s
face looking like this. I remember how the lines crept around her mouth and her eyes. Yes, it’s my turn now to take
on that look of mature, older woman.” She gazes intently into the mirror, and then shouts for all to hear, ‘And
I’m not ready!”
Not ready. Not ready to grow old, not ready to sell my house and move into a smaller one. Not ready to forgive
my friend or family member for what they did ten years ago. Not ready to let my kids grow up. Not ready, not ready…..
Why is it when it comes to our lives we often hear or say that we are not ready for the new thing about to come? But when
it comes to technology and material things we can’t wait for the next new thing? You hear that all the time don’t
you? Hey, did you hear that IPod is coming out with a new touch phone? That Stephen Spielberg is coming out with a new Star
Wars movie? I can’t wait to see it. Not only can we not wait but we will
wait in line for hours to be the first to experience this new thing. And when we get it, we don’t have a problem letting
go of the old.
Don’t get me wrong. I understand that life is different and that emotional attachments are not the same
as physical attachments. But life does call us forward. God calls us forward, beckoning us from the past into the new blessings
that await And we can’t get there if we are living in the past.
Have any of you ever tried walking backwards? It isn’t easy is it. Why? Because we were created to walk
forward. That is why our eyes are in the front of our heads, our ears are tilted forward and our feet point forward .It is
even easier to manipulate our hands in front of us than behind us. A little girl discovered this principle when she was trying
to button the buttons on the back of her dress. The frustrated little girl exclaimed, “How can I button these buttons
when I am in front of myself?”
In front of ourselves. That is where God wants us to be. In front of ourselves carrying light to the darkness.
If we look at Jesus ministry that is one of the things that it was all about. Moving on with our lives, constantly growing
and changing to become the people God calls us to be. That is why the forgiveness of sins is so import. We need to forgive
ourselves and each other if we are going to move forward to receive God’s blessings. If we choose not to forgive then
we continue to live in the past. God calls us into new life. It isn’t always easy, and like childbirth, when new life
is born it can be painful and messy. But we need to let go of the past if we are to let something new be born. As Paul says,
“forgetting what lies behind and starring forward to what lies ahead”.
What lies ahead? Sometimes we don’t know what lies ahead and I think that is what makes it so hard to
let go of the past. What will tomorrow bring? We often don’t know, do we? And that can be scary. Paul didn’t know
what God had in store for him and he wasn’t afraid. Why? Based on his current situation he could have been. But Paul wasn’t chained to the past. He may have been a prisoner but he wasn’t a prisoner of
the past living in the good old days.
What lies ahead? That is probably what this widowed elderly couple thought before they met and decided to get
married. They seemed like they were a perfect match and all their children agreed that they should get married. So, they decided
to take the plunge and start a new life together. That new life was reflected in the wedding invitation. Since they had both
been married previously they already had more crystal glasses, blenders and toasters then they needed. So this is what they
put on the wedding invitation.
Phil, Richard, Karen and Alison and John, Matt and Steve request the honor of your presence at the marriage
of their Mother and Father. Because they are combining two households they already have at least two of everything. So please,
no presents! Reception and garage sales immediately following the ceremony. How’s that for letting go of the past and
moving into the future?
Paul knew something that a lot of people don’t know. God holds the future in his hands, It’s a future
that leads us onward and upward. Ultimately it’s a future of everlasting life that we have because of the sacrifice
of Jesus Christ. Between now and then though we can be sure that God is traveling with us. God is also waiting for us down
the road, calling us into the future.
Amen
Mike
Gelsomini - Student Minister
October
5, 2008
