A Lifestyle Exhortation

There is perhaps no more beloved passage than Philippians 4:4-7, the brief Second Reading appointed for the Third Sunday of Advent in the Year of Luke.  In this passage we hear St. Paul exhorting the people, in spite of their difficulties, to rejoice always. This will be the task of the preacher as well.

(The following questions  are meant to help preachers understand how the Word is functioning in a text, a fundamental issue for Law and Gospel preachers.  How the Word functions is, in short, how the sermon should function.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The tone is certainly one of celebration, which then gives us a hint of the Word's function which is Gospel.  There are two statements which form the Gospel word:  "The Lord is near" and "the peace of God... will guard your hearts and minds".  These are clear statements of God's grace - a Gospel function.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is really no word of Law here, that is to say, no Word which functions to lift up our need for a Savior, or to call us to repentance.

3. With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those being exhorted here.

4.  What, if any call to obedience is there  in this text?  This text is primarily a call to obedience, in this case a call to lead a life of rejoicing, having no undue anxiety, and prayer.  In all of these cases the imperative verb is in the present tense, indicating the expectation of an ongoing pattern of life.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Using the gospel phrases present in the text, we could imagine several couplets:  abandoned by God/God present; vulerable/guarded by God.

6.  Exegetical work:  It is instructive to notice that all the imperatives in the text are present tense.  We might then translate them thusly:  be rejoicing in the Lord always, in nothing be unduly concerned, and be making your requests made known to God.  As noted above, this suggests a lifestyle, not merely a single application of behavioral change.  Fred Craddock, in his commentary, sums up the goal of this exhortation:  "Because the day of Christ is near and because the peace of God stands guard, the church can rejoice.  In the face of abuse and conflict the Philippians do not have to press their case.  They are to stand firm, yes, but they can be forbearing not overbearing. In full confidence of their trust in God, they can devote time to prayer, praise, and thanksgiving."  (Interpretation series, Philippians, p. 72).

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Henry Mitchell's exhortation to always make celebration a key part of any sermon works well here.  The fact that St. Paul says that we rejoice in the Lord, is the key thing.  We rejoice in all the abundance we have through Christ, despite our circumstances.

Blessings on your proclamation!