One of the practices of this
congregation over the years is the prayer for traveling mercies. These are prayers in which we ask for God's
presence in the journeys of those we love . . . that they may arrive safely to
their destination, and that they will return home safe in their journeys. It is
a prayer of concern for those that we love . . . a prayer of hope. It is prayer that those who have been covered
by it are appreciative.
Such is the prayer that the Apostle
Paul offers for the congregation in Philippi.
True, the congregation is not making a physical journey . . . they are
not leaving to go some place else, but the reality is that they are on a
journey . . . a spiritual journey. Like
any journey, it is filled with the same sorts of concerns . . . concerns that
those who are making the journey arrive safely and without harm . . . concerns
that the journey is good to them and that they make it to their
destination. In this journey . . . this
spiritual journey . . . the destination is into the intimacy and presence of a
loving relationship with God that, in turn, moves individuals beyond themselves
into the realm of love for others.
One would think that the relationship
that the Apostle Paul had with the congregation in Philippi was intimate and
revealing. In this congregation the
apostle encountered a group of individuals who fully embraced the presence of
Jesus through his teachings and examples . . . fully embraced the concept of
loving God whole-heartedly and allowing that love to seep out into their love
for others. The congregation in Philippi
made a powerful impression upon Paul . . . an impression he could not
forget. Now, after he has left the
congregation, he remembers them . . . remembers their faith . . . remembers
their ministry . . . their love and grace.
It is a fond memory that he carries within his memories and within his
heart. He proclaims in his letter to
them: "I thank God every time I remember you." Apparently these people were important to the
Apostle Paul.
Since the time that he left them, they
have been on their own. No longer is he
there to teach them . . . to counsel them . . . to guide them. They are on their own. The time has come for them to step out into
the world and to make their journey of faith on their own. As we all know, no journey is ever easy;
thus, Paul offers to them a prayer . . . a sort of "traveling
mercies" prayer for their journey.
He cares about these people, and he is concerned for them as they make
their journey. He wants it to be a safe
and rewarding journey for them all. He
offers a prayer . . . he writes: "My prayer for you . . . "
I think that it is good that we are a
congregation that practices the prayer of "traveling mercies" . . . I
think that it is good that we remember our brothers and sisters in their
journeys . . . it is a good spiritual practice.
But, I think that we all need to broaden our understanding of what it
means to be on a journey . . . to get beyond on the outward physical journey
where we go from location "A" to location "B". We need to broaden it to include the
spiritual journey . . . that journey each of us is called to when we declare
our love for Jesus . . . that journey we are called to to move beyond
commitment to a live of love and grace demonstrated by Jesus himself . . . that
journey into the constant presence of God in the world and in our lives. To dedicate one's life to God through Jesus
is not the final destination . . . it is only the beginning of a longer and
deeper journey into the presence of the "holy". We should remember and practice offering
prayers of "traveling mercies" for all who are on this great
spiritual journey.
That is Paul's prayer for those in the
congregation in Philippi. In his prayer
he prays for two things . . . a deeper understanding of love that over comes
the fear that knowledge can produce in the lives of those making the journey .
. . and, then, out of this deeper understanding, he prays for a love that knows
no boundaries and reaches out to others to bring them the love and grace of
God. His prayer is that those
individuals grow deeper in their understanding of God's love . . . that they
dive deeper and deeper into God's love as they grow closer and closer to God .
. . and, then, out of that love, the same is offered to others through their
actions and lives. If they can do this,
then they will arrive safely to their spiritual destination . . . they will
arrive in the kingdom of God.
Jesus put it simply: That we love the
Lord, our God, with out whole being, and that we love one another.
It sounds so simple . . . yet, it is
not as simple as it sounds. How are we
to embrace such understanding and love in a world where there is so much going
on around us that shakes our understanding and ability to love others? With the terrorist attack in Paris . . . our
attention was grabbed . . . and, we reacted . . . we reacted with fear and
hatred. We pulled the shutters, slammed
the doors, and basically closed up shop . . . we do not want any of those Muslims
in our country. Then, in the two weeks
since that took place we have seen domestic terror in our own backyard . . . a
gunman shooting up a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs that killed
several . . . gunmen in California who shot up and killed twenty individuals
gathered for a holiday party. Our fear
climbed to an even higher level . . . fingers are pointed . . . fear reeks of
hatred. Love is difficult to nurture and
grow in such fearful soil. How are we
supposed to love those we have begun to hate for the acts of a few individuals?
Well, through understanding and
knowledge of God's love . . . a love that was put on display for the world to
see in the embodiment and life of Jesus.
In understanding that God's love is not of this world, and yet, that is
what we are called to live. God's love
is to love all others . . . in particular those who are in need, those who are
lost, those who are suffering, forgotten, persecuted, and homeless . . . those who
are different from us. Was it not out of
this group that Jesus called his disciples?
That he walked among? That he
pointed his ministry to? Paul calls the
congregation in Philippi to this deeper understanding. Then he calls them to live their life with
this understanding to allow them to reach out to the world's
"others".
That is the apostle's prayer for the
congregation in Philippi. And, that
should be our prayer for those we love making the spiritual journey of
faith. We live in a day where there is
danger. We live in a day where there is
terror. We live in a day in which
injustice is displayed against others by those who are fueled by hatred. And, at the same time, we cannot allow our
fear of such danger, terror, injustice, and hatred to overcome us with fear . .
. fear that makes us forget the love of God.
A love that reaches out to others . . . a love that tells us we are to
love one another . . . to love all of God's children who have been created in
God's own image.
As we continue this spiritual journey
during the season of Advent . . . a journey to the presence of God in our world
and lives . . . let us seek that deeper knowledge and understanding of God's
love . . . and, let us live it instead fear.
It is with such knowledge we will
change the world. It is with such
knowledge that we will find God's Kingdom.
In the words of Malala Yousafzai--the Afghanistan girl whose was beaten
and nearly killed by religious extremists in that country for going to school,
wise beyond her years, “With guns you can kill terrorists. With education you
can kill terrorism.” Love can conquer
all.
I share what biblical commentator, Amy
Allen, writes: "My prayer, as I echo Paul’s prayer, is that with all
knowledge and discernment—spurning the vitriol of selfishness, fear, and hate—we
let our love overflow … for one another and for our neighbors. And that through
us love be the sign of God’s Kingdom as it makes itself known here on
earth."
So is the prayer I have for each of
you . . . for all of us . . . as we journey through the season of Advent. May God's traveling mercies be with us
all. Amen.
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