Sun, Oct 11, 2020
Always look on the bright side... ?
Philippians 4:1-9 by Craig de Vos
Series: Sermons

At the Inquiry into the failure of Victoria’s Covid Hotel Quarantine programme––

a failure that was responsible for the recent deadly outbreak––

management for the various hotels blamed the Victorian government… 

and the private security guards deployed to the hotels.

In turn, the Victorian government blamed the private security contractors that it hired.

The Victorian police minister explained that the decision to use private security firms to managed returned travellers had been made quickly.

“Following the decision of the National Cabinet to establish a hotel quarantine program…security contracts were mobilised within twenty-four hours and exempted from a tender process due to the urgency”, she said.

The Health Minister resigned after the Premier held her accountable.

But, in her submission to the Inquiry, she said that the Jobs Minister should also share the blame.

In his submission, the Premier said that he did not know who made the final decision regarding private security.

The Jobs Department defended its process for hiring the security companies… 

but claims it only had a “very limited role”…

and all decisions regarding infection control and cleaning protocols lay with the Health Department;

while the Health Department distanced itself from the decision to employ private security…

claiming that had been the preference of the Victorian Police. 

 

When we’re stressed, feeling trapped or under pressure…

we all say and do things that we shouldn’t.

In a way, it’s almost ingrained––

a part of our human nature…

a throw-back to our evolutionary animal instincts––

the fight or flight response.

When we’re stressed, feeling trapped or under pressure…

we don’t always think straight;

we look to find someone to blame;

and we lash out.

When we’re stressed, feeling trapped or under pressure…

we can become preoccupied with our problems…

and consumed by them…

and we dwell on the negatives.

 

When Paul wrote to the Philippian Church, he was an old man…

sitting in prison…

facing a fraught and fearful future…

facing what could well turn out to be a painful and shameful death.

Under those circumstances, Paul would have been under pressure.

No doubt, he would have been scared…

and it would have been natural if he had been angry and bitter…

and otherwise consumed by his predicament.

And yet, in our reading this morning, Paul exhorts the Philippians––

who were, themselves, also under pressure… 

and facing a fraught and fearful future––

“Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, 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”.

In the original Greek, he actually urges them to “keep thinking about these things”;

in other words, to “ponder them” or to “dwell on them”.

So, what Paul is saying is that when you’re under pressure…

when your back is against the wall…

when you’re feeling swamped––

like there’s no way out or there’s no way forward––

don’t dwell on the negatives…

don’t become preoccupied with your problems.

Rather, think about what is good and noble;

don’t respond out of anger or fear;

and don’t be seduced into simply doing what’s expedient.

Certainly, don’t get caught in the ends-justifying-the-means trap.

Rather, focus on what is right, and proper, and just.

Be people of integrity.

Live out your beliefs. 

Live out your faith.

 

Now, of course, that makes sense––

even if it isn’t easy to do in real life.

But when Paul prefaces all of that with the exhortation:

“Rejoice in the Lord always”…

I feel like screaming, “You’ve got to be kidding, right?”

Because the image that comes to my mind… 

is that scene from Monty Python’s Life of Brian…

where there’s a bunch of people nailed to crosses… 

flippantly singing, “Always look on the bright side of life”!

And I have to be honest and say that I have real trouble with that. 

I have trouble with the mentality that says…

“When you’re feeling down and dwelling on the negatives…

remember that there are always people who are worse off than you…

so, don’t complain”.

But feigning calmness or contentment––

denying how we’re actually feeling…

and trying to pretend that we’re okay if we just don’t think about it––

doesn’t work.

In fact, it’s actually quite damaging in the long term.

All we do is bury our resentment, and anger, and grief unresolved;

and, sooner or later, it will come out––

usually, in an unhealthy and unhelpful way.

 

I don’t think that’s what Paul means here.

When he urges the Philippians to “rejoice”… 

he’s not advocating a state of denial or pretence.

I think what he’s saying is much more nuanced than that.

Rather, I think what he’s saying is… 

that it’s important to acknowledge the reality of what we’re experiencing;

and, at the same time, to be aware of God’s presence…

to be conscious of the God who enters into––

and who shares–– 

our sufferings.

Paul is exhorting us to focus on the presence and nearness of God…

in the midst of what we’re experiencing…

and to know––

truly to know––

the peace that comes when we realise that we’re not alone…

that there is someone who understands and who cares…

and that, however godforsaken we might feel, we’re not.

And yet, in knowing that… 

he urges us to find the courage to do what is good and right.

Martin Luther King jr spoke of that sort of experience in his own life…

how–– 

in the midst of his struggles… 

and in the wake of spiteful death-threats––

he became powerfully aware of God’s presence:

“The agonizing moments through which I have passed during the last few years have also drawn me closer to God. More than ever before I am convinced of the reality of a personal God…

In the midst of outer dangers I have felt an inner calm. In the midst of lonely days and dreary nights I have heard an inner voice saying, ‘Lo, I will be with you’… 

I have felt the power of God transforming the fatigue of despair into the buoyancy of hope. 

I am convinced that the universe is under the control of a loving purpose,

and that in the struggle for righteousness”, 

we have “cosmic companionship”.

I think that is what Paul is talking about here.

“Rejoicing in God” does not mean pretending to be happy when we’re not.

It means resting secure in the knowledge that–– 

whatever struggles we might face––

we do not face them alone.

Knowing that God is with us––

and that we are not alone––

can renew our courage and our resolve to see it through.

It can also remind us that we need not be buffeted along at the mercy of the elements…

doomed to respond instinctively out of fear and panic.

Or, to put it another way perhaps…

in the face of peril and pressure, when we choose to act with integrity;

when we respond to our struggles with the assurance of God’s presence…

and the hope of God’s future;

when we seek to do what is right, rather than what is expedient…

and what is honourable and just, rather than what is convenient––

Paul assures us that it’s then that we discover…

“the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding”.