Helpers and Guideposts

Hilary Wenzel - February 16, 2025

Philippians 2:1- 4

Our scripture this morning is not one of today’s Lectionary choices. Three from Jeremiah, Psalms and Luke were about the blessings of those who put their trust in the Lord (Jer 17:5-10, Ps 1, Luke 16:17-26) and the curse of those who put their trust in mankind, or are wicked, or self-satisfied. And in1 Corinthians (15:12-20), Paul argued the central importance of Jesus’ resurrection. These were all worthy of attention, but not what called my spirit.

I’ve been low in energy and spirit this winter — not depressed — because I know I’m not alone in this condition. It’s more like grief — about our church collapse anniversary, about the state of our country, our world, our planet. I confess, I believe I could and should do more, but I also feel very small.

I’ve had a challenging year, too, starting with a retina tear on the same day the church spire collapsed. All of us in this small church have dealt with our own personal challenges while learning to work together in a new arrangement. We live with uncertainty, doubts and frustrations in order to pull together and take care of ourselves and each other.

I’m thankful and even joyful for good days and for abilities and resources that I have. I think often of people I know with challenges greater than mine. And I’m struck by their strength and courage….and humbled to realize how we’re all trying our best, even if stuck in thoughts and behaviors that hold us back or apart. These have been thoughts that have stuck in my mind recently. And now coming up with an authentic Sunday message was another challenge.

I really needed to see helpers and guideposts. I really needed to rekindle my spirit. What got me going was finding an interfaith service bulletin from 9/11/2003 in our salvaged church records. Learning the prayer hymn from that service (Blessed Spirit of My Life) helped open me up more. Later my daughter-in-law Christy asked what I was going to talk about. I said I didn’t have a scripture passage yet but I’d been thinking about Unity. Right then she suggested Philippians 2:2 about “thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal.” She said her church youth leader used to drum it into the kids.

That led me to explore Philippians, Paul’s short letter from prison to his early church in northern Greece. Marcus Borg tells us Paul was unsure of his fate, yet he wrote with great affection and gratitude and joy….joy grounded in imitating the life seen in Christ Jesus, humble and fully obedient to God. As he didn’t know when or if he could speak with them again, Paul described how to think and act, and who to look to as examples for imitating the mind and life of Jesus.

What stood out for me is Ch 2, verse 3-4. “Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” It doesn’t say to deny our own interests. By considering others as more important, we first try to understand their perspective. If each does this for the other, both can benefit, even when what’s needed is apology and forgiveness. To me, this is acting out of love. This is seeking to build a unifying bond.

Acting in humility is not being “meek” as we often understand it. “The Lost Gospel Q,” a collection of Jesus’ sayings, translates the Greek in Matthew 5:5 as “Fortunate are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” Gentle is explained as strength “under control and tinged with a spirit of caring.” To me, this unifying spirit is a way of sharing leadership. In contrast Paul warns, “Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit.” Unifying bonds can have negative consequences if made for selfish reasons. Boundaries harden. So do ideas. Others become less important than us. We know best.

Life has challenges, and choices can be challenging. I believe the purpose of life isn’t just to be comfortable or pursue happiness. We do need fun and we need to name our gifts and put them to use. We need to keep our heart connected to the Divine source of our being. This is what restores our spirit. This is what filled Paul with affection, gratitude and joy. Then we can “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.” We can expand God’s realm in our lives, and be more available for others.

So if you’ve lost momentum and direction, I just want to say watch for unexpected helpers and guideposts. The smallest glimmer can help light your way.