Sunday, December 6, 2009: "From Imperfect to Complete"

Second Sunday in Advent
Community of the Cross Lutheran Church
Philippians 1:3-11
December 6, 2009

Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus, who is the Christ!

Last week, Pastor Gary introduced our Advent and Christmas theme, “Rags to Riches” by referring to a patchwork quilt and how, in the hands of a skilled quilter, simple RAGS can actually be TRANSFORMED into a beautiful work of art. Ya see, we’re spending the seasons of Advent and Christmas this year focusing on how, in the hands of Jesus Christ, our LIVES can be TRANSFORMED in much the same way. Our theme verse for “Rags to Riches” expounds on this TRANSFORMATION saying, “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”
Last week Pastor Gary also explained how this TRANSFORMATION is sometimes called “The Great Exchange,” where in effect, imperfect humans like you and me…swap OUR emptiness for CHRIST’S fullness. As Martin Luther taught, “[Christ] has EMPTIED himself of his righteousness that he might…FILL us with it; and he has taken our evils upon himself that he might deliver us from them.” Our hope with this year’s theme is that we will all hear…and be reminded of the Good News that in Christ OUR RAGS are exchanged for HIS RICHES.
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Now for this morning, we’re specifically focusing on how, in the hands of Christ, our lives can be TRANSFORMED from “Imperfect to Complete.” As Paul described in our reading from Philippians for this morning, “I am confident of THIS, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
As we talk about our lives being “imperfect,” I believe we’re referring to the various challenges, difficulties, failures and broken dreams that we may face in our lifetimes. Not everyone’s life follows the same path, but we all have experiences that result in unwanted changes to the course of our days (difficulties with our parents, spouses, or children… challenges in the workplace or the loss of a job…mental illness, physical pain, accidents & injuries, sickness, or the untimely death of a loved one – are just a few examples). I don’t believe you need many reminders about the fact that our lives are not perfect, our relationships are not perfect, and our world is not perfect.
As we talk about moving “From Imperfect to Complete” this morning, you must understand that the word “COMPLETE” is far more significant than it first appears. The word “Complete” for today comes directly from Paul’s letter to the Philippians where he writes, “The one who began a good work among you will bring it to COMPLETION by the day of Jesus Christ.” What makes it so significant is that Paul’s use of the Greek word for “completion” is connected with the profoundly important Old Testament word SHALOM (a Hebrew word with richly textured meanings of perfect health and wholeness). So ya see, with this single word Paul is attempting to declare the Gospel to the Philippians.
Paul is reminding the Philippians that the Lord of Life is the true constant in all the experiences of life – especially in the most difficult experiences that can overwhelm and disorient us. Paul doesn’t suggest that every experience in life will be good, BUT that the God who began the good work in us WILL complete it. In spite of the imperfections we encounter…the various challenges, difficulties, failures and broken dreams that we may face in our lifetimes… God’s goal is our SHALOM, our wholeness and peace, and God is at work to accomplish that goal in our lives.
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What’s most interesting about our reading for this morning is that Paul was writing this letter to the Philippians from his prison cell in Rome. Even in a dank, dark prison cell facing death at the hands of a those who prided themselves in killing people in particularly cruel ways…Paul remained joyfully thankful, joyfully confident, and joyfully prayerful. The entire letter to the Philippians is filled with Paul’s own joy and thanksgiving for what HE has found in his relationship with God in Christ. Here, Paul is an example of someone who is TRANSFORMED in Christ => from Rags to Riches, from Imperfect to Complete in Christ.
There once was a monk who was walking along a path when he noticed something very shiny sticking out of the dirt. He bent down to pick it up and found that it was a very valuable, precious gem. He cleaned it off, put it into his bag, and continued on his way. A little further along the path, he met up with a needy man who asked if the monk could spare something to eat. The monk agreed and opened his bag to retrieve part of his lunch to share. While the monk was searching his bag, the man happened to notice the shiny gem and asked, “Could I have THAT instead?”
To which the monk replied, “Certainly” and handed it over without hesitation. So the man took the gem and went on his way.
Later, that man came back to the monk because he wanted to return the gem. Naturally, the monk was very puzzled by this and asked why the man was returning the precious gem. So the man told him, “What I really want is what ever it is that allowed you to so easily part with such a valuable gem, because THAT is what is MOST precious.”
As it turns out, the Apostle Paul and the monk had something in common…a relationship that allowed them to put LIFE and THINGS into perspective…a relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…a relationship where imperfect humans like you and me can swap OUR emptiness for CHRIST’S fullness.
An even more poignant example of this is illustrated by the story of a family that was involved in a serious traffic accident. The youngest of the two brothers was badly injured and needed a blood transfusion. The oldest brother, who was only eight years old, had the same blood type as his younger brother. So the dad sat down with him and very carefully explained why the blood transfusion was needed and how wonderful it would be for his little brother. After some silence the big brother spoke up, “Yes Daddy…I’ll give him MY blood so He can get well.”
After the full amount of blood had been drawn, and the needle was removed, the big brother turned to his dad and with tears rolling down his cheeks he asked, “Daddy, when do I die?”
And that’s when the dad suddenly realized with shock that the young boy had misunderstood his explanation of giving blood – the boy thought he was giving ALL his blood to save the life of his brother! He thought that he would die after the transfusion was over – yet he still agreed to help his little brother!
That is an iconic story of how, in ways both large and small, we too can live our lives after being TRANSFORMED in Christ. The oldest brother was willing to give UP his life so that his little brother would HAVE life. That’s what Christ did for each of us, as we’re reminded by our “Rags to Riches” theme verse, “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

+Christ emptied himself to be born in our flesh, to take our sins upon himself and be
put to death so that WE may live…

+He gave UP his life so that we may HAVE life…

+So that we may be TRANSFORMED “From Imperfect to Complete” in this life…and
forever. AMEN.