I know I said I would be posting somethi on Terri Schiavo. And I will address more on that in a bit. But first I figured I would share a sermon I wrote for class recently as I do touch briefly on the Schiavo case. Ok, now bear in mind this sermon was limited to 5-7 minutes so if it seems truncated that would be why...I'll start with the text it is based on...
Philippians 1:20-26 20 It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23 I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26 so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
“Living is Christ and dying is gain”
This simple seeming statement is just jam packed with all sorts of paradoxes and contrasts. “Living is Christ”? I mean, come on, what does that even mean? It seems completely backwards. Something along the lines of “Christ is Living” would be far more appropriate! We say that all the time, especially now during the season of Easter. “Christ is Alive” is our daily proclamation. But “Living is Christ”? LIVING is Christ? I don’t know about you but my living often seems kind of empty and dull. And I have trouble seeing just how exactly my living is Christ.
Of course, this is probably because my idea of living and Paul’s are just a little different. Okay, they’re a lot different. I come at this statement in the way the world wants me to. Living, as the world teaches me, is experiencing things. Feeling things. Living is filling myself with this reality. Striving towards goals I cannot really attain nor (in the end) do I really want to. Living as we are taught in this sense is even defining myself in terms of our current reality. Thus, I am Jon Nelson, my job, my wallet, my possessions, my relationships, my hardships, my hearing loss, my actualized self identity. Its not surprising then, is it, when the living I think of ends up being empty and dull.
Well, this seems a succinct definition of living, one based upon what the world is telling me. How is the world telling me this, you might ask? Well, most obviously in its focus upon material things and its idea of success. The American dream captures this sense quite nicely. House, family, wealth, prestige. But there are other areas where we find the world working to define living. The one that leaps most readily to my mind is in the case of Terri Schiavo.
Here we have a very fervent battle being waged on the definition of living. In our “culture of life” Terri Schiavo’s living is being based entirely upon existence. She is being defined as daughter, wife, existent and feeling. She is being defined on the basis of our reality. Our experience says that since our heart beats and we breathe, since we feel things and react to them, and since we exist in relation to other people and our possessions that is what living is. There has been no mention of any other possibility, but another possibility is exactly what Paul is offering us in this text.
What does Paul mean by living, especially in juxtaposition to the world’s definition? Well, in the next several verses Paul identifies his main dilemma as being “hard pressed” between physical death and physical life. Consequently, we know that he is not using the term ‘living’ in any physical sense. Rather, for Paul, the term living, as used in his statement “Living is Christ” is in reference to spiritual life and fulfillment. This puts things into a bit of perspective.
Living is Christ, then, means that true life can only be experienced where Christ is. Hence true spiritual life and fulfillment can only be realized when we stand in the presence of God. Ah, but wait! Paul, being Paul, may also being giving us a double meaning here. The second meaning being that while we may not stand in the full presence of God in this reality we can still experience true life in connection to Christ. In this sense the few glimpses we have of true life and fulfillment while on this earth are entirely dependent on Christ.
Its not hard, then, to see how in either sense, whether standing in the full presence of God, or experiencing true life in connection to Christ in this reality, the fundamental truth is that Living is Christ.
Now here is a definition that has not been presented in the argument regarding Terri Schiavo. That perhaps, just perhaps, the body’s existence is not nearly as important as the spirit’s. And that maybe we should proceed with regards to Terri Schaivo as we should proceed with all the saints who have gone before us. Mourn their loss for our sake and envy their gain for their’s.
It might seem callous at this point, right after mentioning the Schiavo case, to address the second portion of verse 21, “dying is gain.” But it may, in fact, provide just the right sense of the text. Comparing Paul’s definition of living to that of the world’s explains quite clearly why dying might be gain. Real and true life and fulfillment can only be experienced in relation to Christ, and there can certainly be no better way to experience that then to stand in the full presence of God. We live in Christ now and should rejoice in that and share that rejoicing, but I cannot even imagine how much more we will surely rejoice when standing fully in the life-giving and spirit-fulfilling presence of God. We have gain here on earth, the true gain of faith and grace, but dying is an even greater gain, for then we can fully experience true life.
