Excellent and Admirable (Philippians 4:4-9)

 I want the peace that passes understanding… doesn’t that sound nice? 

I’m not really sure what it means to have a peace that is beyond my ability to understand, but I imagine it includes being able to fall right to sleep at night, with no worries about anything… no worries about one’s medical bills… no worries about the election… no worries about getting sick with COVID…no worries about anything! You just lay down in bed at night with a smile on your face, knowing that all is right in the world…

It seems like a dream. Wishful thinking. And maybe that’s not exactly what the scripture means when it talks about a peace that passes understanding. But whatever that peace that passes understanding is, the scripture tells us how that peace can be achieved…

First: Rejoice. Always. 

That sounds ridiculous and unrealistic, given the times in which we live, and the challenges we face. How can one rejoice in a time like this? The person who wrote that Bible verse must not have understood what it means to struggle, to face disappointment.

Yet, the person who wrote this was the apostle Paul, and at the time he wrote it, he was in prison. From his dark prison cell, bound in chains, Paul wrote: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” From his dark prison cell, bound in chains, Paul wrote: “Let the peace of God, which passes all understanding, be yours…”

That’s quite remarkable: that Paul was able to be at peace, and find joy, while in prison...

And then Paul adds some advice that I think helped him find his way to joy, and find his way to peace. He said: 

Set your mind on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, pure, pleasing, commendable; whatever is excellent or worthy of praise.

I’m guessing this is what worked for Paul, what helped him find peace and joy while in prison.

What is it that you can think of that is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise? I bet you can think of something...

The first thing that comes to my mind is love.

Because isn’t love true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise? Love fits the description.

In the book of First Corinthians, this same Paul calls the way of love the “more excellent way.” There, in First Corinthians, he says that love is patient and kind, and that love rejoices with the truth.

That sounds a lot like what we have here in his letter to the Philippians.

And it echoes the teaching of Jesus, that the most important thing we can do is love God, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. And this teaching of Jesus echoes the teaching of the Torah, the instructions given to the ancient Israelites.

Love God. With all your heart, soul, body, and mind. And, in the same way, love your neighbor as yourself.

If you can do that: if you can live your life in love, and let love guide your thoughts and your actions, then maybe it is possible to rejoice and have peace, no matter the circumstances... 

Now, I know: difficult days, difficult times, can leave us cranky, irritable, selfish, rude, and unpleasant. We might mope around feeling sorry for ourselves. We might feel lazy, and think to ourselves: nothing matters. Why should I try? Why should I get out of bed? Why should I work to show love when my world is falling apart?

Well, one reason is that it’s commanded of us, and it’s the most important command given to us. It’s our prime directive. It’s our purpose. It’s our one thing, our “why.”

But here’s another reason, something I’ve discovered in my own life. It’s true that I, like everyone else, experience days of difficult emotions and bad attitudes. But on the days when I have found a way to practice love, to show love to others, I find... that I am able to fall asleep a little easier at night… I find that I have just a little more joy, and just a little more peace, at the end of the day. 

If the world is filled with darkness and terror, but I’m able to somehow add just a little light, just a little hope, into someone’s life… that raises the level of peace, and the level of joy, that I experience.

It makes me think that there is nothing more true, more honorable, more just, more pure, more pleasing, more commendable, more excellent or worthy of praise, than showing a little love to someone. 

So when I’m at my best (which isn’t always, unfortunately…) I am guided by love. When I’m at my best, love guides the plans I make for my day; and love guides the decisions I make. 

Decisions can be hard. How often are we left wondering: what should I do?

I find it really helpful, when facing a difficult decision, to ask: what would love do? That’s the question I ask, when I’m at my best, when I’m thinking clearly, when I’ve taken the time to align my heart with God’s heart. 

What would love do?

If only I could remember to ask myself that question more often!

What would love do?...

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.

What would love do?

How would love vote?

And what about all these stupid guidelines we have to follow: wear a mask. Don’t gather in groups. Keep your distance… Do we really have to follow them?

Well… What would love do?

There are churches that are arguing for their right to gather for worship however they want, even packing into crowded sanctuaries and auditoriums. There are Christian leaders saying it’s ridiculous to wear masks, that it shows a lack of faith. When I posted on twitter about the importance of wearing a mask, one person labelled me a sheep.

I told him I’d rather be among the sheep than among the goats!

Because practicing love, for me, means doing everything I can to protect myself and those around me. To me, it seems foolish and selfish to insist on my own rights or the rights of my congregation to gather however we want, when doing so is dangerous, and goes against the guidelines and recommendations of the health experts.

And because it also jeopardizes lives, and is the complete opposite of showing love to one’s neighbor, gathering in ways that are not recommended is also sinful.

It is sinful to not protect life in the midst of a pandemic! Yes, I know we’re tired of sitting at home, we’re tired of zoom meetings and zoom classes, we’re tired of not gathering with people, giving hugs and showing affection… We’re tired of it all, and I get that. I’m tired of it all, too.

But I also know that Paul must have been tired of his prison cell staring at those stone walls, not being able to move about, his body chained to the wall… 

Yet somehow, he remained focused on love. The love of God in Christ Jesus was all that mattered to him - knowing that love, and sharing that love. 

Everything else, he considered to be rubbish in comparison. In Philippians chapter 3 - just a little before our reading for today from chapter 4 - Paul says all his accomplishments, all his advantages, all the things he looked forward to and was proud of - in comparison to Christ and Christ’s love, all these other things, he considers to be rubbish. Excrement. The word in Greek is even more vulgar than that! 

Because there’s only one thing that matters for Paul: Christ, and Christ’s love; it is the love from which nothing on earth can separate us - neither life nor death nor anything else. It is the love we are called to practice. It is the still more excellent way. It is the greatest of all.

I invite you to consider the way of love; the way of Jesus. Are you committed to Jesus’ way of love?

If so, think about how you are going to follow Jesus’ way of love in the weeks and months ahead. 

The holidays are coming up, times when we long to get together with both family and friends. Yet there are currently 1,000 new cases of COVID being diagnosed every day in L.A. County. How can we show love in the midst of this? How can we practice loving our neighbor?

One thing I’ve done is create a little pledge that we can use to help us practice loving our neighbor during this pandemic. I’ve already posted it online, and you may have already seen it. It reads:

Knowing that Christ teaches me to love my neighbor as myself, I pledge to:

• Wear a mask when around other people

• Maintain distance of at least six feet from others whenever possible

• Practice good hygiene

• Follow all policies and guidelines that aim to protect public health

• Care for my own mental, emotional, and spiritual health

• Practice kindness, knowing that we’re all doing the best we can

I hope that, each day, you can live by that pledge, showing love to yourself and your neighbors. And I hope that, each evening, when you go to bed at night, you find just a little more peace in your life, and maybe even a little more joy, knowing that you have done what was required to show love to others and protect life; knowing that you are following Jesus’ way of love.

Focus on Excellence (Philippians 4:4-9)

We are the inheritors of a legacy of excellence. 

In 1874, the first Disciples of Christ church in southern California was established in nearby Downey. 

The first Disciples of Christ church in Long Beach was built in 1903. 

North Long Beach Christian Church held its first services in 1929; and in 1945, construction began on Bixby Knolls Christian Church.

The first worship service was held on January 27, 1946.  There was such great excitement for the new congregation that 277 worshippers were present.  Many of them were supporters from Eastside Christian Church and North Long Beach Christian Church. 

For the first six months, worshippers sat in folding chairs as pews had not yet been purchased.

The first board president was Velva Owen. 

There was no custodian, so members took turns cleaning the church. 

The first choir rehearsal took place by candlelight as there was no electrical hook up yet. 

The following year, in February 1947, the first Youth Day worship was held, a highlight of which was Eleanor Smith played her accordion.

As I look back over the history of Bixby Knolls Christian Church, I am amazed at the dedication of those who helped build this congregation.  They were hard-working, committed Christians who believed in following Jesus and establishing a movement for wholeness here in Long Beach, California.

And I have no doubt that they did it out of gratitude for the love shown to them by God.  What God did for us is nothing short of excellent.  God gave his only Son because God loved us so much.  Nothing less would have been acceptable to God. 

It’s so hard to wrap my mind around that; so easy to take it for granted.  God’s love for me is so great, that it goes all out.  It’s not a conditional love. It’s not a love that holds back.  It’s not a love that gives up.  It’s not a mediocre love, a love that’s merely “good enough.”  It’s a love that is excellent in every way.

Which is why the apostle Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians, describes love as a “still more excellent way.”  And it’s why, when he wrote to the Philippians, he said, “if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things.”

Focus on what is excellent. 

Don’t focus on the mediocre.  Don’t focus on what’s good enough to get by.  Focus on what is excellent.

Easier said than done, right?  I know that I have too often settled for “good enough.”  Despite the promise I made when I was a cub scout, I have not always “done my best.”  Too often I have done just enough to get by.

But doesn’t God deserve more than just “good enough?” from me?  Doesn’t the legacy I’ve inherited from those who worked so hard to establish this church deserve more than “good enough” from me?

Don’t God and those who went before me deserve nothing less than excellence?

At the General Assembly this summer, I got to hear an educational lecture given by a speaker from the Disney Institute.  His name was Jeff Noel; but when he mentioned that he got his start at Disney working the Jungle Cruise, in my mind he became “Jungle Jeff.”

Jungle Jeff asked us to think about the types of experiences that people usually talk about.

Jungle Jeff pointed out that what people usually talk about are their very best experiences,… and their very worst experiences.  People don’t talk about the stuff in between, the stuff that was “okay.” They talk about what was excellent, and they talk about what was awful.

A few days later I discovered what Jungle Jeff meant. 

After the Assembly was over, when my family went to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we were amazed by the beauty of this lushly landscaped park.  And we especially loved the Lion King show.  It was excellent!  So good, that I’m telling you about it right now, in the middle of my sermon! 

And we especially hated the Dinosaurland area of the park.  Everything else at Animal Kingdom was wonderful; but Dinosaurland was ugly, it was loud, the rides were terrible, and if someone were to give me a free ticket to Animal Kingdom, but said I could only go to Dinosaurland and nowhere else in Animal Kingdom, I’d say no thanks, I’d rather just stay on the bus that brought me to the park entrance. 

Now, what about all the other things we experienced at Disney World?  They were good, most of them.  Good enough, at least.  But, you know, I’m not really motivated to tell you about the “good enough” experiences.  I’d rather tell you about what was excellent, and what was horrible.  I’d rather tell you about the best, and the worst… and I bet that when I asked you to share the best part of your summer, you were like, “alright,” and when I asked you to share the worst part of your summer, you were like “alright,” but when I asked you to share about an “okay/mediocre” part of your summer, you were like, “what?”…and you thought, well, I answered 2 out of 3, I think maybe I’ll just read the bulletin or check my facebook until the choir anthem starts…

Jungle Jeff said that what Disney tries to do is create experiences that aren’t just “good enough,” because no one’s going to go home and tell their friends about experiences that are just “good enough.”  Disney tries to create experiences that are the best.  Disney wants guests to go home and tell their friends about the best vacation they’ve ever had.  And, not always, but often, Disney does succeed.

Another thing Jungle Jeff talked about were the Disney cast members, who are trained to make every day at Disney a “magical” experience for guests.  This is a constant challenge. The pay rate for cast members is pretty standard, and the work they do is often demanding.  Jungle Jeff said that a cast member will do what he or she is trained to do, and in doing what he or she is trained to do, he or she will do “good enough” and will provide a “good enough” experience for park guests.  But Disney works hard to encourage cast members to go beyond “good enough” and provide an “excellent” experience for guests. 

If you’ve been to Disneyland, you know that cast members often go out of their way to be friendly and helpful.  In fact, I’m often amazed, particularly when I’m standing in line for a ride like Space Mountain, how respectful and friendly cast members usually are.  Do you know that the Space Mountain ride operators must dispatch a rocket every 20 to 25 seconds, depending on how many rockets are on the track, and if they don’t, the rockets will back up, causing the computer to shut the whole ride down?  And if that happens, it can take a half hour or more to restart the ride. 

So if a guest is too slow getting in or out of the rocket, and the rockets coming into the station start to back up, the ride automatically shuts down.  One of cast member’s most important responsibilities, then, is to get riders in and out of their rockets as fast as possible.  Seems to me like this would create a rather stressful working condition.  Imagine working your hardest to dispatch a rocket every 20 seconds, over and over and over, while guests search for the hat they dropped on the floor, or decide at the last minute to switch seats, etc.  Disney cast members do this, all the while being courteous and helpful and friendly.

Another place with excellent customer service is In-N-Out.  Any other fast-food restaurant I go to, I find it rare to receive a smile or genuine welcome when I walk in.  But at In-N-Out, every person there seems genuinely happy to be there, and happy to serve you, as if it’s their greatest joy in the world to take your order and give you your Double-Double Animal Style.  Now that’s excellence… and that’s why – even more than the food – In-N-Out is the only fast food chain restaurant I actually look forward to eating at.  And because it’s so excellent, I look forward to the opportunity to tell people about it, as I’m doing right now.

One of the things that I hear about Bixby Knolls Christian Church today – and just about every Disciples church I’ve been connected to over the years – is that they are often the “best kept secret” in their communities. 

Today, I can’t help but wonder if part of the reason for that is that we’ve been doing things “good enough” for too long.  When was the last time we did something excellent, something outstanding, in the church?

Keep in mind:  “good enough” is not “bad.”  “Good enough” is still “good.”  But it’s not exactly something people are going to insist upon telling to their friends.

Here at Bixby Knolls Christian Church, there are signs of excellence.  Almost all congregations would rate themselves as friendly, but what I hear from visitors and people outside our congregation is that we truly are a loving, friendly people.  That is significant.

And the fact that we’ve been able to embark on some big projects to care for our facility has not gone unnoticed by our community.  Five years ago, I’d have to tell people in the community where we were.  I even had a phone call once from someone who worked across the street… and she was asking where we were located!  She wanted directions!

But more recently, people have noticed the new paint.  They’ve noticed the new plants.  And they couldn’t help but notice the fumigation tents a few months ago. 

This is the kind of stuff we need if we’re going to focus on excellence.  People talk about Disneyland because it’s the best.  People talk about In-N-Out because it’s the best.  People aren’t going to talk about a church that is just “okay,” a church that is “good enough,” but doesn’t really strive to be the best, to be excellent in what it does.  But people will talk about a church that is particularly excellent, and they will talk about a church that is particularly awful.  So: let’s be excellent!

By the way, excellence does not mean perfection.  Perfection is an impossible, unattainable goal.  Striving for perfection is a futile effort. 

But striving for excellence is do-able.  It is doing the best we can. 

God calls us to excellence.  Excellence in worship, excellence in the care we show our facility, excellence in the commitment we have to our ministry, and – most of all – excellence in the love we show to every single person in our community.

It doesn’t matter what your role is in the church.  If you are a worship planner, ask yourself:  how can I make worship excellent?  If you are a committee chair, ask yourself:  how can I make the work of my committee excellent?  If you are the host of a fellowship time, ask yourself: how can I make fellowship time excellent?  If you are a volunteer in any capacity, ask yourself:  how can I be excellent in what I do?  And if you keep a low profile when it comes to church, the question is for you as well:  how can I be excellent toward God?

People feel close to God in lots of places and in lots of ways.  In nature, in the mountains or at the beach.  In gatherings of people committed to peace or justice.  On mission trips, serving the least of these.

But if, in our ministry, we are able to focus on excellence, then people will feel close to God here at Bixby Knolls Christian Church.  When asked where they feel close to God, people will say:  “I feel closer to God at Bixby Knolls Christian Church than anywhere else in the world.”  If a visitor leaves here feeling that, then we’ll know that we have achieved excellence.

Unfortunately, it is true that for many people today, church is the place where they feel least connected to God.  Church is a place where they feel judged, where they are made to feel inadequate, where they are made to feel unworthy.

But I believe that if we focus on excellence in everything we do, people will be drawn to Bixby Knolls Christian Church because it will be the place where they feel closest to God.  They will know God’s love and feel God’s embrace.  They will discover a community of people who have committed their lives to serving God and loving their neighbor, no matter who that neighbor is.

And the ministry here will thrive, because we’ll have re-discovered that “still more excellent way.”