Philippians 3:17-4:1

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.  Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

I’ve been watching the Olympics, awed by the athleticism, artistry and sheer talent of the world’s athletes. The ski jumpers, snowboarders and ice skaters—with their grace and confidence and, in some cases, utter power—make the jumps and flips and spins look so easy, the way a bird makes flying seem effortless. I watch and for a fleeting moment think to myself, “I could learn to skate like that…” But I’m aware that these athletes have spent entire lifetimes training, practicing, focusing; hour after hour of hard work, sweat and determination through sore muscles, overworked tendons, aching knees and backs. Can you imagine spending your whole life working toward one Olympic moment?

In a way, that’s what Paul is encouraging us to do in today’s passage. Living our lives according to the example set by Jesus Christ is the goal of a lifetime. We must train ourselves daily to exercise love and grace; we must work hard to seek justice and practice compassion. Sometimes it takes determination and sweat. Often we find moguls in our path or rough patches in the ice. Some days it’s easy, and we have that feeling of sailing off a ski jump as if we’re flying, and those days make it easier to persevere through days when we find ourselves limping along at the back of the pack.

Paul says that in the end, we’ll be rewarded for our hard work; we’ll have our gold-medal moment. That may be, but I think I find my reward in earthly things like listening to my daughter’s desire to help orphans in Haiti; in knowing our church’s offerings helped build an AIDS hospice in South Africa; in going on a mission trip to Nicaragua. These may not be Olympic moments, but they are signposts in our training toward the goal of following the example of Jesus.

Prayer: Gracious God, help us in our quest to follow the loving, compassionate example set by Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lara Schopp

Director of Communications