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THE
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT MARCH 28, 2004 “The
Loss of All Things” Bishop Donald Parsons "I count all things
to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for
whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I
may gain Christ, and be found in him." (Phil. 3:8,9) St.
Paul was converted suddenly, dramatically and most convincingly. He gave
himself totally to Christ. Recall his sufferings for the faith, listed in II
Corinthians 11. “Are they servants
of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. o
I have worked much harder, o
Been in prison more frequently, o
Been flogged more severely, and o
Been exposed to death again and again. o
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
o
Three times I was beaten with rods, o
Once I was stoned, o
Three times I was shipwrecked, o
I spent a night and a day in the open sea, o
I have been constantly on the move. o
I have been in danger from rivers, o
In danger from bandits, o
In danger from my own countrymen, o
In danger from Gentiles; o
In danger in the city, o
In danger in the country, o
In danger at sea; o
In danger from false brothers. o
I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; o
I have known hunger and thirst o
Have often gone without food; o
I have been cold and naked. o
Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my
concern for all the churches. Paul gave himself to
the service of God without reservation.
Yet it was not just those sufferings. He speaks of the things he gave up, the things he lost – “the
loss of all things.” What
things? Saul was a citizen
of Rome. He was from the city of
Tarsus in Silicia (now Turkey).
Tarsus was an important city.
As Roman citizens, his family had wealth and status in society. Paul was sent to Jerusalem to study
as a rabbinic student under Gamaliel.
He was one of the best students.
He excelled in dedication to the Pharisaic traditions and was given
trust and recognition by the Sanhedrin to ferret out Christians in Damascus. The high priest gave him this
commission as a relatively young man. Saul comes from a
good Jewish family; he has a great teacher; he has a great career ahead of
him. He gives up all of this: o
Status o
Prestige o Promising career o Adulation and praise as a perfect student o Wealth He really gave
himself to God, once and for all, totally – totally and forever! I wish I could do that – give myself
totally to God, once and for all, and get it over with. It doesn’t work like that! Lent is almost done –
how have we carried out our plans for Lent? (not to mention our New Year’s resolutions!) We are on fire one day and cold the
next. We want to do it once for
always. It wasn’t like that
for Paul, either. “Not that I
have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be
that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:12) Paul isn’t done until God is done
with him. He has more to learn,
to do, to become. This is
written in Philippians, one of his latest letters. There will be
another Lent next year, with a renewed giving of ourselves to God. We start again and again and again
and again! Never give up! Old temptations have a way of
persisting. The Devil doesn’t
play fair – he tempts us when we are weak, tired, hungry and stressed. We are never done. St. Paul wasn’t done until God was
done with him. We keep on
struggling against our weaknesses.
Don’t give up! Start over
and over and over again. It’s not hopeless
because Christ Jesus is working in us.
We are not in this alone.
“I press on to MAKE IT MY OWN because Christ Jesus HAS MADE ME HIS
OWN.” He has called us. He has given us this desire to give
ourselves fully to Him. God says
to us, “Well done.” “CHRIST JESUS HAS
MADE ME HIS OWN.”
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