Where We Are Today – Running Today’s Leg
Passages: Philippians 3:13-14, Galatians 5:7
Intro
The hardest race is against yourself but then….
You may have heard it said that The hardest race is against yourself. Companies like Nike have built ad campaigns around that idea.
But Paul has another thought here. “You were running a good race.” You were running well. Some people might hear In the hardest race, you were winning! But then continues “You were running a good race but who cut in on you…?” They were zipping along the track, wearing the right clothes, eating the right food, staying in their lines, doing all the right things… when someone else veered across the line, maybe elbowed them in the ribs, caused them to loose their feet, maybe they hit the pavement.
Even if hardest race is against yourself, you are not the only one in the race. In competition, there are players who bend or break the rules to pull other people down. Even if it doesn’t make you faster, it may just be enough to help you win.
It’s about community practices
Paul actually seems to be thinking of specific people here. Their idea of winning is converting people to their ideas about following Jesus.
There’s a backstory here. There had been a big discussion between paul, peter, james and others about all these people who starting following Jesus but were not Jewish. Which Jewish practices did they have to follow? Because many of these were cultural practices, practices that speak to what it means to be Jewish, rooted in being a Hebrew people with a history going back a thousand years. Unless people were *also* becoming Jewish, those practices might get in the way. Now that’s the backstory. But since then, a group had come to this church and was trying to convince them to adopt some of those very same cultural practices.
At times, we fall into the same trap. People get used to certain hymns, the rituals in one book of worship, the practical spiritual wisdom they’re used to, the particular words for god are the right way. Paul is argueing that walking through those doors does not mean we have to take on a different culture from another time and place. What we expect of each other, what we choose to devote our time to, together, is important. If our focus is on requiring people to leave their own culture when they walk through those doors, our eyes are no longer on the race. That’s the moment when we’re the ones stepping across the line into someone else’s lane and making them stumble.
Instead, Paul is reminding them that running the race is about what put our focus on, what we are doing in the this moment, how we are run together, and what we are running towards.
Things don’t always look the same
A fair amount of what we read in the bible actually speaks to a particular time and place. I do this one thing… I forget about the things behind… I am being called upwards. It’s tempting to try and figure out exactly what Paul is pointing to in his own life in passages like these. But one of the advantages about Paul not explaining the experiences he’s drawing lessons from is that his words speak to not just that one situation in that cultural world.
Do your part
I do this one thing! Most scholars think Paul was speaking of sharing the gospel, preaching. Another way to look at this is right there: one thing. One of the secrets to running a race, to holding a Falliday Artisan Fair, to trunk or treat, to church finances, to so many of the things we do as a church is knowing that we don’t have to do the whole job.When you bring together a group of people, if everybody handles one part, the the group as a whole can pull off amazing things. You don’t have to have all the gifts, carry all the weight, be the entire sports team. You don’t have to do everything. Paul doesn’t even try. I do this one thing.
Move on
I forget about the things behind. That could mean the progress he’s made so far. Some think he’s talking about everything he has given up –Paul was born with rights and priveleges that most people didn’t have. But… what if we simply think about a runner. Runners are always focused down the track. They’re not thinking about the stretch of track behind them, what they had for breakfast, that meet two weeks ago where they blew the launch and came in last, the person who cut across the line last week, or the fact that the coach now has them running the 100 when they used to be a weight lifter. While there are times to reflect on the past, when it comes time to run the race, it’s time to shift your focus.
What about the runner who failed last time or failed multiple times. Are you holding on to past failures? Not taking risk because something didn’t quite work out last time? Thinking you’re job this time around is going to be the same as what you’ve always done? I forget about the things behind.
Looking forward
The things ahead…the goal I pursue. It helps to look at this as if there’s a coach in this analogy. What does it look like when you’re coaching yourself? What does it look when everyone can step in and help, and in at least small ways, help coach the team? The temptation is to keep running the old race and to keep going to people who have already run the race. What if it is time to ask someone new to take on that role? Is it time to take on a new way of running the race? Is it time to try a new race, a new event? Does staying on the current course still lead us to the finish line?
Jesus as author & finisher … value of not doing this alone
Be Honest about the present… The race isn’t complete
Two thoughts connect all of that with our community.
First, we have to be honest about the present. Part of that is recognizing where we’re running well and what are areas that need attention. Part of that is recognizing today’s opportunities and challenges. We need to keep asking who we are in this community and where we need to adjust course.
Second, the race isn’t complete and everyone has a role to play right now. “Rabbi Tarfon: ‘It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.’ We may not accomplish everything, but we cannot ignore the responsibility God has placed on us to continue the race.
Conclusion
Paul is playing head coach as he writes to his team. They’ve been elbowed on the field, they’ve been distracted from their mission. Distracted by people’s cultural baggage. They’re no longer focused on the finish line and what you can achieve when you are focused…
Paul’s running philosophy is simple: a race is about what put our focus on, what we are doing in the this moment, how we are run together, and what we are running towards. In this moment, recognize where we’re running well and what are areas that need attention. In this moment, recognize today’s opportunities and challenges by asking who we are in this community. The race isn’t complete and everyone has a role to play right now. We may not accomplish everything, but we cannot ignore the responsibility God has placed on us to continue the race.