The Main Thing

Reflection by Matt King

When I was in the high school marching band we had a tradition we called “senior wills.” At the end of the final football season the seniors would leave notes of advice and encouragement for those who were left to carry on the schools traditions, especially those who were stepping into leadership positions after the current class graduated. That was the first time most of us had ever been in a position where we needed to tell someone goodbye. Most of us tried to say something funny. Some felt the weight of the moment. What was so hard was that we didn’t know when we were going to see these friends that we had grown and played with after graduation. While I have no recollection of what I wrote, I still remember how difficult it was to figure out what to say. There were so many memories to reflect on, and so much love for these friends.

Saying goodbye is one of the most difficult parts of life, but it is an experience we will all face. At some point, either because we move, or change jobs, or come to the end of our life, or come to the end of a relationship, we will all eventually have to say goodbye. In those moments we may struggle to find the right words that we hope will stay with the person we are leaving long after they have forgotten the sound of our voice. I sometimes wonder, however, if waiting until that final moment is too late.

Why do we wait until those final moments to say what we really think and feel? How many moments before then could we have taken the chance to be open, and vulnerable, and to share our hearts? How would the relationship have benefitted, and how much could we have grown together simply by reminding ourselves of what truly binds us in relationship, love, and even community with one another? As important as those final words of blessing and encouragement are, why do we wait until it’s too late?

I was thinking about this the other day when our Wednesday noon Bible study group was discussing Paul’s letter to the Philippians. He is writing to the congregation of Christ-followers who are facing pressure and opposition from all sides. They are being persecuted by the Roman government, rejected and shunned by the Jewish community, and even turned away from their own families. He wants to encourage them to stand firm in their faith in spite of everything that stands against them.

Unlike some of his other letters where Paul spends a great amount of time trying to correct his audience’s behavior, or trying to defend his ministry work from the attacks of his critics, when Paul writes to the Philippians there is a clear sense of intimacy and love. You can tell that this is the writing of a pastor who loves a group of people he once served among, and he wants to encourage them to hold on to what is most important, their faith in Christ. He wants them to center their thoughts and work on the servant nature of Christ, embracing the same mind, love, Spirit, and service they recognized when they found faith in Christ so that others will find it as well.

This is the letter in which he quotes a great Christological hymn that would have been part of the regular worship life of the Philippian church. The anthem the choir san this past Sunday was actually based on this hymn. Simply by recalling these words he would have taken them back to the heart of their faith in the same way that hearing “Amazing Grace,” “Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” “Be Thou My Vision,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and so many more would for us.

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2:5-11)

It is clear that Paul’s love for the Philippians makes him long to be able to see them again. The problem was that when Paul writes and recalls these words for them he is probably under house arrest in Rome. He is also probably coming toward the end of his life. He is tired after a long missionary career, and he knows he may not have a chance to see this congregation again. Whether he has the chance or not, he wants them to remember what is most important. As our beloved Pastor Emeritus, Marion Hare, said on countless occasions when he was still with us, Paul wants them to remember to “keep the main thing the main thing.”

My guess is that one of the things that was most appealing about Paul for the Philippians was the same thing that many people find appealing about him today. He was clear that the main thing was Jesus Christ. He was always consistent on that point. He preached Christ crucified, risen, and glorified everywhere he went. It was the heart of his message that never wavered. So my guess is that as the Philippians read Paul’s words, just like the Christ hymn he quoted for them, they were words they had heard from him before. They were lessons he had taught them countless times. If they thought about it long enough, they probably could have guessed what he was going to say.

Some of us are blessed with relationships in which we find that when it comes time to say goodbye there is really nothing else that needs to be said. The love has been so clear, the words of encouragement offered so many times, the main thing returned to time and again so that we know exactly what the other person is going to say. Really, they don’t even need to say it. You can tell what they are thinking just by looking into their eyes. All that is left is to offer one final blessing, or to simply say goodbye.

As people of faith, shouldn’t that be our legacy as well? Shouldn’t everyone who knows us know exactly where we stand because we are so tied to the same mind, love, Spirit, and service of Christ? Shouldn’t everyone know the message we would preach simply by looking into our eyes? Shouldn’t our neighbors, coworkers, loved ones, and friends know that Christ is at the center of our lives, and that we want Christ to be at the center of theirs as well. Shouldn’t they know that from our own experience we have discovered that only faith in Christ will enable anyone to stand firm and weather every storm life blows their way?

Let’s pray we can all learn to keep the main thing the main thing just like Paul did so that no one ever has to wonder where we stand. Let our faith in Christ be the main thing that binds us as a congregation and drives our mission service. Let it be the thing we return to whenever life is confusing or overwhelming. Let it be the force that shapes us so that we can consistently shape the world around us. Let it be so clear that if when we have to say goodbye we won’t really have to say anything at all. Everyone will already know the message we want them to hear.