To Know Christ – March 21, The Fifth Sunday in Lent

Philippians 3:4b-14 TNIV

If others think they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Last time we talked about priorities.  We talked about holding things so dear to our hearts that they get in the way of truly following God.  Well today’s lectionary epistle reading speaks to this very issue again.

We all know Paul’s story.  He was a pharisee, he encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, converted to Christianity and became a super awesome apostle.  Well, the Philippians probably knew his story too, but he tells them again.  Only he doesn’t stream-line it – he tells them just how awesome he was (see the first paragraph).  He wasn’t just a pharisee, but a pretty good one.  He wasn’t just a Jew, but a special one.  He didn’t just follow the commandments, he followed them all…perfectly.  Paul had it going on and then, then he met Christ and everything changed.

Paul says that he let go of all those things he had going for him.  He willingly gave up everything in life to follow Christ.  He gave up his social status, his friends, probably his family, his “job,” everything just to follow Christ.  Paul says his deepest desire is to “know Christ.”

This, my friends, is the challenge of Lent and indeed, of all of the Christian life.  Do we want to know Christ?  I mean really know him.  Paul met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, so one could say that Paul did know Christ.  But Paul isn’t content with that.  He wants more.  He has seen Christ and desire to know him so much that he’s willing to give everything up to know him more and more.

Lent continually asks us:  “Do you want to know Christ?  Really know him?”  What’s our answer?

Have we experienced Christ?  Not just nice fuzzy emotions from Pilgrimage, youth rallies, or Chrysalis but have we met the risen Christ?   Because when we truly experience God our lives are ruined just like Paul’s was.

Ruined?  Our lives are ruined because we’ll never be content with anything else except for knowing Christ.  They’re ruined because nothing will satisfy us except for Christ and we’ll desire nothing more than to know Christ – even, as Paul says, if it means participating in his sufferings.

So Lent asks us again:  “Have you met Christ, and if so, do you really want to know him?”

Do you want to know him more than soccer, football, basketball, college, success, anything that gets in the way?

This is the call of Lent.  It’s hard and it’s uncomfortable, but remember Lent is a journey to the cross with Jesus and no one ever said crucifixion was fun.

Closing Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a Sinner!