Seeds of Hope; Pollinators of Peace- Philippians 4:4-9

Rev. George Miller
Oct 15, 2017
Philippians 4:4-9

Pollinators of peace:
Truth; honor; justice.
Purity; nobility; excellence.
Wholeness.

There is story from this week that is worthy to be told.

We have a child on our prayer-list named Gunner, a young boy living with severe disabilities. Twice this year he nearly died. After the hurricane he required a working generator to keep cool air on him so he would not have a seizure.

His mom, an amazing woman named Tonya, rode back and forth from Sebring to Fort Pierce twice a week to ensure they had enough gas to run their generator.

Tonya did not just get gas for her own son, but for the parents of other special needs children, as well as for a local UCC pastor you may know.

She also brought back cases of water, coolers with ice packs, and let others know about our Shepherd’s Pantry.

Tonya is a mother and community leader who is always on the go go go, caring for her son and others in need.

Earlier this week, she and Gunner were at a gas station. Gunner’s IV pole was in the van and his feeds were running, and as Tonya was pumping gas, she noticed her son had fallen over.

So, she went to the side of the van, opened it up, adjusted him and gave Gunner a kiss like she always does.

A few minutes later a man with a truck pulling a jet ski approached her. He said “I’ve been watching you and it looks like life is probably pretty tough for you.”

He took out money from his pocket and placed a folded $100 bill into the hand she was pumping gas with.

Tonya didn’t know how to respond so she said “No, no, no.” But he more than insisted.

This immediately made her think of her own mother who had died, and that perhaps this was a way she was reaching out to help and to give hope.

As Tonya shared on her Facebook page “I don’t know who this man is but a small gesture as it seemed to him…was impacting and large on my side. No real words will suffice.”

Tonya’s testimony of hope, complete with photos of the man, has been viewed by over 200 people, but no one knows who he is.

We don’t know his name. Where he’s from; where he’s going, the sins he may have committed, or the other lives he may have helped

What we do know is that he acted honorable and just, pure and noble, bringing a sense of wholeness to a family.

Making the Kingdom of God near…

Today we revisit Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. It is a letter composed during a time of imprisonment.

Paul was arrested for preaching the Good News. His freedom has been taken away. He is shackled in chains, far from the people of Philippi.

It would appear to be a hopeless situation, an experience that could challenge the fragility of faith and make anyone wonder where God is.

In his letter, Paul admits to the Philippian church that he has experienced a period of despondency. His physical pain has been so great he wonders if it would be better to die.

But something happens…a care package arrives from this congregation; a gift; a sweet-smelling offering.

We don’t know for sure what the gift is, but we do know that of all the churches Paul has been associated with, this is the only one that has reached out to him.

And out of thanksgiving, he tells the congregation that he is fully satisfied.

Clearly, their gift to Paul was more than just a gift; just like the $100 Tonya received was more than just money.

Their gift was not just an item; not just a thing.

It was hope. It was friendship. It was the gift of tomorrow’s promise.

Paul responds in kind by creating a letter to them that says “Rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord!”

Reading through this letter it is clear that Paul is not expressing false hope. This is not hope based on denial. This is not hope that magically melts his chains away.

This is the kind of hope that gives one a reprieve from their current situation.

This is the kind of hope that helps pollinate the possibilities of days to come.

This is empowering hope that propels Paul to meditate on what he knows about a life lived in Christ.

This is the kind of hope that soothes the soul.

Hope that is rooted in the reality that the Lord is near. Hope that even in the darkest valley, there is comfort.

Hope that says we can find peace in the Lord. Not peace that is absent of conflict, or peace that means a perfect life.

But peace in knowing that God has a way to work through things; that God is greater than a jail cell; that God’s ability to restore is more powerful than any storm’s ability to demolish.

With the peace provided by the Philippians’ unexpected gift, Paul is able to hold onto hope, and though he is incarcerated, he finds his own way to inspire.

“Imagine,” he says. “Think about these things- think about what is truly true. Think of what is honorable. Think of what is just and what is right.”

“Think of what’s pure and untainted. Think of what is excellent. Think of anything worthy of being praised- and God will be with you.”

Though his body is shackled, Paul encourages them to free their mind as he states “Think thoughts of thanksgiving and the wholeness of the Lord will bloom and be within you…”

Paul is offering a vision of heavenly living in which one does not have to die to experience the glory of God…one just has to be willing to live in truth and justice, honor and thanksgiving.

How wonderful would the world be if we lived with this as our definition of a faithful life?

What hope Paul was giving to himself, what hope he was giving to the Philippian church, and what hope he is giving to us today.

While thinking of the testimony that Tonya shared about the man with the $100 bill, I have thoughts of another testimony taking place.

Though there is still tons of debris lining Lakeview, and so much of our soil is beyond saturation, there has been solace coming from the earth.

I look out upon my own yard. A plumbago bush by the driveway that a month ago seemed worse for the wear has bloomed beautifully with blue flowers that have quadrupled after the storm.

Hundreds of purple flowers now fill the wooded area of my back yard, filling out the spots that Irma leveled and dressing a cactus with a royal robe of amethyst that even King Solomon would be jealous of.

A long wished-for wildflower garden that was started in August is now alive with the colors of maroon, mimosa, mandarin, and lavender. Each plant growing taller; dancing in the breeze.

Perhaps best of all, there are now yellow moths, bees and butterflies visiting my home, flitting about, sipping nectar, adding life amidst the fallen fences and browning leaves.

There is comfort in knowing that all these things that have come about post- Irma are playing a part in a new creation.

There is also the hope that as the moths, bees and butterflies go from bloom to bloom to bloom that they are doing their part to pollinate the area and possibly create sweet, sweet honey.

In conclusion, Paul received such unexpected sweetness from the Philippian church, and he could not help but to be sweet in return, and nearly 2,000 years later his message of hope continues to-

Pollinate our hearts.
Sow seeds of salvation.
Remind us that the Lord is near.
Not far away; not absent.
But near.

And with that, we have hope beyond understanding; we have hope that allows us to praise the Lord from the wholeness of our hearts.

For that, we can say Amen and amen.