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Philippians 4:1-9
October 12, 2014
Bobby McFarrin, one of my most favorite musicians, wrote a simple song in back 1988, based
on a saying by Meher Baba, who was an Indian spiritual master. Many of us know it because
Bob Marley sang it and it became an unofficial anthem in Jamaica after Hurricane Gilbert struck
the island in September 1988. Can you guess what it was? Don’t Worry, Be Happy. “Here’s a
little song I wrote, you might want to sing it note for note, “Don’t worry; be happy;”.
(www.lyrics007.com/Bob%20Marley%20Lyrics/Don%27t%20Worry,%20Be%20Happy%20Lyrics.html)
Last spring, singer Pharrell Williams’ song, Happy, which was written for the animated film
“Despicable Me 2”, took the world by storm. (www.metrolyrics.com/happy-lyrics-pharrellwilliams.html)
Because I'm happy, Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof,
Because I'm happy. Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy. Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy, Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do
Here come bad news talking this and that, Well, give me all you got, and don't hold it
back, Well, I should probably warn you I'll be just fine, No offense to you, don't waste
your time Here's why
People from lands and in languages all over the world recorded it, did dance videos to it.
YouTube is full of folks performing this song.
Maybe it isn’t much of a surprise that these songs have captured hearts the world over. We
human beings like to be happy or feel happy. And with all the horrible and challenging news we
hear every day, it is no wonder that songs that put a smile on our face and lighten the load, even
if it is just for a few minutes, are enormously popular.
We value happiness so much in the US that the founding fathers of our nation put it in our
Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are
created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent &
inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; ...”
But this attraction to happiness seems to go against our evolutionary development. In Oct 2013,
Dr. Rick Hanson, a neuropsychologist and a member of U.C. Berkeley's Greater Good Science
Center's advisory board, published a book, Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of
Contentment, Calm, and Confidence. In it, he wrote that our brains are naturally wired to focus
on the negative, which can make us feel stressed and unhappy even though there are a lot of
positive things in our lives. His theory is that our evolution optimized our brains for survival and
not necessarily happiness. Our brains evidently are very good at building structure from
negative experiences. We learn immediately from pain. But, he writes that the brain is relatively
poor at turning positive experiences into emotional learning neural structure. (JB)
He goes on to explain that in relationships, studies show that a good, strong relationship needs at
least a 5:1 ratio of positive to negative interactions to stay healthy. In other words, one negative
experience is as strong as five positive ones. He posits that the challenge is that we tend to
ponder and consider negative experiences, so they have a greater impact on the neural
Rev. Sandra Olewine, First United Methodist Church, Pasadena, CA
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development. Positive experiences start in our short-term buffer. But, because we tend to not
dwell on them, they don’t get moved to long-term storage.
In an interview with Atlantic Magazine, Hanson said, “We might be having one passing, normal,
everyday positive experience after another: getting something done, look outside and flowers are
blooming, children are laughing, chocolate tastes great, but these experiences are not transferring
to storage or leading to any lasting value.” (JB) The good thoughts, the great experiences pass
too quickly from our contemplation and the ability to affect our neural development is impacted.
This might be one of the reasons we find the text from Paul’s letter to the Philippians read today
so challenging. It begins with reminding them that he loves and longs for them, that they are his
joy and crown. He wants them to stand firm in the Lord and “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I
say, Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4) In fact, if we go back to the beginning of this letter and read up
through our text for today, we’ll see again and again this urge for the Philippians to be joyful.
On the surface it seems an odd reminder to have to urge people to be joyful, doesn’t it? But,
maybe Paul had some glimmer of understanding of human nature, long before the
neuropsychologists were explaining it. If we could measure the “degree” of joyfulness in many
Christian congregations today, we would have to admit that advice for more joy rather than less
is probably quite expedient. (CE)
When Paul began his ministry, he expected Christ’s imminent return, telling people not to worry
about anything (verse 6a). He may well have been referencing Jesus’s own words, “Do not
worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you
will wear” (Matthew 6:25). The focus on Christ’s words also has immediate ramifications for the
here and now. Paul advises: “Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near”
(Philippians 4:5). (CE) But, time was moving on and tensions in congregations emerged. This
living together, having the mind of Christ, was proving to be more challenging than at first blush.
How easy it was to slip back into arguments about status, righteousness, who was in and who
was out!
But, Paul seemed to know 2000 years ago what Hanson wrote in his book last year, that people’s
thoughts and energies had to be repeatedly focused on the good, or for Paul - on God and their
relationship with God in Christ - for it to begin to change who they were and how they acted in
deep and lasting ways. He understood that the focus on God was the best remedy for all the
other agendas that could dominate our relationships with each other. It was how Christian
community could begin to learn to rejoice always and to know “the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding” (4:7) (CE)
While it is important to examine the ways in which we fall short of who we are as the people of
“God, we too easily forget to celebrate that we are forgiven and set free to be new creatures in
Christ. We complain about the lack of holiness instead of remembering that we are children of
God. We are too often frustrated by feelings of weakness instead of being delighted about the
strength of the Holy Spirit working in us.” (CE) We learn from the negative but to have the
mind of Christ, to learn to rejoice in the Lord always, means allowing ourselves to ponder and
delight in the positive of God’s amazing grace that holds our lives each and every day.
Rev. Sandra Olewine, First United Methodist Church, Pasadena, CA
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Happiness as we understand it usually is based on circumstance and is often superficial. We all
know how to pretend to be happy, even when our hearts are aching and lost. But, the joy that
Paul speaks about comes not from our particular circumstance. It comes for knowing deeply that
‘God is near.’ (v. 5b) There is nothing superficial about it. When we give ourselves time to
ponder it, delight in it, such experience has a lasting impact and the power to change us.” (CE)
In verse 9, Paul writes, “Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard
and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” Keep on doing the things you have
learned... In essence as you do, as you try on, as you live into this thing called Christian
community, you will be changed. God will transform you. You will grow more and more into
the ‘mind of Christ.’ Hanson in his interview about his book when on to say, “There’s a classic
saying: "Neurons that fire together, wire together." What that means is that repeated patterns of
mental activity build neural structure. This process occurs through a lot of different mechanisms,
including sensitizing existing synapses and building new synapses, as well as bringing more
blood to busy regions.” (JB) Our attitudes adjust to repeated patterns and contemplations.
Paul underscores again and again in this letter to the Philippians that it is the confidence in our
connection to God that will sustain our daily walk with God. Giving priority to this relationship,
spending more and more time intentionally cultivating God’s way in the world through our daily
lives, will create in us the capacity to know more and more the joy that comes from truly
knowing that God is near. It is that connection that causes Paul to write, “6Do not worry about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
For Paul, whether traveling to various Christian communities or writing to them from jail, he
knew he was connected to what Paul Tillich called one’s ‘ultimate concern.” Paul could rejoice
regardless of any particular circumstance because he truly knew as he wrote to the people of
Rome earlier, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?.... For I am convinced that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor
height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of
God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35, 38).
Knowing our purpose and focusing our attention on that which builds us up is one of the ways
we build up the confidence in this connection with the Holy One who walks with us.
Clayton Taylor served in Afghanistan. In 2009, after returning from combat, he took his own
life. One of the officers under who Clayton had served was impacted deeply by Clayton’s
suicide, knowing that the men and women coming back from tours of duty needed to find
purpose again. They needed to know that they could contribute to a better world. This officer,
James Cragg, himself a disabled vet, founded Vets Corps and its program Green Vets LA, a nonprofit to provide work therapy projects for once-homeless and at-risk veterans in honor of
Clayton Taylor. Through the work, the projects seek to inspire these veterans to feel like they
are once again serving their community, giving them both a sense of pride and self-respect,
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empowering them to rejoin the society they once served. They begin to cultivate the connection
to themselves and others, and in that connection begin to discover hope, purpose. And yes, joy.
One of the first projects was something called the Battle Bear. The veterans designed and made
bears using camouflage cloth that matched the uniforms of deployed service members.
Attaching the unit patch to the bear’s belly, service members could take a picture of the bear and
then send it home for their child, giving a visual and tangible bond between children and the
deployed parent.
But, a new project has emerged, to move outward into the veterans helping to change the world
for the better through the Challenge Bear. The bears, made by the veterans, are designed to go
with people out into places of service. It can be worn on a belt or backpack and each bear has an
attached challenge card from the vet inside the bear. Folks are encouraged to take pictures of all
the places the bears are going out to make a difference. The photos become a key to continuing
the challenge. It represents both the challenges that vets have faced coming back home, but, they
also hope to inspire the next generation to work to make the world a better place. The vets
receive payment for every bear sold, but maybe more importantly, they also know they are
helping to make the world a better place. As I watched a video of the project on Kickstart.com, I
was deeply moved by one vet who is holding a bear out in front of him and saying, “I made this.
I made this.” (JC) You could see in his face and hear in his voice, both astonishment and pride.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice.
As I read more about the current project yesterday, I discovered they are making a limited
edition version of the Challenge bear and it is a polar bear! I immediately thought of my
upcoming trip and knew it would be a great gift for my travelling companions. I emailed Green
Vets LA yesterday to see if by any chance those bears would be ready by the time I leave.
Before the night was over, I heard from Jim Cragg himself. While he doesn’t think they have
enough yet, the target is for Christmas, he wrote, “I’m always looking at the therapy side of
opportunities and I think it would be very cool to get a bear to you, so you could take pictures of
the bear with live polar bears in the background (and he then put in parentheses – the distant
background – with a smiley face). What a lift that would give the vets in our program.”
It is in these connections, creating meaning, purpose, possibility and hope that we see the
promise that Paul speaks about come to life. For us as followers of Christ, it is in giving
ourselves to such works in the world that we see the tangible hope that God is at work, that God
is near. It is what transforms our neural pathways from survival to life abundant. It takes us
from circumstantial happiness to everlasting joy.
Malala Yousafzai is a now high school student living and studying in Birmingham, England; and
on Friday, she made the media wait until classes were finished for the day before she commented
on the announcement that she had been awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Kailash
Satyarthi of India. Malala is one of a few women, the first Pakistani and the youngest person
ever to receive this honor. The daughter of a school administrator she had bristled against the
Taliban rule against education for girls when she was as young as 11. Despairing of the thought
of a life stuck at home, she wrote a blog, campaigning for girls’ education and appeared on TV
and in an international documentary. In October 2012, almost exactly 2 years ago, she was
Rev. Sandra Olewine, First United Methodist Church, Pasadena, CA
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aboard a school bus in northwest Pakistan when Taliban gunmen asked for her by name and
opened fire. A bullet to her head almost killed her.
One could so easily imagine her parents seeking to keep her from the spotlight after this. One
could so easily understand her feeling the need to continue her own education without drawing
attention to her convictions. No one would have thought less about her or her family had they
made such a decision. But, this, then, 15-year old showed herself to be of a stronger spirit. She
has awed and transfixed audiences all over the world by her soft-spoken philosophy of
forgiveness and peace that has a steely strength behind it. Her comments to the United Nations
last year voiced her hope for something better for girls. “The terrorists thought they would
change our aims and stop our ambitions. But nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness,
fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power, and courage was born. I am the same Malala. My
ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My dreams are the same.” (LA Times Article, Oct
11, 2014)
In this young Muslim girl, we get a glimpse of the strength, conviction, peace and joy that Paul
was talking about in his letter. She refused to be moved from the core of her being, despite those
who hate what she stands for, returning not hate but conviction and commitment to go on doing
and seeking what is right. Her life and the life of her family are not safe – she continues to be a
lightning rod for those who would silence such voices. But, she holds fast to her hopes and
dreams. She said on Friday, “The award is for all the children who are voiceless, whose voices
need to be heard.” (LA Times)
When we have confidence that we are connected to the God that is near, we find purpose and hope and
joy, even in the midst of dangerous and risky business.
The temptation, though, to exist in our evolved survival mode is ever present. We have
thousands of years of practice and development to recondition. But the counterweight that helps
us move positive experiences from our short-term buffer to our long-term storage is Paul’s
urging us to stand firm in the Lord! This may sound contradictory to last week’s image of the
Christian life being like running a race. How is pressing forward and standing firm in one place
images to be reconciled?
To stand firm in the Lord conveys, as Susan Eastman wrote, “that movement is like our constant
movement on the surface of the earth; we are held fast by gravity at the center yet simultaneously
spinning at tremendous speed, constantly in motion yet constantly at rest. Without this center of
gravity, this grounding in the settled presence of Christ among us, the depiction of the life of
faith as a race quickly becomes frenetic and destructive. We need, rather, to rest in Christ's
presence at each moment, neither nostalgic for the past nor fantasizing about a future we cannot
yet see. When we do so, we find that Christ carries us forward very quickly indeed, yet at the
same time there is always enough time for what truly needs to be done.” (SE)
The counterweight to the temptation to exist only in survival mode Paul tells us is to focus our
minds on what is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent and worthy of
praise. These are the attitude adjustments that will create in us the foundation out of which our
rejoicing will grow.
Rev. Sandra Olewine, First United Methodist Church, Pasadena, CA
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Yes, there is the immediate reality of a world in which human beings are constantly at war
somewhere, betraying one another, brutally suppressing each other in order to get ahead, and so
forth. This was true of the Roman Empire, and it is true today. Every day we hear and see a
culture that focuses on what is false, dishonorable, unjust, impure, and shameful. We begin to
think that to act hopefully in such a world is unrealistic.
But Paul also sees another reality, and it is the reality that holds the future. That is the reality of
God's redemption, already here and still drawing near. Training our minds to think of this reality,
and thereby to act with hope, is a daily mental discipline. For such a discipline, we need to
experience the counter reality of God's rule in the midst of tangible human relationships. Paul
offers his own relationship with the Philippians as just such a tangible counterweight to the
temptation of despair and futile thinking. (SE)
According to Hanson’s research, a person, having internalized again and again a sense of calm, is
going to be more able to face situations at work or in life in general without getting so rattled by
them, without being locked into the reactive mode of the brain. When we have experiences of
gratitude, gladness, accomplishment, feeling successful, feeling that there’s a fullness in life
rather than an emptiness or a scarcity, people are going to be more able to deal with issues such
as loss, or being thwarted, or being disappointed. Lastly, in terms of our need for connection, the
more that people can have a sense of inclusion or a sense of being seen, or appreciated, or liked
or loved; the more that people can cultivate the traits of being compassionate, kind, and loving
themselves, the more that they’re going to be able to stay in a responsive mode of the brain, even
if they deal with issues in this connection system like being rejected or devalued or left out by
somebody else. (JB)
So, sisters and brothers. Stand firm in the Lord – when wonderful things happen, ponder them,
Spend time giving thanks. Let the good move you to God, as your brain, your heart and your
lives are transformed. Then together our attitudes will be adjusted and like Paul, we’ll be able to
proclaim, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice!”
Julie Beck, “How to Build a Happier Brain,” http://m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/how-tobuild-a-happier-brain; The Atlantic, October 23, 2013
James Cragg, Challenge Bear, www.kickstarter.com
Robyn Dixon, “Peace Prize goes to two how give voice to the child,” Los Angeles Times, Saturday, Oct.
11, 2014, A1, continued on A4,
Susan Eastman, www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1011
Christian Eberhart, www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2148
Rev. Sandra Olewine, First United Methodist Church, Pasadena, CA
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