Living Out Our Faith

Philippians 3:17 - 4:1

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In today’s scripture reading (Philippians 3:17-4:1), Paul tells us that, as Christians, our whole life is like this. Paul tells us in verse 20 that: “Our citizenship is in heaven. And it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” As baptized Christians, in other words, we are no longer citizens of earth, but of heaven. We live here on earth; that is true. But we are no longer from here. We are just passing through, on our way home. And our true home is in heaven. It can be easy to get so caught up in this world that we forget that this is not our forever home. This is not where we are from. And when we forget that our true home is heaven, this life can weigh us down.

When we remember that our citizenship is in heaven, that our forever home is not here on earth, it changes how we live here on earth. Our life here has a hope, a resiliency, a buoyancy, that nothing in this world can weigh down. “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal,” as Thomas Moore’s beautiful poem and hymn puts it. Or, as Paul reminds us: “If it is for this life only that we have hoped in Christ, then we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19)

Our hope is much greater than anything this life can offer, because our citizenship is in heaven. And this gives us a certain lightness to living here. Our sorrows don’t overwhelm us. Our worries don’t depress us. Our possessions don’t possess us. We care about this world and this life, but not in a possessive way that we would if we were only citizens of this earth, and if we were only living for this life. We know that it is not just about this world, this life. We live in this world, yes. But not of this world. We know that one day we will go home again.

Rev. Jann Osborn

3/16/2025