The Sign of God's Presence
This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, Aug. 19 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The text was Philippians 2:14-18 . “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?” (Five Man Electrical Band) Doesn’t this seem to sum up the beginning of this reading? If we go back a couple of verses, we get a better idea of Paul’s point. “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (vv. 1-13). Paul can give those instructions because it is God who does the work! In the first verse, Paul tells the Philippians what to do, that they are to do everything without murmuring or arguing. The emphasis falls on the words “all things,” which is panta in Greek. It is the first word of this verse, emphasizing its importance. A great illustration of what murmuring looks like is...