"Imitate Christ"

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text this morning is from the New Testament Lesson for today from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

I want you to imagine with me this morning a T-Ball game comprised solely of four-year-old children. Scary thought, I know. Many of you don’t have to imagine because you’ve witnessed these games personally.

Here’s how a four-year-old T-Ball game works. You walk each player to his or her place on the field. You make sure each player is pointed in the right direction, has the correct hand in the glove. You put the ball on the T. You give the batter a bat. And the batter swings and--eventually, two or three or ten tries later--hits the ball.

Now what? Well, chaos, that’s what. The batter may or may not know where first base is. If the batter makes it to first, he or she may or may not know where second base is. The fielder may or may not be paying attention. If a fielder happens to pick up the ball, he or she won’t necessarily know what to do with it. It’s an interesting game. Parents shouting, coaches yelling, balls flying, kids running everywhere.

Distraction is your enemy in four-year-old T-Ball. You need those children to pay attention, to stay focused. But they are easily distracted. An airplane in the sky or a friend across the field or the fact that they may need to go to the bathroom can keep them from paying attention to the ball.

On the other hand, imitation is your friend in four-year-old T-Ball. At some point you have to put a stop to all the chaos. And you show them what to do. You say to them, "Do what I do." You line them all up behind you. And then you run from first, to second, to third, then home. And most of them follow you. Eventually, they learn, by imitating.

So distraction is the enemy. Imitation is the friend. And that’s how four-year-old T-Ball works.

Now why am I telling you all about four-year-old T-Ball? Because, when you think about it, four-year-old T-Ball is a lot like adult Christianity.

Think about it. God calls you onto His team. He saves you by grace. He declares you to be holy and precious and dearly loved and headed for heaven, covered with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He forgives your sins, for Jesus’ sake. Now, as Paul says today in Philippians, we are to run for the goal. Strain toward what is ahead. Win the prize for which God has called you heavenward in Christ Jesus. In other words, live a life worthy of the calling you have received in Christ Jesus. Live your life on earth according to the fact that you actually, ultimately, belong in heaven. It’s as if God has taken us out onto the playing field of life. He’s set us in a certain place, pointed us in a certain direction. And he says "Go!"

And what happens when we "Go" in this world? Ideally, we would go straight toward heaven. Ideally, we would live Christ-like lives. We would avoid temptation and do only God’s will. We would in all things remain true to the God who saved us. We would be examples of God’s love to the world around us. We would run straight ahead, straight for the prize of heaven and never be turned in one way or another.

But the reality is, our Christian lives often end up looking like a four-year-old T-Ball game. We are easily distracted. We are tempted to follow those who, as Paul says, "live as enemies of the cross of Christ." Their god is their stomach, their mind is on earthly things. Life, for them, is all about food and drink and alcohol and drugs and sex and pornography and money and possessions and power and popularity. Life, for them, is all about me, all about the pursuit of personal pleasure. You and I are easily distracted by that perspective. Too often, we find ourselves chasing after them, all caught up in the things of this world, headed in the wrong direction.

And what is the result of our being so distracted? Chaos, that’s what. Hardship. Suffering. Breakdown. Injustice. Relationships fall apart. Families fall apart. Churches fall apart. Societies fall apart. And that’s only what happens right now. Paul says there’s something even worse in the future for those who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. He says their destiny is destruction.

This is not what God wants for you.

So God shuts the game down, in a sense. And He says "Repent." Turn away from all the distractions and turn toward God. Turn away from sin and listen to God. Confess that you have sinned against God by thought, word, and deed.

And God, in His great love for us, welcomes us back! He says to us again, "You are mine. I have loved you from eternity. I sent Jesus to die for your sins and rise again. In Him, your sins are forgiven." In other words, He leads us back to our place on the playing field. He puts the glove back on our hand. He points us in the right direction.

And then he says "Now, imitate." Do what I do. Follow me.

For example, Ephesians 5:1 says "Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Follow Jesus. Do what He would do. Before and after Ephesians 5:1 we’re given quite a number of specific examples of what it means to follow Jesus, to imitate Him. It says, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you." It says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger." It says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up." It says, "Stay away from sexual immorality. Stay away from greed. Stay away from obscenity." It says, Live according to who God says you are, not according to what the world says you are. In other words, live as children of light. Follow Jesus. Imitate Him. Do what He would do.

So, above all, we are to imitate Christ. But in addition to Christ, we’re given other examples to follow, to imitate. In Philippians, Paul says we should imitate him. "Join with others in following my example," Paul says, "and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you." Follow Paul’s example. Follow the example of anyone who is living a Christ-like life. Down through the ages, God has given us a great many good examples whom we should imitate. Some of these people we’re to imitate are known as saints in the church. People who were gifted by God to live lives that were particularly faithful, lives that were particularly good examples. We’re not to worship these saints. But they’re good examples to imitate.

We are to imitate their deeds as we seek to put into action our calling to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and when we love our neighbors as ourselves.

And we are to imitate their faith. Faith which repents of our sins. Faith which repents of the chaos we cause when we become so distracted. Faith which stands humbly before our perfect God, admits our sins, and turns to Him for mercy.

And that same faith also trusts. Faith trusts in God’s wonderful words of comfort and love which say to each of us that in God is merciful. And in His mercy, He sent Jesus to save us from our sins. And for Jesus’ sake, God forgives us all our sins. Faith trusts that Jesus died and rose again in victory over sin, death, and the devil. And that victory is ours as a free gift from God, received not by earning it, but by trusting it, by faith.

And then, faith follows. Faith imitates. Faith lines up behind Jesus, pays attention, stays focused, watches what He does and strives to do the same things He does. To love as He loves. To forgive as He forgives. To serve as He serves. Together with Paul, we forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, pressing on toward the goal to gain the prize that God has already won for us in Christ Jesus.

Amen.