Changing Plans

Introduction

Preaching is an interesting art. We take the sacred text and try to understand it in light of its historical context and then relate our study to an audience in such a way that it not only makes sense but speaks to your minds and hearts in a very different culture and context. Not always an easy task. There are texts that are easier than others to present. For instance, two weeks ago I spoke about Philippians 2:5-11 and developing the mind of Christ—learning how to empty ourselves as Christ did and to serve others in this world. Last week Frank spoke about the text that followed, 2:12-18 and specifically how we remember the greatness of our God as we live life day to day.

My task today is to speak about 2:19-30. It is a travelogue. It is a personal section from Paul to the Philippian church about Timothy and Epaphroditus. It is a section in which Paul lays out his plans for both of these servants and his longing to be with the Philippian church in the future. If you will, it is a text that is similar to looking at another person’s travel pictures. The pictures may be interesting but they cannot capture the true image or memory of what was seen and experienced. In the summer of 2001 our family took a trip to Washington, D.C. It was a fun trip but it was an educational trip. It was designed to give us a look at our nation’s history and to be reminded of the privileges we have because of the work of previous generations.

I will not bore you about the details of that trip but we experienced things that cannot be adequately described. If you have been to the Holocaust Museum then you know what I am talking about. If you haven’t been to that museum, you should go. It changes the way you look at life. One of the other experiences that we intentionally took advantage of was touring the Lincoln Memorial at night. As one stands on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial you can look across the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument. And with proper lighting the spire of the Washington Monument reflects into the pool and the sight is just beautiful.

Here’s the point, I can tell you about certain sights and you might be interested for a time but if I start telling you about our guide at the White House or the guide at the FBI building or the receptionist at the hotel, then you may wonder what is the point when D.C. is about so much more than those things. We can approach this text in the same way. Paul’s vivid discussion about humility and being like Jesus and the awesomeness of God are so much more significant than talking about future traveling plans. Didn’t he have something else to write about? Wasn’t there some other significant issues that he needed to deal with? Additionally, there are commentators who say that this text doesn’t belong in the writing. Others suggest that this text has been moved from another place in the letter. And still others who say this is Paul and it fits but even the commentary writing about this text is very short. So I am going to talk about text that few discuss in any detail and fewer see any practical application. But now that I’ve set it up let me say this. What is a personal part of this letter from Paul to the Philippian church is in fact the word of God. Because of that, there is something here for us as well.

Plans and Reasons

Paul has a dilemma. Epaphroditus was sent by the Philippian church to minister to Paul. The belief is that when Epaphroditus arrived, Paul would send Timothy to Philippi to encourage them. Paul needed someone and Philippi needed to hear from Paul. But something happened. Epaphroditus became ill on the trip. We are not told the nature of his illness but we are told that he almost died from the illness. Three times Paul mentions the nearness to death that Epaphroditus experienced. Something else happened as well, Epaphroditus wanted to minister to Paul but he was super homesick to return to Philippi. If you almost die, you want to be at home or near it. But something else happened as well. Paul is uncertain about what his imprisonment will mean. As he mentioned in chapter one he doesn’t know whether he will live or die. So as much as Paul appreciates and loves Epaphroditus, in this time of uncertainty, he wants Timothy to stay close. So the plans that were originally put in place now change. This section is to speak about those changes. Why Timothy is needed to remain with Paul and why Epaphroditus is being sent back.

A couple of things to notice. First, Paul reassures the church that he believes he will be able to get to them eventually. He wants to see them. He will send Timothy as soon as he can and then he will follow if possible. But he longs to see them. Second, Epaphroditus is more than merely homesick. In verse 26, Paul says that Epaphroditus is in distress because they have heard of his illness. The last thing Epaphroditus wanted was to be a burden to the congregation that sent him. But he has been. This word for distressed is found only two other times in the New Testament. Both Matthew and Mark use this same word to describe Jesus’ distress on the night that he prays in Gethsemane before his crucifixion. This is not a small distress. This is not a stomachache type of homesickness. This is the feeling of great anguish. The word is used to describe the feeling of “not being at home.” Epaphroditus needed to go home more than he needed to stay with Paul. And Paul endorses this. His own anxiety (v. 28) has been elevated by what he has seen in Epaphroditus.

Now What?

So what is the point that we are to get from this text. Changed plans does not mean that God has failed. The plans that originally had been laid were now changing. There is no hint that God is being blamed. There is no hint that joy has been lost. There are lots of emotions in this text. But Paul’s approach is to see the change of plans as beneficial for he and the church.

How do you respond to shifting plans? I grew up with parents who overall did not blame God for changing plans. Twice family vacations were cut short because of a death in the family. Never once did I hear from my parents, could the person have died at another time or some statement of inconvenience.

We can blame God or we can understand that life is imperfect and seek God’s help for the change. To blame God will result in loss of faith and strength. To blame God will result in damage to our relationship with him. To call on him for strength in an imperfect world will bring greater faith and a greater dependency on him.

To blame God means that we believe that God owes us. To seek God is to believe that we owe God. Our response to changing plans reveals something about our faith. Are we able to see God’s hand at work in the changing plans? Are we able to see that God is going to do something with those changing plans that we could not have seen?

That doesn’t mean that changing plans are good or that we cannot have negative emotions about the changing plans. Even Paul had to remind the Philippians to rejoice when they got Epaphroditus rather than Timothy (verses 29-30). But as believers we work hard, and we do have to work, at seeing things in a broad and spiritual view. It isn’t that everything happens for a reason but that when things happen God is still at work in this world.

We are a people who have already said that we would take up our cross and follow Jesus. We are a people who have already said that we have died and that life we now live belongs to Christ. We are a people who have said that to live is Christ. Let’s not diminish all of that when plans change. We can have our feelings and we should. We can grieve and mourn and we must. We can have disappointment, pain, and sadness. But we also recognize that God is still at work and when plans change God is going to do something with that through us.

No wonder Paul calls on the church in Philippi to have joy because the change means that one who was near death was alive. One sent to serve did and was now serving again in a different capacity. Don’t lose sight that how we respond to changing plans says something about our faith.

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