The Medal Stand

First Lesson: Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18
Responsive Reading: Psalm 27
Second Lesson: Philippians 3: 17 - 4:1
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 13: 31-35

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Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
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Bob Beamon was born in Queens, New York in 1946[1].  Beamon as a youth loved doing two things: running and jumping[2].  By the time, he was in high school had the perfect build for a track star; long, lean, and muscular.  By the end of high school, he not only had a track scholarship to the University of Texas El-Paso.  Beamon was considered a top contender to make the next Olympics in Mexico City in 1968.  Beamon kept getting better and better as a jumper. He arrived in Mexico City considered to be the favorite to win the gold medal having won twenty-two of his previous twenty-three events.[3]

Beamon’s nerves though soon got the best of him, he scratched during his first two jumps during the qualifying round, only barely making it to the medal round on his third and final jump[4].

The next morning though, Bob Beamon would forever change the history of track and field. Bob Beamon’s first jump was the jump of his life[5]. He jumped so far that stadium officials needed to scramble to find a different tape to measure it.  Bob Beamon’s long jump was measured at twenty-nine feet and two inches.  Beamon shattered the world record by nearly two feet.

A term would arise in the wake of Bob Beamon’s jump Beamonesque as a way to describe athletes whose performance far exceeds the competition[6].  When Sports Illustrated was putting together its list of the greatest sporting moments of the 20th Century Beamon’s jump came in the top five[7].  Bob Beamon had his Olympic gold and now got to take his place on the medal stand. 

All of Beamon’s long-term goals had just come true in the most spectacular of fashions.  Could nothing seemingly be better for Bob Beamon or any one of us? Something interesting though happened to Bob Beamon after setting his world record and winning his gold medal that we’ll get to in just a little bit.
Today’s lesson is from Philippians 3[8].  Let me set the stage for Philippians. Phillipi was a colony of Rome[9].  Many of Phillipi’s residents and Paul the writer’s hearers would have been Roman citizens.  Roman Citizenship had all sorts of unique benefits[10].

For example in a story from the Book of Acts[11],  Paul and Silas come across a troubled, female slave who makes her owners a great deal of money through fortune-telling, Paul then orders an “unclean” spirit to come out of her.  The woman then abandons her fortune-telling to follow Jesus and her owners are outraged.  Paul and Silas are then beaten and thrown into prison.  When word gets out that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, the Roman officials came to personally apologize and escort Paul and Silas from prison for the injustice they received.  There was no more powerful privilege in the ancient world that Roman citizenship.

So Paul with this understanding in mind; Paul wishes to redefine the meaning of citizenship for his Christian audience. 

“For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven.[12]”

In Paul’s day, Roman citizens would have had unique, financial benefits within the empire[13].  Roman citizens would possess nearly all the wealth as they were the only ones allowed to own or inherit property. Roman citizens would be exempt from certain taxes and whenever Rome needed additional money they would seek to exploit the earnings of non-citizens who could not vote in Roman legislative elections.  Whereas the Jews of Jerusalem within Jesus’ day hated the Romans because of this, many of the Christians in Philippi were pretty well-off because they were citizens of Rome.  

So everyone to whom Paul was writing understood the benefits of living within a Roman colony.  So this is why Paul speaks of all Christians as living under the colony of heaven. 

Paul is trying to let the Philippians know that the benefits they shall eventually receive from Jesus Christ are much greater than even Roman citizenship.  How citizenship in heaven is better than even the most magnificent things, this world can offer.

Earlier, I told you the story of Bob Beamon and his unbelievable long-jump.  What happened though to Beamon upon leaving the medal stand?  Beamon was asked about his gold medal jump forty years later, where he recalled that his celebration only managed to last a couple of minutes. Things then quickly back to normal within Bob Beamon’s world[14].

He had the highest peak one can imagine, but one week later he would be back in a college classroom sitting through sociology classes.  Forty years later, Beamon would tend to downplay his accomplishment within interviews to instead focus on his work in philanthropy trying to help others[15]. 

Now fifty years after Bob Beamon’s greatest of earthly achievements it appears to be evident that there is something even more significant to receive than just an Olympic Gold Medal.

Now having told you the story of Bob Beamon, I want to tell you a completely different story as told by author Richard Lischer.  Lischer writes about his time serving as a pastor in a small church like this one in a small town in rural, remote Illinois not unlike Silver Bay[16].  

Pastor Lischer was fresh out of the seminary, in his first week at his first church.  The pastor’s phone one night went off at three in the morning.  On the other end of the phone, was one of his congregation members[17]. 

He was down at the local hospital because his wife had a ruptured gall bladder.  She was going to have to be rushed into surgery and her prognosis was uncertain. The husband declared: “We need you, here, if you can.”

So the pastor arrives at the hospital, where he is escorted to a small room to visit with a middle-aged childless couple that he barely knew.  As his eyes came upon the couple, he could tell how nervous they both were about the upcoming surgery.
Now they were looking towards the pastor for words of wisdom.  The pastor in his hurry to get to the hospital was totally unprepared: no Bible and no prayer book, so he began to fear awkwardness at the least and possibly being exposed to be a total fraud.

The pastor began to think quickly, before spontaneously belting out: “The Lord be with you.” The couple replied: “Also with you.”  The pastor then began chanting: ‘Lift up your hearts.” The couple responded: “We lift them to the Lord.[18]”

It was at this moment that the pastor began feeling the power of the Lord within this room like at few other times within his life.  A calmness amid the chaos came over everyone who was gathered.  The pastor and the couple concluded with a brief prayer, as the wife was wheeled away into surgery[19]. 

Today’s lesson, Paul is trying to explain to the Philippian church what it means to be a citizen of heaven[20].  Paul seeks to remind us that heaven’s citizenship as Bob Beamon realized goes way beyond one’s accomplishments within this world. Heaven’s citizenship instead has to do with finding peace amidst life’s greatest storms.  Citizenship in heaven is the patience of eagerly awaiting the presence of our Savior[21].  The Savior who will one day bring all things under his control, so that our mortal bodies may be like his immortal body[22].  Citizenship in heaven has to do with having a common language of faith: sin, grace, and salvation.  Citizenship in heaven continually points us in the direction of the Cross of Christ towards which we journey during this Lenten season.  Citizenship in heaven is a greater prize than any gold medal that this world may place into our hands; instead, we await the crown that our Savior will one day place upon our heads[23].  Amen
 

[1] “Bob Beamon.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 28.Jan.2019. Web. Mar.6.2019. 
[2] Alter, Adam. Irrestible. Penguin Books. New York City. 2017. Web. Page 98. 
[3] Alter, Adam. Irrestible. Page 98. 
[4] Alter, Adam. Irrestible. Page 98. 
[5] Alter, Adam. Irrestible. Page 99.
[6] Bob Beamon.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[7] Bob Beamon.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[8] Philippians 3:17-4:1.
[9] Hoezee, Scott. “Philippians 3:17-4:1.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 15. Feb.2016. Web. Mar.6.2019.
[10] Shively, Elizabeth. “Commentary on Philippians 3:17-4:1.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 24.Feb.2013. Web. Mar.6.2019. 
[11] Acts 16:16-40.
[12] Phillippians 3:18-20.
[13] Quora. “What were the benefits of being a Roman citizen during the Roman Republic and Empire?” 7.Aug.2018. Web. Mar.6.2019. 
[14] Alter, Adam. Irrestible. Page 100. 
[15] Alter, Adam. Irrestible. Page 100.
[16] Lischer tells the story in the book Open Secrets. The Analogy comes from Hoezee, Scott. “Philippians 3:17-4:1.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[17] Hoezee, Scott. “Philippians 3:17-4:1.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[18] Hoezee, Scott. “Philippians 3:17-4:1.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[19] Hoezee, Scott. “Philippians 3:17-4:1.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[20] Hoezee, Scott. “Philippians 3:17-4:1.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[21]Philippians 3:20b. .
[22] Philippians 3:21.
[23] Phillippians 4:1.