Practicing the peace of God
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4-10
There has certainly been much cause for rejoicing among those connected with LM-A over these past couple of weeks. What joy we experienced at the official launch of LM-A and the service of installation as hundreds of people, united in confession, gathered from across the country, together with guests from around the world. And what a delight to witness new congregations being established and Divine Service being conducted in Geelong and the Barossa Valley as people rejoiced to receive God’s good gifts with a good conscience. But if we’re honest, these events have also sparked negative reactions from some who do not understand the need for LM-A, and it seems attacks and accusations have escalated as we might have expected they would.
We cannot control how others respond, but neither should we feel the need to constantly defend our actions as we seek to follow God’s Word and be true to our Confessional heritage. Of course that is easier said than done. When the arrows fly and our character and motives are called into question, the temptation to defend ourselves is real, but perhaps the temptation to attack is even more acute.
I confess that my natural inclination is to allow those attacks to consume my thoughts and even rob me of the joy the Lord has granted as He has gathered His people to work together for the future of confessional Lutheranism. Perhaps the apostle Paul knew this temptation also as he called the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord and let their reasonableness be known to all people.
Rejoicing. Being reasonable and gentle. Not being anxious. All these things sound great, but how do we achieve them when it seems there is ample reason to be angry, harsh and up tight?
St Paul does not encourage us to look within, but rather to seek these gifts from God Himself. In the heat of the moment we are called to bring all our concerns and anxieties to our Heavenly Father in prayer, and rather than ruminating on those things that trouble us, we are called to think on whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, whatever is excellent and worthy of praise.
So what is it that is true, honourable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise? It is the Lord Jesus Christ and all He has done for you His in life, death, resurrection and ascension. When accusations bite and frustrations are high, let your mind be consumed with Christ and Him crucified for you. He is the source of joy, the answer to anxiety and the peace of God which passes all understanding.
Pastor Matt Anker