Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33-end
‘I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing in his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.’
This last week around 6000 students came to this Cathedral and were matriculated into Durham University. As well as receiving a welcome from myself or one of my clergy colleagues, they were also addressed by senior university leaders who spoke of the journey that lies ahead, a journey of acquiring knowledge and experience, not simply in specific subjects but in leadership, teamwork and resilience, skills which, students were told, make Durham graduates so sought after in the careers market. Those sitting here were encouraged to make the most of all the opportunities that lie ahead to grow in knowledge of every kind. Great CVs are made of this.
It might seem a little strange, therefore, to hear today the apostle Paul speak in such negative terms about his own portfolio of knowledge, pedigree and experience. In our first reading from his letter to the Philippians Paul says that he regards the components of his own CV as rubbish (a somewhat more robust term in the Greek) compared to ‘the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.’
The story is this: from being someone who took as dim a view of Jesus and his followers as the chief priests and the Pharisees in our gospel reading, Paul had come to know the love and grace and mercy of Christ for himself. ‘Christ Jesus has made me his own’, he says. And compared to knowing Christ his various achievements and qualifications are as naught. They are still in play but he is not placing his confidence in them. His confidence, his faith, is elsewhere.
It is possible to hear this account in rather muscular terms, and I know from teaching on Paul over the years that the zeal of the convert, narrating what he has found in Christ, is attractive to some and off-putting to others. But I think such a reading rather sells St Paul short, because in reality he sees his faith as much more work in progress. He realises he has not arrived, that he has some way still to go in knowing Christ. And here’s the key: such a way will involve sharing in Christ’s sufferings as well as living in the power of Christ’s resurrection. In short, knowing Christ involves walking the way that he walked, the way of the cross. And so Paul presses on.
This coming week I will take 32 pilgrims from Durham Cathedral and beyond on a pilgrimage to Greece in the footsteps of St Paul. As we retrace his steps narrated in Acts 16-18, we will be reminded that his missionary voyages were not times of waltzing from one glory to another, but journeys of trial and hardship: imprisonment in Philippi, rejection in Thessaloniki, condescension in Athens, attack in Corinth. And yet in these cross-shaped places Paul knew the loving presence of the risen Christ, and the power of the Spirit at work in the lives of others. It was the way of the cross, but it was also the way of life and peace.
Yesterday was the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis, another man who gave up much to follow Christ, in his case riches and status and position. Yet Francis witnessed powerfully that what he found in Christ was far more than he had given up. And having been made Christ’s own he walked the way of the cross and served others with love, with joy and with peace.
Our gospel reading this morning comes in the final stages of Jesus’ way to the cross. Told at the beginning of Holy Week, the parable of the tenants in the vineyard is a fierce warning against confusing privilege with faithfulness, possession with fruitfulness. And yet at the heart of the parable is the rejected son, crucified, no less, who will become the cornerstone in God's new temple, his people called to bear fruit in his name. For the one who walks the way of the cross and triumphs over death in his resurrection invites others to join him on a wonderful journey, a holy mystery where laying down our lives means discovering life in all its fullness – for ourselves and others.
It may be there are some here this morning who feel called to begin that journey of faith in the season ahead. I remember when I started at university having a sense that I wanted to explore more what I believed. Choral Evensong on a Saturday and church on a Sunday worked for me, plus lots of conversations with friends. Over time I encountered Jesus Christ who had made me his own and in return I offered my life in his service. I feel I have stuttered along the way of the cross, but I have certainly known his life and peace.
If you have a sense that there is more to explore, please know that here at the Cathedral you are invited to do just that, in your own time, in your own way, within this wonderful place and our daily rhythm of worship and prayer.
For many of us, the invitation is to continue the pilgrimage of faith, to ‘press on’, as Paul puts it. That is what pilgrimage sometimes looks like in my experience, not necessarily pretty but putting one foot in front of another, keeping the legs going and the will as well. And yet Paul's encouragement is that as we press on, we may discover that Christ is not simply waiting for us at the end of the journey. He is already with us on the road. For Christ Jesus has made us his own. And in the sharing of his sufferings and the glimpses of his resurrection power, we come to know him more deeply.
‘I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing in his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.’
In a world where knowledge of all sorts is available at the tap of a button, we are invited this morning to consider afresh the gift of a deeper knowledge, of knowing Christ, who walked the way of the cross and invites us to do the same. And as we walk his way, sometimes confidently, sometimes stuttering, simply putting one foot in front of another, we discover again the riches of his love, the power of his resurrection and the joy of our hope. The way of the cross becomes indeed the way of life and peace.
Amen.