“Paul said: ‘Our citizenship is in heaven’”
Philippians 3:20
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus.
In an article entitled, Eight of the countries where it’s hardest to become a citizen, author Laura McCamy writes, “While U.S. citizenship and immigration restrictions often dominate the news, it turns out that there are quite a number of other countries where becoming a citizen is even more difficult.”
Take Vatican City, for example. With only four hundred citizens among its eight hundred or so residents, it’s the smallest country on earth. And the only way you can become a citizen is if you’re a cardinal, an official, or a worker for the Catholic church, which, I’m pretty sure, isn’t going to happen for any of us anytime soon.
And how about that tiny, mountainous country set between Austria and Switzerland, population 40,000, called Liechtenstein? If you want to become a citizen there, you’ll have to live there for thirty years! But if that’s just too long of a wait for you, you could always marry a Liechtensteiner, and it’ll only take five.
And last, but not least, there’s Qatar, a small, but very wealthy country that lies on the northeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Though it’s population is more than 2 ½ million, it only has a little over three hundred thousand citizens. And the reason is simple--since it’s a very male-dominated society, if your father isn’t Qatari, then neither are you. Oh, you could become a naturalized citizen, but you better be patient, because it’ll take you twenty-five years!
Citizenship matters. It’s our home. It’s where we belong.
So it was for the apostle Paul. Please turn in your Bible to page 1249 as I read the words of our text. Philippians chapter 3, starting at verse 17: “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:17-21).
Now before I say anything more, let me take you back in time to about forty years before Christ, to a battle called, “The Battle of Philippi.” It was a civil war, one of Rome’s largest, made up of some two hundred thousand men. On one side were Brutus and Cassius, (who had already assassinated Julius Caesar), and on the other side were Mark Antony and Octavian, (who later came to be known as Caesar Augustus).
A few weeks later, when the battle was over, more than twenty-four thousand men were dead. And just as soon as it was done, Rome sent a group of newly-retired soldiers, a wave of military veterans, to live there in Philippi.
And let me tell you, it was a pretty good deal. Not only did Rome give the men a huge plot of land without charge and a powerful place in society, it said they didn’t even have to pay taxes. It was Rome’s way of saying thanks for their brave, faithful, military career.
Now hold that thought in your mind as I take you to the book of Acts chapter 16. It’s where Luke writes: “So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and,” (get this!), “a Roman colony” (Acts 16:11-12).
What’s a Roman colony? Let me just say it was Rome’s way of not only conquering, but colonizing the world. And even though each colony was so far from Rome, (and there were quite a lot of them), when it came to education, arts, religion, and law, each one was like a “little Rome,” a little “imperial Rome.” And that place and privilege made those who lived there very proud.
Now imagine, if you will, that you’re a retired military veteran who lives there in Philippi. You’ve spent years fighting all over Macedonia, sword in hand, advancing Rome’s peace and power. You’re the proud owner of a huge plot of land, free of taxes, and you visit the temple once a week, to burn a pinch of incense and pay homage to Caesar as lord.
But one day, you hear of a man named Paul who’s just come into town, with a very peculiar message. He says there’s another King, a crucified King, whose name is Jesus. And though it’s so very different from anything you’ve ever known before, you believe what he proclaimed.
Then just a few months later, as you gather for worship at Lydia’s house, you hear that, that very night, there’s a special guest. His name is Epaphroditus, a friend of the apostle Paul. He said he saw him in prison, and he’s brought a letter from his very hand.
And in that letter to the Philippians, he said, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,” and “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” and “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Now finally he writes in chapter 3: “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.”
“Our citizenship is in heaven,” he wrote. Not Philippi. Not Macedonia. Not even imperial Rome. “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And so it is for us. Not Shell Lake or Spooner. Not Wisconsin. Not even the United States. “Our citizenship is in heaven.”
Can you notice something for me, that little word, “is”? Not “will be” and not “may be.” “Our citizenship is in heaven.”
What’s it mean? It means we’re not someday going to be citizens. We are now. Heaven is ours now. Ours are the gates of pearl. Ours is the bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Ours is the tree of life and the light that needs no lamp, nor sun. Ours is the wonder. Ours is the glory. Ours is the kingdom forever and ever without end.
And think of all those who have already gone before us. Do they rejoice in Christ their Savior? So do we. Do they shout, “Worthy is the Lamb to receive power and wealth and wisdom”? So do we. Do they sing songs of praise and salvation? So do we.
“Our citizenship is in heaven.”
Even more, though I’ve never had the chance, I understand that if you were to visit a U.S. military base somewhere else in the world, the moment you pass through the gates, even though you’re in Italy or Germany, you are on American soil. All the signs are in English, and the clothes and buildings are as American as apple pie. You could even eat at McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Burger King, and it’ll all taste just like home.
And even though we might be far from home, as long as we’re on that base, it feels like home.
And this place, this church, is just like that. Though we might come from many different backgrounds and many different places, here at Faith Lutheran Church, it feels like our heavenly home. It’s our home away from home.
As Paul wrote to the Philippians: “Our citizenship is in heaven.”
And while we’re here, what do we do? Verse 20: “We await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And what will He do when He comes? Verse 21: “He will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.”
Back in 2010, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote a memoir called, A Journey: My Political Life. And in that book, he told the story of a friend whose parents were immigrants, who had fled Europe and came to America in search of safety. Having nowhere else to go, they lived and worked in New York.
And as they made their life and home here in America, they were not well off. The man died when he was young, while the woman lived on. Then when she too eventually died, their son came to recover a safety box in which she had kept all her jewelry.
But as he opened that box, inside he found another box. And since he couldn’t find a key, he had to drill it open. And he wondered, what precious jewel must be hiding inside?
He lifted the lid, only to find wrapping and more wrapping, and finally an envelope. Carefully, he opened it.
What did he find inside? It was her U.S. citizenship papers. Nothing more. That was her jewel. That was her treasure. That was her most prized possession.
As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Our citizenship is in heaven.”
One more thing. As you all know, back in October of 1886, out of their great love and respect for America, the people of France gifted us with a huge, copper, three-hundred-foot statue called, Lady Liberty. And today, a hundred and thirty four years later, she still stands on a star-shaped pedestal, overlooking New York Harbor.
And in commemoration of that gift, a young, New York poet named Emma Lazarus wrote a poem in her honor. She said, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
And ever since that time, it’s said that as many as four out of ten Americans can trace their ancestry to someone who sailed past Lady Liberty on their way to Ellis Island.
Why did they come? Most came to escape the poverty, war, famine, and oppression of their homeland. Others came for opportunity and freedom.
But whoever they were and for whatever reason they came, they renounced their original citizenship to become citizens of our nation, so great were the blessings of America.
On a hill far away, the Lord of Liberty once hung on an old rugged cross to free us from death and defeat, to be our King, and to give us a kingdom that will never end.
As Paul wrote to the Philippians: “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Grant, dear Father, that we may treasure the great gifts You give us, especially the life and health and salvation found in Jesus Christ, that we may love and honor You alone, for His sake. Amen