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December 7, 2003
Sermon: Snowballs Into the Fire
Scripture Lesson: Philippians 1:3-11
Reverend Larry M. Gerber

Does fire in a crowded nightclub have to cause panic, injury and death? Not at all. In a crisis, people tend to show unexpected generosity and altruism.
Panic and pandemonium. It's what you get when you combine a hard-rock roadhouse, an aging heavy-metal band and a pyrotechnics show. When the fireworks went off in a Rhode Island nightclub last February, fire leapt from the stage and quickly spread across the acoustical foam in the ceiling, filling the club with black smoke. Members of the audience struggled to escape, but they couldn't see clearly enough to find their way out. Harold Panciera was outside the building and was able to help a trapped concert- goer get out. Panciera said he and the trapped man could not see one another but could hear one another's voices. "I started throwing snowballs in there, and I said, ‘Can you feel the snow? Crawl toward the snow.' And he did," Panciera said. "Then I could see him, and he was severely burned all over his upper extremities. I pulled him out. And there were people lying all over the parking lot." Snowballs into the fire! Here's a guy who thinks he's about to perish in a hell of flames whose rescue is dependent upon another man who just used his creativity — someone who saw that the victim literally had a snowball's chance in hell of being saved, and he was going to throw them until he was! What a nightmare it was, as 99 people quickly perished and dozens more were severely maimed. "This whole thing has been like a 9/11 for musicians," said a rock-and-roller who had played the club earlier. And like 9/11, the tragedy was marked by heroism as well as panic.
To those who were in it and survived, it was like a fiery hell in there. But even in hell — this hell, anyway — there can be a touch of heaven. The apostle Paul is not lobbing snowballs at the Philippians to whom he is writing. He's tossing thank-you notes and encouragement. He's grateful that when his own world collapsed, and he landed in a Roman jail, the Philippians stood by him. They didn't panic. Instead they expressed their Christian faith in a number of most remarkable ways. That's why Paul is inclined to think the best of the Christians in Philippi, not the worst. "I thank my God every time I remember you," he writes, "because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now" (Philippians 1:3, 5). He knows that life is not easy for Christians in this small city of Romans and Greeks, for Paul himself had once been given the shock and awe treatment in Philippi for "advocating customs" that were not lawful for Romans to adopt or observe (Acts 16:21). In this first-century Roman colony, you risk being flogged and tossed into jail if you reject emperor worship and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. One can go to Philippi, even today, and visit the very jail that Paul was imprisoned in for preaching Jesus Christ as Lord. So you would certainly understand if the brutal beating by the imperial police generated widespread panic in the Christian community. But there is no evidence that this is the case. In fact, Paul points out that all of the Philippians "share in God's grace" with him, and share this not only in Paul's imprisonment in Rome, but in "the defense and confirmation of the gospel" (v. 7). Paul is thankful that the Christians in Philippi have remained true to him, true to God and true to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the face of the same kinds of challenges that Paul himself is experiencing, the Philippians are embracing God's grace and defending the gospel. Truth is, the threat of pain, suffering and adversity does not need to lead to panic. Most people assume that if you yell "Fire!" in a crowded movie theater people will panic. Not necessarily so. It's the Panic Myth, and some recent research tells us that people act better than we think in time of crisis. More often than not, the true cause of death and destruction is not human panic, but is, instead, factors well beyond the control of the victims of a particular tragedy. "People die in the same way they live, with friends, loved ones and colleagues — in communities," writes Lee Clarke in Contexts (Fall 2002). "When danger arises, the rule — as in normal situations — is for people to help those next to them before they help themselves." No wonder Paul writes, "I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you" (vv. 3-4). The Philippians are helping Paul and each other, and in the process they are exceeding Paul's expectations. There is absolutely no reason for us to think that people can't do the very same today. By giving the boot to the Panic Myth, we can reclaim a much more positive attitude about ourselves and others. Clarke argues that "If people generally act well under the most trying of circumstances — precisely when it would be easiest to turn their backs on others — it gives us reason to look for the good and the sensible in them at other times as well." Like the apostle Paul, we should try to think the best of each other, not the worst. We should make the assumption that we are going to be faithful and loving and generous and altruistic, not untrusting and hateful and greedy and selfish. This characterized the Philippian church as it does ours. Dealing with pain, suffering, adversity, death, despair and difficulty is the common work of the church. We don't do anyone any favors by fleeing (denial, ignoring, indifference, intolerance) or by fighting (arguing, inappropriate confrontation, close-mindedness). We're called instead to help one another — to help each other become today what we were unable to become yesterday, and to position each other to move forward to what we shall be tomorrow.
On this, the second of Advent, we have lit the candles of faith and of hope. We excitedly anticipate the coming of The Christ Child, and expecially on this, Communion Sunday, we are called to throw snowballs into the fire, to lead others to safety. Advent is the season of preparation, Holy Communion is the time of confessing our short comings, asking for forgiveness of the wrongs we have done to others, and seeking strength and direction in helping others, as they prepare for the rest of their life. Come, the Table is ready. We do have a snowballs chance. ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Sources: CNN. "Survivors recount crushing, fiery escapes." February 21, 2003, Cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/02/21/nightclub.fire.reax/. White, Jacqueline."The panic myth." Utne, March-April, 2003, 14-15.

Let me know what you think. The church Email is: SLUMC@att.net, Phone: 480.895.8766