October 1, 2025

Letter to the Philippians 3:13b + 14

My goal

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.

Dear Readers,

the Swiss soccer player on today's stamp wants to “shoot” the ball into the goal. With his head! That takes a lot of practice and technical skill. As far as I know, the most successful header shooter is Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal. His header in 2013 was fantastic. He headed the ball at a height of just below 3,00 meters (!!) against Manchester United. A magnificent sporting achievement.

Now, faith in God is not a competitive sport. When the Apostle Paul speaks of a prize he wants to win, he is not referring to a religious achievement. It is not about praying a lot or living a morally flawless life. Paul is talking about his passionate love for the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what drives him forward.

I think we all know this passionate love for something important in our lives. What we enjoy doing also spurs us on. We will find time for it! Whether it's in sports, cooking or baking, singing or playing music. When we do something with all our heart, we want to do it well. We even want to do it exceptionally well. We then have a goal in mind: in sports competitions, we want to win a trophy or a winner's certificate. When baking or cooking, we want to see satisfied guests at the table who will love to come back. When making music or singing, we want to serve our listeners a musical treat.

Unfortunately, sometimes failures are inevitable: we weren't motivated enough to compete, we may have had a bad day. Or the food wasn't seasoned properly or the cake collapsed. Or there were some wrong notes at the concert. But that's no reason to give up! I courageously carry on and “put everything behind me and look only forward to what lies ahead,” as the Apostle Paul writes. I will keep trying! Again and again, because it gives me joy. I will continue to invest time and energy!

We Christians need this perspective, especially in our faith. It may be that some of you actually think: I may not pray enough. I don't trust God enough. I don't read the Bible enough. Then I encourage you: forget what you haven't succeeded in and look ahead with confidence. Personally, in such situations, I ask Jesus Christ to be my coach. Because he can put joy in my heart to be a joyful person of prayer. He can awaken in me a longing for his word. He can do that, and he will do it if I ask him to.

I wish you joy in your faith in Jesus Christ. You don't have to do anything, but you can let the Lord Jesus Christ “coach” you with courage and confidence. The soccer player on the stamp wears the famous Swiss cross on his red jersey. He is Swiss. It should be similar for us. We Christians should be recognizable. We should wear the cross of Golgotha on us. Or rather, carry it within us, in our hearts and in our thoughts. Because faith is both a matter of the head and a matter of the heart. Faith means thinking AND having a burning heart for the love of God. 

Thank you very much for visiting me and listening to me. May God bless you in spirit, soul, and body. I look forward to seeing you at my next short sermon on October 15, 2025.