Fix Your Thoughts

November 16, 2025, homily on Philippians 4:4-9 by Pastor Galen

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” — Philippians 4:8b

The Great Christmas Decoration Debate

Around this time every year, a familiar debate breaks out in many households: When is it time to start playing Christmas music and putting up the decorations?

In our home, we usually try to wait until after Thanksgiving. The problem is, the weeks right after Thanksgiving are some of the busiest weeks of the year for our family—helping decorate the church sanctuary for advent, school events for the girls, work commitments, and everything that comes with the holiday season.

Last year, things were so packed that we didn’t get out to buy our Christmas tree until the weekend before Christmas. When we got to the Christmas tree lot, there was exactly one tree left! We grabbed it with gratitude, only to discover that the lot had raised the price because they knew that latecomers like us would be desperate! So now I have a lot more sympathy for those who like to put up their decorations early!

But all these decisions about when to start decorating reveal something about how we prepare ourselves—what we choose to focus on—as we move toward Advent and Christmas.

A Wave of Light

Yesterday at our Annual Church Conference, our district superintendent, Rev. Sarah Schleichert, shared a story about one of her favorite Christmas traditions: the Christmas Eve candlelight service.

She described a church she served in Frederick, where the pastor orchestrated the service with beautiful precision. As the congregation began singing Silent Night, all the lights in the sanctuary were turned off. For the entire first verse, the only illumination in the room was the single flickering flame of the Christ Candle. As the second verse began, that flame slowly spread from person to person until the whole sanctuary glowed with candlelight. Then, as the congregation moved into Joy to the World, all the house lights came back on, and the whole room erupted in light and sound.

It sounded a lot like our own Christmas Eve service!

Focusing on the Light

Rev. Schleichert said that during that first verse of Silent Night, when the sanctuary was completely dark and only the Christ Candle flickered, every eye in the room was drawn to that flame. No one had to be instructed to look at it. In total darkness, the human eye cannot look away from light.

Maybe you’ve experienced something similar—being in a cave where a single flashlight pierced the blackness, or sitting in your house during a power outage, waiting for someone to strike a match.

When darkness surrounds us, we crave light. We cling to it. We fixate on it.

The Context of Philippians

That powerful image helps us understand Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4,
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable” (Philippians 4:8).

There is no shortage of negativity in our world. It is easy to find ourselves fixated on what is broken, unjust, or disappointing. But Paul invites us to focus instead on the light: on what is good and true and praiseworthy.

What makes this invitation even more remarkable is where Paul was when he wrote it. Paul wasn’t sunning himself on a beautiful Mediterranean beach. Rather, he was in a Roman prison cell. Dark. Cold. Likely hungry. Chained. Wounded.

If anyone had reason to dwell on the negative, it was Paul.

And yet I imagine him noticing the little sliver of light creeping in through a small window, and it reminding him of Christ, the light of the world. I imagine him thinking of his dear friends in Philippi, who were facing persecution for their oath in Christ. And so Paul found a scrap of parchment and wrote this letter to the Philippians to encourage them to focus on the light of Christ.

Pray About Everything

Paul knew that simply telling people to “think happy thoughts” is not helpful. That’s why, before he tells them to fix their thoughts on what is good and true, he says:

“Pray about everything. Tell God what you need… and thank Him for what He has done” (Philippians 4:6).

Paul isn’t telling us to ignore the brokenness of the world. He’s calling us to bring our burdens honestly before God—to lay them at the feet of Jesus.

Maybe you’re facing health concerns, or a difficult test. Financial strain. Loneliness. Family tensions. Decisions you aren’t sure how to make. Paul’s words are not an invitation to pretend those things aren’t real; they’re an invitation to let Jesus carry them with you.

Recently, I saw a video of a hiker who tied a huge helium balloon to his backpack, and he claimed that the balloon made the pack feel lighter. Whether the video was real or AI-generated, the image stuck with me. When we give our worries to Jesus, it doesn’t mean we set the backpack down and walk away. It means the weight we carry is lifted. The burden feels different—lighter—because it’s no longer ours alone.

And then, Paul says, “you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

God’s peace clears the way for us to focus on the light that is Christ.

Focusing on Jesus

So this morning, I invite us to fix our attention on the One who is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable—Jesus Christ.

Focusing on Jesus doesn’t mean ignoring hardship. It means handing our hardship to him. It means letting his peace settle over us so we can see clearly again. And once our eyes are fixed on the light, we become bearers of that light—carrying it into workplaces, families, neighborhoods, and situations that desperately need hope.

If you want a concrete practice this week, try one of these:

• Light a single candle when you pray and let it center you on Christ’s presence.
  
• Each morning, name one worry you’re handing to Jesus.
  
• Choose one verse—maybe Philippians 4:8—and reflect on it throughout the day.

Small practices help our eyes stay trained on the light.

May we turn our eyes toward Jesus.
May we let his peace guard our hearts and minds.
And may we go from this place shining with the light of Christ.

Amen!

1. Think of a moment when a small light made a big difference—a candle, a phone screen, a flashlight. How does that experience help you understand Paul’s encouragement to focus on what is true and good?
2. Paul wrote about joy, peace, and praiseworthy things from a prison cell. What does his perspective invite you to reconsider about your own situation?
3. If you imagine Paul writing to you personally, what encouragement do you think he would offer?
4. What would it look like for you to ask Jesus to “carry the backpack with you” this week?
5. Which of the concrete practices mentioned in the sermon—lighting a candle, naming a worry, reflecting on a verse—feel most doable for you right now?