Do you want to know what sounds impossible these days? Being of one mind. Paul encourages the Philippians to be of one mind, to be of one accord, and to find themselves in love with one another (and he does not mean romantic love, but the same sort of love that God has for God’s children). I do not know about you, but I find this to be rather unrealistic in today’s world. There is just so much dividing the people of our world.
On the political front, liberals and conservatives are as far from being at one mind about anything as anyone can imagine. Parents and children have a hard time even having discussions with one another about politics and society. Where tolerance once stood as a common principle among people of all political persuasions, winning seems to have taken over entirely.
People widely disagree about so many things in our society. What do we do about the migrants at the borders? How do we deal with the notion of gender identities? Do we cut spending in our budgets or retain services for the public good? Is Modelo really better than Bud Light?
Cats vs. dogs, Star Wars vs. Star Trek, Minecraft vs. Roblox, sports socks vs. tube socks; we are not of one mind about anything. We probably have never been of one mind, but the stakes seems so high this time around.
But, why? Why do the stakes seem so high? Why is it so important that we be right about any of this and everyone else wrong?
In the Bible, Paul seems to think that there are a couple of reasons that we get entangled in this trap of division. You get a hint of it as Paul’s instructs the church in Philippi:
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests…”
Selfish ambition (desiring success); conceit (thinking more of yourself than you ought); and loving yourself and paying attention to your own wants and desires rather than turning your attention toward your neighbors; these are all self-focused things. And, when everyone is focused on themselves, there is little chance that we will be able to be of one mind about anything. A nation of a million kings is not a nation. So, what do we do?
Strangely, Paul turns to a song for help. It is an early Christian hymn. We no longer know the tune, but the powerful words go like this:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who,
though he was in the form of God,
did not
regard equality with God
as
something to be exploited,
but
emptied himself,
taking
the form of a slave,
being
born in human likeness.
And being
found in human form,
he
humbled himself
and
became obedient to the point of death—
even death
on a cross.
I do not know if you have ever thought about this, but songs are powerful things. Somehow, songs are able to penetrate deeply into our souls. They speak to our hearts in a way that nothing else can. O Holy Night opens me up to the power of the Christ Child every Christmas in a way that no sermon or speech could ever do.
But, not only that, when we sing them as a group, this might seem obvious, but we are actually doing something together. For a brief moment in this divided life, we are at one mind as we sing the song. And, when it is a hymn, we are at one as we sing about Jesus and his kingdom.
So, maybe it is not so strange that Paul uses a hymn as he talks to his siblings in Christ in Philippi. I assume the Philippians sing along as the person reading the letter goes through the words. And, what are they singing?
It is a hymn that sings about a man who had as much power as God. He could create as God creates, he could judge and God judges, and he was able to destroy as God is able to destroy.
But, rather than seeing the hate and division of the world, and thinking, “It is time for me to take over and take charge,” the Bible says that he “did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.”
I will stop right there. How many of you have ever thought, “If I were emperor of the universe, I would make everyone do this, this, and this, and the world would be a better place.”
The man that Paul and the early Christians sing about has that kind of power. He could just force everyone to bend to his ways. He could try to punish his way to a new world.
But rather than thinking, “It is time to destroy this mess of a world and start it all over again…what about another flood?” he came down from his heavenly heights, and he walked around for a little while on the bloody soils of hate and division. He allowed his own story to become a part of the world’s story; a story of hate and division.
Like a slave, forced to gather from the fields, he took into his arms all the hate and division cast his way, and he carried that heavy burden belonging to others all the way to a cross where he was nailed. Though his arms were spread wide, he never stopped holding onto the hate and division and sin with his hands, and it was still in his grasp when death consumed him. He died, but so did the hate and division.
This man regarded other people’s lives better than his own…worth more than his own…so, he died that others might have a better and blessed life. His life was not shaped by his own needs, interests, and desires; rather, he focused on what others needed and took action, even if that meant death on a cross.
Rather than lifting up political leaders, or sports stars, or movie actors, or even hometown heroes, the Bible says that we lift high that man; Jesus Christ. He is the name above all names Paul says to the Philippians. He is the one that every tongue will confess as Lord. He is the one worthy of devotion and praise. He is the one worthy of being followed. He is the one worth being emulated. Jesus is our savior.
The Apostle Paul has an idea for us. Rather than be guided by political leaders or their ideologies, or by the whims of celebrities, or by societal pressures, or even our own whims and desires, the Bible suggests that we live and think with the mind of Christ.
The mind of Christ did not care about success. The mind of Christ did not dwell on selfish notions. And the mind of Christ was in no way focused on “me” or the need to have more and be more. The mind of Christ did not even focus on making everyone believe that he was right. Christ focused his mind on obeying and following God, with an eye to saving others. Christ focused on doing acts of love for the sake of others. Does this sound familiar?
This is the Apostle Paul’s way of saying: the primary commandment…the primary purpose in your life is to love God and love neighbor.
Allow yourself to let go of the leaders and ideologies of the world that compete for your mind and for your time. In its place, Christ will give you his own mind. It is a mind that offers healing when asked, and shares a meal when needed, and frees those who are captive to whatever holds their lives hostage. Christ’s mind is full of love for sinners and all who needed such forgiving love…for us who need such forgiving love.
Sacrificial love is not a task. Sacrificial love is who Christ has made you as a member of his body. Your life was made a sacrifice to God and to your neighbor when Christ sacrificed his life for you. Allow Christ to clear out all of the division, and disagreement, and desire. Allow Christ’s mind of forgiving love and sacrificial help of neighbor to fill your own.
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