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 us right now.
Liberals and conservatives are as far from one mind as anyone can imagine. Parents and children have a hard time having discussions with one another about the future of our world. Something as simple as racial justice and racial inequality have become hot cultural fires where we once thought existed only warm coals.
People widely disagree about what to do about the lingering nature of the pandemic. Do we open everything up and let people live their lives in freedom while the virus takes its toll? Or, do we tighten down our society in order to limit the virus, but also limit our lives for another thousand years. That is how long this pandemic has been around, is it not?
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 much higher 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 in Paul’s instructs to 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?
This is what the Bible says. There once was 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. Upon seeing the hate and division of the world, rather than thinking, “It is time to destroy this and start it all over again…what about a flood?” he came down from his heavenly heights, and 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, he never stopped holding onto the hate and division, 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 you might live a blessed life. His life was not shaped by his own needs and interests; rather, he focused on what others needed and took action, even if that meant death on a cross.
Rather than lifting up our political leaders, or sports stars, or movie actors, or even hometown heroes, the Bible says that we lift high Jesus Christ. He is the name above all names. 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. Jesus is our savior.
The Bible has an idea for us. Rather than be guided by political leaders or their ideologies, or by the whims of celebrities, 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. 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 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 those who need it…for us who needed it.
Sacrificial love is not a task. Sacrificial love is who you are. Your life was made a sacrifice to God and 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 humility to fill your own.
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