Loving God, thank you for the gift of Jesus, who humbled himself for our sake.  Keep us focused on his self-giving love, and grant us the same, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            You may or may not have noticed that Paul repeats the same idea several times in today’s reading from Philippians.  He wants them to “be of the same mind” and also to be “of one mind” (Phil. 2:2).  He also wants them to have the same mind as Jesus Christ (2:5).  Now, it might just be the way that my mind works, but I immediately think of the Borg and the “hive mind.”

         For those of you who are not familiar with Star Trek, the Borg are a species that assimilates all other species into the collective.  Once assimilated, people no longer have a mind of their own and are now plugged into the hive mind.  While the Borg are incredibly powerful and efficient, both human beings and other species fight against this collective that will erase their individuality.  Generally speaking, the Borg are presented as a sinister and undesirable opponent.

         Presumably, this is not the type of unity that Paul has in mind.  Those who put their faith in Jesus are not asked to hand over their brain so that, somehow, the brain of Jesus can be inserted instead.  We are all able to think and act of our own volition.  We are not mindless drones who are just following orders.  We are diverse people, with our own thoughts and opinions and questions – and yet, we are all called to be “in Christ.”  What does this mean?

         In Philippi, as in many of the other early Christian communities, people who were all striving to live in Christ had disagreements with one another.  In Philippians, Paul urges Euodia and Syntyche “to be of the same mind” (4:2).  In Corinth, there were disagreements over many things, including spiritual gifts, the Lord’s supper, and who was in charge. Unfortunately, the church today is no different.

         One of the reasons that there are so many different Christian denominations is that, somewhere along the line, some people disagreed strongly with what was going on in their church and left to start their own.  Of course, within congregations there are disagreements as well.  I have often heard it said that there are as many different opinions as there are people in the room.  While it might be more efficient to have everybody plugged into the hive mind that is Jesus, our Creator has seen fit to give us the freedom to choose and to make our own decisions – however disastrous that might turn out to be!

         What would happen, then, if all those who see themselves as Christian were to set their minds on Jesus?  This is, after all, what we are being urged to do in today’s reading from Philippians.  What would happen if all of us were to keep in the forefront of our thoughts how Christ humbled himself and identified with all those who are most vulnerable and marginalized in the world?  What would happen if we were to focus on Jesus’ service to others, and self-giving love?  What would happen if we were to focus on the one who is both crucified and risen?

         One would think that it would be difficult to focus on Jesus, yet still want to maim and kill.  One would think that taking advantage of those who are vulnerable or targeting those with a different skin colour would not happen when focused on Jesus.  One would think that accumulating money and power or provoking hate and violence would not happen when focused on Jesus.  Yet, these are all things that have been done by those who claim to be Christian.

         Could it be that some of these people have focused on only one part of today’s reading?  In what Martin Luther referred to as a theology of glory, some focus only on the exaltation of Jesus and every tongue confessing that “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:11).  It might be possible to focus only on this and force others to confess Jesus.  It might be possible to say the words and even sing the songs, but continue to act out of selfish ambition or conceit.  It might be possible to bow the knee and to say “in Jesus’ name”, but still take advantage of the most vulnerable.

         In order to guard against this sort of “expropriation” of Jesus, we keep in mind all of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.  The fullness of Christ includes his humiliation as well as his exaltation, for in this is the love and the hope that the world so desperately needs.

         Let us, then, keep our minds on 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, ... And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross (Phil. 2:6-8).

Thanks be to God for the salvation that is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Easter 7 (NL 4)                                 Philippians 2:1-13

May 29, 2022

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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