April 14, 2019         Having the Mind of Christ                        

Last week, when Kris and Emily were home for a few days, Emily was talking about her goals for next two to three years, and of course, as her father, I was telling her that reaching those goals would require some hard work, steadfastness, and self-sacrifice. And of course, she laughed and said, “Oh Dad, you’re just so basic!”

Now, I don’t know if the slang term “basic” has reached Somonauk, IL, quite yet, so let me explain what it means, at least as I understand it. “Basic” means dull, boring, plain, going about your business, just another face in the crowd, or unremarkable. I suppose for young people, being “basic” could be considered a put down. Certainly, when I was a young person, being different, standing out from the crowd, getting recognized, winning prizes, being “cool”, was what life was all about.

Being “basic” when I was young, was what my parents did. Get up, go to work, pay the bills, take care of the kids. Teaching us to do what is right for all, even if no one is looking. Teaching us to tell the truth if we have done something wrong, accept the punishment and move on. Telling us that nothing really good or meaningful comes to us without hard work, steadfast effort, and personal sacrifice. I guess when I was young, my parents were dull and boring, but they built a life on that, and in their golden years, they could look back on all that a “basic” life built, for them and for their kids.

This week I read a commentary on our scripture lesson from Philippians this morning. What caught my attention was what the author said about the people of Philippi. It said that they had a special place in the Roman Empire, that Philippi was a capital city, that all it’s members were Roman citizens, not subject to taxes, and that the majority of people were involved in government work. Therefore, a big part of being a Philippian was about social climbing and status, being loyal to the emperor, and being recognized apart from the crowd.

The author went on to explain that the troubles the church at Philippi suffered from were directly related to this kind of life. That people came to church to be recognized, that their contributions were to be celebrated, that their social status needed to be recognized with positions of power and authority, that those who were slaves should serve them. And in response to this attitude, Paul writes for them a beautiful hymn about Jesus Christ, that is worth reading again!

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, and being born in human likeness, ….. humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.                        Philippians 2:5-8

The message of course to the church members, was that as followers of Jesus Christ, they were called to be servants of one another. That while the world called for them to seek status, to be recognized for their social standing, and to Lord it over one another, that was not the way of Christ. The way of Christ, was the way of humility, obedience, and self-sacrifice.

I wonder, how the people of the church at Philippi received this hymn. I wonder if some of them didn’t react the way the rich young ruler reacted, when Jesus told him to give away his riches, and he walked away shaking his head, because he just couldn’t do it. I suspect that perhaps, that’s why a great many people today, especially young people, aren’t interested in the church. They live in a world that tells them, they need to be arrogant, prideful, and self-serving. That being anything less will cause them to lose out, be run over, or be taken advantage of. As I mentioned in our prayer of confession this morning, humility is not considered a virtue, and from the first part of my sermon, being “basic” is not considered a compliment. But that is the view from this side of the cross, the Palm Sunday side.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus rides into Jerusalem and the crowd lines the road, laying down their coats, waving palm branches, shouting Hosannas to the one they hope will throw out the romans, and give them status, power, privilege. Through the week, they will see Jesus arrested, suffer, and die, and even his closest disciples will desert him. The way of Jesus, is not their way, not the human way, not the worldly way. That is the view of Jesus from the Palm Sunday side of Easter.

But after Easter, that is not the view of Jesus that his followers have of him. After Easter, that view will change, much as our view of life changes, from being young to growing old. The view that being “basic” -  the hard work, steadfastness, and sacrifice over the years has resulted in giving life to us, to our children, and to others, is a productive way of life.  That view will change because of the resurrection, when we see at last, that the way of Christ Jesus is indeed the way of life! And that is the good news of Jesus Christ!!