A Christ-Like State of Mind: Philippians 2:1-13 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

¹ Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, ² complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose. ³ Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. ⁴ Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. ⁵ You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, ⁶ who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. ⁸ He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death– even death on a cross! ⁹ As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow– in heaven and on earth and under the earth– ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. ¹² So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, ¹³ for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort– for the sake of his good pleasure– is God. (New English Translation)

Sharing The Joy by Junyi_loh on flickr. CC BY 2.0

I had just left the hospital following an unscheduled visit. It was about noon, and I was feeling hungry—so I pulled into the nearest Arby’s to have lunch.

Seeing the drive-thru line stretching all around the building, I went inside to place my order. Behind the counter, the small crew of five was working frantically to keep up with the demand. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the words “I’m sorry” spoken so frequently in so little time. 

I waited a good ten minutes until the manager, nearly out of breath, approached me at the counter. But she didn’t say, “may I take your order?” She said, “can you pray for us? We’re having a horrible day.” The look in her eyes told me: she wasn’t joking. She was at her breaking point. She needed prayer—even more than I needed lunch. And I’m thankful that I could give that to her. 

We live in a world were everyone’s rushed, stressed, pressured, and exhausted—but people like those fast-food workers bear the brunt of it—working long hours for meager pay, all the while being subject to all kinds of verbal abuse so people like me can eat fast and cheap. 

And it’s not like fast food is healthy for your body and good for the planet, because we all know that it’s not. But when you’re rushed, stressed, pressured, and exhausted, fast food is tremendously appealing—not to mention delicious…

None of us chooses to be rushed, stressed, pressured, and exhausted. It’s what life in this world does to you. Factor in mass shootings, rising prices, partisan divisions intensifying, the Russian war on Ukraine, and a potential monkeypox pandemic—it’s enough to make your head explode. 

The people we encounter certainly know stress. Take the Apostle Paul—he was repeatedly persecuted for his testimony of Jesus and had most recently been chained up inside a Roman jail. You can be sure that in that lonely, desolate place, his mind was bombarded with all kinds of destructive and despairing thoughts. His hopeful, joyous, loving Spirit could very well have been broken. Except that it wasn’t. 

The believers in Philippi visited him in prison. They brought him food and clothing. They prayed with him. They took ownership of his sufferings for the Gospel, as if it were happening to them personally. Instead of succumbing to doubt and despair, Paul’s ordeal became an occasion of inspiration and transformation. In turn, the believers were emboldened to go out into the world, spreading the good news of his resurrection, and validating that testimony with love and good deeds. They put the needs of others ahead of their own, and their joy increased. 

Receiving the grace of Jesus, they adopted the mind of Jesus—which in turn, yielded the life of Jesus. 

Today’s Scripture is a wake-up call for everyone who’s’ rushed, stressed pressured, and exhausted—because everything you say and do and believe is influenced by your state of mind. 

A mind that is not set upon Christ cannot ever be at peace. And a mindset is not something that is easy to change. Your state of mind has been shaped by a lifetime’s worth of experiences, both good and bad. Like plaque in your arteries, anger, fear, and shame build up in your mind—and sometimes, we feed our minds with stuff that’s just as bad for us as junk food. Television and social media are among the biggest culprits. As they say, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Today, Jesus wants to be your peace of mind. After all, death and evil do not rule this world. God does. The truth to set your mind upon is Christ Jesus, who “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” 

When your mind is set upon Christ, you will experience peace and joy that no sum of money can buy. The eyes of your faith will be opened to see the works of God in your life. You will be emboldened to pray for God’s will to be done in your life and in the world. You will become excited about doing the works of God in the world. We, as the church, will become an unstoppable force for good in this community, transforming lives and bringing souls to Christ. 

But none of these things will happen until God’s truth takes root within you: a Christ-like state of mind. And this isn’t something you can do for yourself. You can only receive it—through the word, through prayer, through the sacraments, through the fellowship of believers. 

If you are rushed, stressed, pressured, or exhausted; if your heart is broken by the evils in the world or by how difficult your life has become—that’s a sign for how much you need Christ in your life. And he will not deny you his presence. He will not deny you the peace that passes understanding. 

Don’t lose your mind to the madness of the world and the selfish desires of sin. Dare to believe that Jesus is risen from the dead… That God’s love is the greatest power in the world… That you are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the works of God in the world… That, one day, “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow– in heaven and on earth and under the earth–and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Set your mind on Christ, and not even persecution or death will be able to stop the love, the hope, and the joy that you will share in Christ.