Philippians 2:1-11
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 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, but to the interests of others. 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.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
This passage of Scripture is taken from a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians in the church at Philippi. Philippi was a city located geographically in an area now part of Greece. The church at Philippi was the first church established in Europe and, of course, among people with no history or traditions related to Judaism. Paul wrote this letter in the middle of the First Century from prison in Rome near the end of his ministry.
Let’s think about the context of this event from the past in comparison to our current challenges. Paul’s letter is one of instruction but also of compassion, hope and faith. The Christians in Philippi were a persecuted minority. They had no knowledge of the teachings of the Old Testament or the prediction of a Messiah. Yet, they found the “encouragement in Christ,” as Paul said, to be both encouraging and persuasive. It changed their lives.
Paul, as well as those Christians in Philippi, clearly understood the difficulties and challenges in life. The answer to those struggles, he said, was to imitate Christ’s humility: “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” Become a servant to others.
Sometimes, the stories written about our Savior Jesus Christ challenge our human attempt at rational thought. Not all of the stories are consistent or reported in each Gospel. Yet, to the Christians in Philippi, the core message of love, faith and hope taught by Christ rang undeniably true to them. A fundamental truth felt deep in their souls and accepted in faith and perhaps beyond human rational understanding. A truth accepted under the most difficult of circumstances.
I hope that we all can continue to serve our church with this sense of humility and consideration of the interests of others as we navigate our current challenges.
