Scripture:


In his letter to the Christians in Philippi, Paul engages in radical theology -- but does so in such a beautiful and memorable a way that this passage has become a pillar for all who would understand Christ. After his introduction, Paul depicts Christ's earthly life, not as a series of miracles, but as a process by which Jesus gave up what might have been his -- in obedience to God. Then Paul offers God's response: that Jesus is universally exalted, not for his power or victory, but for emptying himself in humility. With fear and trembling, let us hear these words as we work out our own salvation. I read from chapter 2, beginning with verse 1:

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, [2] make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. [3] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. [4] Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. [5] Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
[6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, [7] but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, [8] he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [12] Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; [13] for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

First impressions govern more than we care to admit. Business women and men, sales representatives, doctors, and (without a doubt!) ministers who fail to abide this truth find that their progress is stifled or worse. Since my ministerial colleagues and I are all new, many of our relationships are caught up in the whirl of first impressions. Many of you have registered positively with at least one or two of us. Still, there are some members whose first impression has caused them to step back from this congregation -- at least for the time being. The parable I am about to read deals with first impressions. Through the parable, Jesus illustrates how our first impressions often lead us astray, especially when they form the basis of judging others. Further, he opens wide the door so that regardless of how we may initially respond, we realize that our repentance and God's grace can set us straight. Open your heart to the wisdom of this parable, as I read from the 21st chapter of Matthew, verses 23, and 28-32: When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching . . . . (Jesus said:)

[28] "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' [29] He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. [30] The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. [31] Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. [32] For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him."

Sermon:


Throughout the past week, since the death of Henri Nouwen, I have received e-mail and faxes, phone calls and cards of condolence from friends all over the world. One of the calls was from Gary. Gary was a student in the first class I ever taught on my own. It was in the summer of 1973. Very bright. Broken home. Very rebellious and eccentric. Gary is so intellectual and interested in ideas that I figured he would become an academic. But instead, he became a therapist.

I remember asking him why he became a therapist. He replied: "Because it's one of the few professions where you're paid to tell people the truth."

Counseling--at its best--has this in common with preaching at its best, because I too -- in my counseling and in my proclamation of God's word -- I too am paid to tell people the truth.

In our society, there are endless resources devoted to concealing a variety of truths from the public. The most recent example is that a new computer imaging television camera allows Barbara Walters, Peter Jennings, Tom Brokow, and Dan Rather to remain forever young -- so long as they're only seen on camera.

But a gathering of Christians stands as a mighty contrast to this. Here, it is our task to look TRUTH straight in the eye, and respond with love in proportion to the grace we have been given.

Christ said to Pontius Pilate: "For this I was born, and for this I came into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." And in response, Pilate asked Jesus: "What is truth?" (John 18:37-38) This is the question which resounds through all time--AND ESPECIALLY in our time. What is truth?

And if our time together in worship, and throughout the week in fellowship, is worthy of the one whose name we claim when we call ourselves Christians, we affirm this time as a time in which we covenant to seek the truth together, searching more and more for the light which God is still revealing to us in countless ways.

So let's not duck our duty. In today's scripture passages, which come from the lectionary for the day, we are presented with two fundamental truths of our faith. The first comes from Paul's letter to the Philippians. Paul is sharing with the community at Philippi his deep desire that they be unified as a community. The way to do this is for each of them to adopt the mind of Christ Jesus.

This is familiar advice. We have heard it all before. Nevertheless, however familiar we may be with Paul's encouragement, we also know that we fall far short of the mark.

I'm not worried about the fact that from time to time in our dealings, both outside the church, and even within the church -- we stray from the qualities Paul outlines here. We are not always free of selfish ambition or conceit. We sometimes put our own interests before those of others.

But I don't worry about this because I'm confident that we are in agreement that even though we do not always live this out, we agree that community is best served when selfishness is replaced by respectful regard for others.

But what Paul keys in on is the idea of conforming our minds to the mind of Christ Jesus. This worries me! It worries me because I think that within our congregation there are quite different notions about what this means.

Who is Jesus Christ for you? What would it mean to you: "to put on the mind of Christ Jesus?"

Many of us, nurtured by hymns and prayers and sermons, view Jesus Christ as one step removed from God. Whether or not we believe in Christ, we view him as an exalted, powerful authority; looking upon him as a king or ruler.

If this is our understanding, how then can we "put on the mind of Christ?" The more we are inclined to elevate him, the more we view him as being, so to speak, out of our league! If we are to put on his mind -- if we are to conform our spirit to his -- then we must find a way to connect with him; we must find a way for him to become accessible.

This leads to the first truth I want to emphasize this morning: Christ VOLUNTARILY emptied himself, and took the form of a slave.

How can we understand:

* that we who are quite powerful are liberated by someone who became powerless,

* that we who are strong are being strengthened by someone who became weak,

* that we who are leaders find a leader in someone who became a servant,

* and that we who are optimists find new hope in someone whose life ended in a gruesome, self-sacrificial death?(1)

The TRUTH is that our conventional understanding of Jesus Christ needs to be reexamined. We are saved, not by some distant God who condescends to take pity on us. As we were reminded in the prayers of confession, we are saved by Emmanuel, which means "God with us," who descended from heaven and took OUR form, so that he would know us from the inside out. Paul is telling us that Jesus emptied himself of his stature--which was equal with God--and thus became subject to the same powers and influences that dominate us. He suffered our fears, uncertainties, and anxieties. He gave up a position of privilege, a position of majesty and power, and assumed fully a position of total dependency.(2)

This is a truth most of us need to hear.

When we sing "What a friend we have in Jesus" we don't mean some patronizing, omnipotent benefactor who takes an interest in us. We mean that Jesus became like us, suffering just like each of us has suffered. AND that it is in this action--this voluntary choice on God's part to become like us--that God reveals to us what God is really like.

In the emptied, humbled Christ, we encounter TRUE GOD.

Only when we have this understanding of God does Paul's encouragement to "put on the mind of Christ" make any sense. The path we are to follow is this path of self-emptying. Henri Nouwen spoke of this path as a process of downward mobility (rather than upward mobility). This encouragement -- this downward pull -- is disturbing.

* We who are accustomed to setting our sights on new heights are beckoned to plunge into mysterious depths.

* We who strive for victory must come to grips with defeat.

* We who would be rich in things must accept that we are poor in soul.

* We who rise triumphant above all adversity must befriend a path of suffering.

* We who live life to the fullest must face death as part of life.(3)

In these ways, putting on the mind of Christ requires a "turning" from the values which the world esteems. And this leads to our second passage for the day, and the second truth for the morning.

Recall the Gospel reading about the two sons who are each asked by their father to go and work in the vineyard. The first says no, but later reconsiders and goes and works in the vineyard. The second says yes, but never goes.

This parable, or allegory, seems to offer an obvious truth. Many read this passage as attesting to the notion that "actions speak louder than words."

I disagree. If all that were at stake were our words and our actions, then it would be enough if the son who at first said "no" were to drag himself back later, and offer to lend a hand. Hasn't each of us had the experience of having someone turn us down when we ask for help, and then have that person come back and help out -- only half-heartedly?! Their so called "help" is often more like a burden.

Christ does not need half-hearted followers. Christ calls anyone who would follow him thoroughly to examine his or her HEART. And that is the key to this parable. It's not that the first son is obedient to the father by carrying out the desired action. What matters most is the phrase we often miss: "but afterward he repented and went." He repented and went.

I suspect--to borrow an expression which Nancy Reagan popularized years ago, and has recently been resurrected in the political foray between Dole and Clinton--that following Christ may come more easily to those who "first say NO to Jesus."

Now that's an odd thing for a preacher to say! But think about it. What if we decided, as our first response to the Gospel, to make a list of all our reasons for refusing Christ:

* It is too hard to take up our cross and follow Christ.

* If we love our enemies, they will take advantage of us.

* If we don't worry about tomorrow, the bank and the creditors will take care of tomorrow for us!

* Why should I stake my life on something I can't be sure of?

During Lent you heard me preach on repentance--and I suspect that you know that to repent is to turn; to be converted from old ways to new ones. If we are going to dedicate our lives to Christ, let's not say "yes," and then fail to follow-up on our commitment. Better to say "no" first, and then reflect on our lives, and on our contribution to the world. Then, upon reflection, if we reconsider and repent, we will truly be able to give our all.

An example of this which may be known to many of you is the story of the life of John Newton. Born in England in 1725, Newton's mother died while he was a child, and he went to sea at age 11 with his father. For the next 18 years, he earned a reputation as one of the most blasphemous and vulgar of men. He captained a ship engaged in trading slaves between American, the Caribbean, and Africa. Amidst his debauchery, God came to him. Following his conversion, it took six years for him to wrest himself from his illicit life. Then, after ten more years of wandering and reflection, he responded to the call of Christian ministry, settling in the Anglican parish of the little village of Olney, near Cambridge, England. It was there that he penned the words of many of our most popular hymns, among them, "Amazing Grace."

We have each done our part in the slave trade. We have each denied Christ on countless occasions. But perhaps by acknowledging our worst sides, we can put ourselves in a position to receive the amazing grace that only God can offer. Perhaps by saying NO to Christ's face, we can begin to see our lives for what they are: an unlimited source of help for our sisters and brothers who are suffering and oppressed. And seeing both our mistakes and our potential, we can repent, and commit our lives to serving Christ and God. When we do, we can sing with John Newton: "Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; 'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home." Amen.

Footnotes:
1. Adapted from Henri J. M. Nouwen, Compassion, p. 24.
2. Adapted from Nouwen, Compassion, pp. 25-6.
3. See Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, IV. 1, p. 190.