Musings on the Daily Lectionary

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.

These words from Philippians seem to borrow from an early Christian hymn. The writer is calling the Philippian Christians to be humble and loving, to imitate Jesus. I don't think many Christians would argue against such behavior, but lately I have become more and more aware of how the call to imitate Christ can feel overwhelming and overbearing.

I'm not suggesting that discipleship should be made "easier," its costs pared down. Rather I'm speaking about the motivation for such behavior. As a pastor, I have often cajoled members of my congregations to get more serious about living as Christians, to move beyond believing in Jesus and do more following Jesus. Yet I fear that such cajoling and preaching often doesn't work. Indeed it is often counter productive because it seems to assume that being a faithful disciple is mostly about trying harder.

But I don't think that having "the same mind as Christ Jesus" is about trying harder. There is something about Jesus that makes this natural behavior for him. Not that he isn't tempted to act differently at times, but his relationship with God always keeps him on course. Jesus is so confident of God's love, care, and provision, that he can live without the worries that so often impact us. Jesus is unconcerned about whether he is rich enough, popular enough, successful enough, secure enough, and so on. Knowing that he is loved and embraced by God makes such worries unnecessary. Being Son of God calms all anxiety and fear.

Our culture tends to use the term "child of God" as a synonym for "human being," but the Bible doesn't speak that way. Biblically speaking, being a son or daughter of God speaks of a close and intimate relationship. It is not a biological term. Even when used for Jesus, the focus is on his relationship with God.

Human beings become children of God, not by biology, but by adoption. God claims us and offers us an intimate relationship like the one Jesus has. And it is when we discover this intimate relationship that a new sort of life becomes possible. The Apostle Paul speaks of this as a "new creation; everything old has passed away; see everything has become new!"

None of this comes from our trying harder; it comes from being embraced in God's love, from realizing that we are held just as securely in the loving arms of God as Jesus was. It is that realization, that experience, that allows us to have the same mind as Christ Jesus. And it is that new mind and heart that allows us to embrace the difficult demands of discipleship with joy and without anxiety.

God, let us feel your love embracing us as children, so that secure in that love, we may live as Christ lived.

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