Philippians 2:1-13 on May 17th, 2026
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Paul's Letter to the Philippians: Living with the Mind of Christ
Last week we started in Paul's letter to the Philippians and I think it's important to remind you of a couple of things. First, this is a real letter from a real person to a real community of faith. And second, Paul wrote these letters for an occasion, for a purpose.
Understanding Paul's Purpose
So what is the occasion for which Paul wrote this letter? Last week it made it seem like it was all about thanks, but today there is no thanks given. Thanks isn't mentioned. So what is the issue? What is Paul really trying to teach the Philippian church?
For that we need a little more background on the city of Philippi. Philippi was a Roman colony and Roman values controlled society. This meant that honor, status, citizenship, prestige, and public standing were all very important. In Roman culture this would have been everywhere.
The Threat of Roman Values
And that backdrop means a lot for chapter two because Paul is going to present Jesus as the exact opposite of the Roman ideal of power. More than that, Paul sees those Roman values as threatening to the church. The central issues seem to be selfish ambition and empty conceit. There is unchecked pride, status seeking, and because of that, division.
So Paul tries to curb those traits. Yet he doesn't tell them, "stop it, be nice." Instead he says, "look at Jesus. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus."
Community Life in Christ
Chapter two is about life as a community. Paul is trying to teach them what life together in Christ looks like. It's not just a belief, not just individual faith, but a whole pattern of living shaped by Jesus's humility. That is Paul's occasion for writing to the Philippians.
The Challenge of Preaching Paul
Now if I haven't said this out loud to all of you, I know I have said it in my office as I write sermons on Paul's letters: Preaching Paul is hard. And I think some of what is hard about it is the specificity of the letters. Like I mentioned earlier, these were real letters to a real place with real problems. And preaching can be easy if the community is going through the same thing. Paul's letters can be particularly helpful. But what if you don't have the same problems?
St. Philip's Journey
For us at St. Philip, there isn't and hasn't been too much inviting or jockeying for power positions. Instead, for the past several years, we've rallied around a common purpose. We moved forward together with a capital campaign. We've completed construction of a major building renovation. We had our time of wilderness wandering in the fellowship hall. We set our eyes on being freed to flourish by paying off our debt in 18 months or less.
In all the while, we underwent strategic planning. We have a new mission statement that not only says who we are, but it drives us forward in a vision of who we want to be: Expanding God's table for all in spirit, song, and service. There are new initiatives that have begun connecting people, caring for people, welcoming people. This is the type of stuff that if done well can bring people together. And I think because we did what we said we were going to do, we can also say that we have done it well.
And while I'm sure not 100% of everyone was always 100% on board, these aren't the type of issues that Paul is writing about.
A Good Servant, But More Work Remains
So on the one hand, maybe this is a "well-done, good, unfaithful servants" kind of sermon. I mean, we are living at least more than the Philippians in the same accord, the same love, the one mind of Christ. And that matters, for it is God who is at work among you. And this unity, this community is a gift. This is what the mind of Christ can actually do.
But if you look around, as rosy as things may be, this is not the kingdom of God. Our work has not brought Jesus's second coming, not yet. So that must mean that God has more work for us to do.
Witnessing to a Culture of Competition
And while Paul is concerned about the inner workings of the church in Philippi, he's also trying to get them to see their identity within the larger culture that's shaped by status, competition, fear, and power. And that, I think, can speak to us.
Our culture may not be Roman, but it still preaches winning, building, curating, and image. It measures worth based on productivity, success, control, and often selfish ambition and empty conceit. "Protect yourself. Promote yourself. Prove yourself or you're worthless."
But we as the church can be a witness simply by being different. Not necessarily louder, not more powerful, and definitely not more triumphant. We witness by being more like Christ.
The Mind of Christ
And what is it that Christ does in this passage? The Christ hymn, as it is called, lays it out. Jesus didn't regard equality with God as something to hold on to, but instead, He emptied Himself. He served people. He became human, one of us. He became humble, even to the point of death.
And while most of society operates like a ladder, climbing up, comparing positions, competing for the top, Jesus climbs down. Jesus moves closer. Jesus comes to us. And that is where God's glory is revealed.
And Paul here isn't just telling us to copy Jesus as much as he is telling us to have the same mind that Jesus had. Let Christ reshape the ways you think. Change your instincts. Expand your imagination on how to live. Christ's mind changes our understanding of greatness, of success, of what truly matters.
Transformation Through God's Grace
God doesn't just change our actions, but changes us. It's not superficial, but lasting; not window dressing, but renovation. And God starts this at baptism. Baptism isn't a feeling, a thing, a choice. It's where God marks you, claims you, and begins the journey of remaking you.
Communion isn't just bread and wine, food for our body. It's how God feeds our hearts, our souls, our minds.
We as the church and we as people are always going to be shaped by something. The question is: Are we going to be shaped by politics, media, fear, consumerism, outrage? Or are we going to be shaped by Christ?
The Choice Before Us
The world teaches us to climb higher. Jesus teaches us to move closer.
So because Christ reshapes our hearts and minds, because God claims us in baptism and feeds us at the table, and because Christ has come down to us, humbled himself for us, and is at work in us, we serve regularly. We forgive generously. We make room at God's table. We value people for who they are, not for what they can give us. We choose community over anger. We choose to humble ourselves for the sake of the world.
And that, that is Christ becoming visible all around us. That is God at work in us. And that is the spirit moving through us for the sake of the world.
Amen.