The Right Frame of Mind
Philippians 2:5-11
By Dr. David Rogne

Norman Lawson tells of an experience he had when he attended a business conference:  "I had occasion to ride with some colleagues from the airport to our place of meeting," he writes.  "The one who drove was tired, angry, frustrated, and in a hurry.  It was quite a ride.  One moment he was floorboarding it, the next moment he was slamming on the brakes.  Our heads were swaying way back and way forward!  Then he'd be honking--blasting--on the horn at the car in front of us, then swerving out to go around.  Our heads were swaying from side to side like a few melons in the back of an empty pickup.  A couple of times he cut in on the car he was trying to pass and shook his fist at them.  He received appropriate (or inappropriate as the case may be) signs and symbolic gestures in return.  It was a harrowing trip.

"Coming back from that meeting a different colleague drove the car,” writes Lawson.  “This time, the one who drove was of a different personality.  This driver signaled for others to come in front of us at a place where cars were entering traffic.  The pace was smooth . . . . no sudden burst of speed, no sudden stops.  In return for courtesies, we were given courtesies.  It was the same trip in reverse, and it took the same amount of time, but it was such a different trip!  It was calm and pleasant!"  In driving and in life, attitude colors everything.

The apostle Paul was languishing in a prison cell in the city of Rome, a prisoner because of his faith in Christ.  A messenger arrived from the congregation in the city of Philippi in Macedonia, a congregation which was dear to Paul's heart.  As Paul inquired about the congregation, he was at first assured that everything was going well, but as he probed further, he discovered that things were really in a mess:  the church was fractured because of conflict and pride.  Certain groups in the church were seeking to advance their interests without regard for the interests of others.  To correct this difficulty, Paul calls for a change of attitude, a new frame of mind, which he calls "the mind of Christ."  He attempts to illustrate that attitude by outlining the life of Christ with what many people believe was an early Christian hymn.  It is that hymn which we read this morning as our New Testament lesson.  If that statement helped early Christians discover a new attitude, the mind of Christ, perhaps it can help us to do the same.

The first thing Paul says about Christ is that he was able to rise above self-interest.  In this passage Paul points out that Jesus had certain advantages.  He says, Christ “was in the form of God."  I have no doubt that in Paul's mind that meant that there was something about Christ which was pre-existent, something which was divine.  At the very least, Paul would say that Christ "had it made" in his relationship to God.  He knew who he was, he knew God loved him, he knew that he was in a right relationship with God; he had nothing to fear.  One would expect, then, from a purely human standpoint, that Jesus would take advantage of his unique position and get away from any involvement with this messed-up world.

But he decided not to capitalize on his position.  As Paul puts it, Christ “emptied himself," or in a modern translation, "He gave it all up."  As far as Paul is concerned, Jesus could have gone on in undisturbed tranquility, having found the key to a meaningful life, which could be of great benefit to him personally, in this life and the next, but he set it aside.  He gave up whatever serenity, glory, or honor he might have had, in order to serve others.

From Jesus we learn, then, that our advantages are not given to us solely for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others as well.  Father Bruce Ritter, a Franciscan friar, was a successful chaplain and teacher at Manhattan College in New York.  He often discussed with his students the appalling conditions of the twenty thousand runaway teenagers who were being sexually exploited in downtown New York City.  One day his students challenged him by asking what he was going to do about it.  The challenge hit him between the eyes and changed his life.  After much soul searching, he left his comfortable, successful, and popular position at the college to set up Covenant House, a half-way house to care for the needs of the runaway children who required so much attention.  Father Ritter reflects that it was not his idea of what he wanted to do.  Evidently, it was God's idea.  There was more connected with his life and ministry, he discovered, than the secure, comfortable existence of a college professor.

Jesus emptied himself, says Paul.  He didn’t hold on to his advantages, but gave them up to benefit us.  The new attitude we seek involves setting aside self-interest as we make place for the interests of others.

The second thing Paul would have us consider is Jesus’ humility.  Thinking too highly of ourselves is a problem for every one of us.  The London Tablet claims that their correspondents report that in darkest America it has become customary in some quarters to carry in wallet or purse a card which reads:  "I am an important Catholic.  In case of serious illness or accident, please call a bishop, not a priest."

Jesus, on the other hand, made himself of no reputation, but took the form of a servant.  The evening of his betrayal, he fulfilled the role of a domestic slave and washed the feet of his disciples.  He said, "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve." (Matthew 20:28)

John Alexander, in his book You and Your Money, tells how a couple of years ago he spent a month in Asia, mostly with people who had servants (not an uncommon thing there), and didn't like what he saw.  About the experience he wrote:  "I don't want to be a servant.  Servants are people who drive you to restaurants and sit in the car while you eat.  Servants are people who run in from the next room to get the salt for you because it's a foot out of your reach.  They wash your dirty underwear by hand.  Sometimes they sleep in a closet or on the floor in the hall.  "The essence of being a servant is not existing.  If you're a servant, you do all sorts of jobs without anyone ever noticing that you exist.  Whenever I visited a new house during my trip to Asia, I was introduced around to others (I existed).  But a few people were left out.  Eventually I realized that they were the servants.  They do not exist.  During the whole month, I was introduced to servants by name in only one home.

"I was told about a discussion on evangelism in a wealthy church.  One woman said she knew so few people who were not Christian that she didn't see how she could evangelize, and the other people agreed.  Finally, an outsider asked if most of the servants were Christians.  After a silence, the answer came:  'I never thought of them.'  Servants don't exist."  In reading Mr. Alexander's account, it is all the more startling to reflect on the fact that Jesus "took on the form of a slave."  It involved a total emptying of self.  And that was the genius of his ministry and his life.

Those who are attempting to develop the new frame of mind that Jesus exemplified are learning a new vocabulary.  General Jackson Rozier described it when he said:  "The six most important words are:  'I admit I made a mistake.'  The five most important words are:  'You did a good job.'  The four most important words are:  'What is your opinion?'  The three most important words are:  'If you please.'  The two most important words are:  'Thank you.'  The least important word is:  'I.'"

The third thing Paul would have us consider about Jesus is that he was obedient to a higher calling.  Some people are aware of a calling, but personal considerations get in the way.  In 1970 two researchers for the Kinsey Institute began a rather extensive survey of the sexual attitudes of 3000 adults.  By 1980 the work was compiled and almost ready for publication.  One small detail remained, however, to complete this important work.  Albert D. Klassen and Colin Williams--the authors of the survey--still needed to agree on whose name would appear first on the publication.  So the work did not get published.  Almost a decade later, the research was again ready for publication.  Other researchers interested in the results of the study helped in the resolution of the squabble.  Apparently some of the academic community felt that 10 years was long enough for the two men to have arrived at a decision on whose name should come first on the title page!  The calling of the two scholars was to the advancement of science, but ego and ambition prevented them from responding.

Paul says that Jesus was obedient to his calling.  He gave up all personal ambition and self-seeking impulses, and surrendered himself without reservation to the call of God, even though that call was leading to his death.  I do not think that God willed Jesus’ death.  Surely what God willed was that the world would listen to Jesus, but when the world would not listen, it was important that Jesus remain obedient to his calling.  And surely, Jesus did not wish to die, but obedience to his mission led to that, and he did not back away.

We learn from Jesus’ example to be obedient to our calling.  For each of us that calling will be something different, but generally it will have something to do with our unique opportunity to serve.  In the fall of 1038, King Henry III of Germany laid the body of his beloved queen, Kunigunda, in the tomb.  He had grown weary of court life, so he made application to a monastery to spend the remainder of his life in quiet contemplation.  Richard, the prior of the abbey, warned the king, "Do you fully understand that the pledge here is one of total obedience?  You ruled as a king, it will be difficult for you to obey."  Henry replied, "I understand, and for the rest of my life, from this moment on, I will obey whatever you command as Christ leads you."  With that, Prior Richard commanded the king, "Return to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has placed you."  In obedience to Prior Richard, Henry returned to his duties, married Agnes in 1043, and in 1046 was crowned emperor of all Europe.  During the remaining days of his reign, the medieval empire reached its zenith of power.  He appointed two popes--Damasus II and Leo IX.  He died in 1056, and above his burial chamber they inscribed, "He learned to rule by being obedient."  Like King Henry, we often tire of our responsibilities and duties.  And like him we need to be reminded that each of us has a unique place of service.  Whether we serve as engineers, plumbers, mothers, fathers, or whatever, God fully expects us to be faithful where we are.  To be obedient means "Bloom where you are planted."

We have heard this morning that Jesus emptied himself, took on the form of a servant, humbled himself, and became obedient to God's call.  Contemplating his life puts us into the right frame of mind--colors our attitude--so that we can be about his business.

I close with this.  Howard Hendricks tells the story of a flight from Boston to Dallas which departed six hours late.  Tired Friday-afternoon businessmen were steamed about the problem.  The man across the aisle growled at the flight attendant every time she walked by.  Since approaching him seemed a hopeless idea, Hendricks walked back to the galley to commend the flight attendant on self-control and the way she handled the situation.  He asked her name, suggesting he wanted to write American Airlines and express appreciation.  She responded, "I don't work for American Airlines; I work for Jesus Christ."

"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus."