The Mind of Christ 

For Your Reading: Philippians 3:12 - 21 

And so it begins. Have you picked your Lenten discipline yet? It's not too late to give up procrastinating, but you would have to give it up right now.

Perhaps you have been so busy preparing programmatically for Lent that you have not given thought to a personal discipline. Or perhaps the usual suspects feel tired: giving up television, or social media, or your favorite food or drink - and you are looking for something transformative.

The Epistle reading this morning has me inspired to try something fresh: to strive for sharing in the mind of Christ.  

In Paul's letter to the Philippians, he repeats one word again and again: phroneo, which is usually translated as "same mind" or "one mind".  We tend to understand "mind" as our intellect, our rational thinking.  Phroneo, though, has a broader scope: it is a particular way of being in the world that determines how we live.

The Philippian community was threatened by conflict, but rather than addressing specific issues, Paul invites them to consider the character of the One Whom they worship:  "Let the same mind (phroneo) be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped, 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" (2:5-8).

For Paul, Christian unity is not grounded in nor dependent upon intellectual agreement on any given issue; rather, unity is achieved to the degree we can imitate Christ's way of being in this world. Our mission, our call, is to share in the mind of Christ, to empty ourselves for the sake of the other, for the sake of love.

How might Paul's urging us toward phroneo with Christ help us become increasingly mission-minded, mission focused on the grassroots level?

This video from Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock made the rounds among Facebook friends a little while ago. It is a creative imagining of what it might look like for an individual to share in the mind of Christ in the midst of ordinary, everyday life. I'd invite you to follow the link and watch. It's only four minutes - then come back.

What did the glasses do for the young man's vision? How did his changed vision

 affect his encounters? How would your day change if you put on those glasses?

This is my Lenten discipline: For the next six weeks, I will ask to see the world around me through as Christ does; ask for the will to respond to the needs I encounter as Christ would; and ask for the grace to empty myself for the sake of others as Christ did.

How might God be calling you to share in the mind of Christ?

For Your Prayer: Be still and pray with the following from The Book of Common Prayer: 

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish you purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

For Your Reflection: How might God be calling you to share in the mind of Christ? How can you find new and changed vision of the world you encounter every day?

The Rev. Kim Seidman serves as vicar at the Church of the Holy Comforter in Broomfield