“Humbling Ourselves”

Philippians 2:5-8

The phrase “running on empty” rarely describes something good. But in a recent sermon Gradye Parsons, told his listeners, that running on empty is exactly what we need to do if the Church is going to be what God has called to be. In order for the Church to be all it can be its members must deal with one another from a position of emptiness: empty of pride, empty of competition, empty of all those “it’s-all-about-me” attitudes.

And from whence does such emptiness come? It comes from a willingness to heed the Apostle Paul’s plea to the Church in Philippi that its members share the same mind of Christ Jesus, the mind of the One, who, though, he was God Almighty, emptied himself in order to become flesh and dwell among us; the King who became a slave. From that lowly position he lived a life that no other human ever has or ever will, one of perfect obedience. This obedience led him to a cross. On that cross he suffered and died not in order to glorify himself, but in order to wash away the sins of the world.

That’s the emptiness we for which we must strive in our relationships as brothers and sisters in Christ. Such emptiness is defined by Paul in the verses immediately preceding today’s preaching text: “… be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”

The two key words in all of that are “love” and “humility.” True Christian love cannot be acted out without a Christ-like humility that is manifested in an attitude of servanthood. No pride. No competitiveness. None of that “it’s-all-about-me” attitude. Such attitudes almost tore apart the Church in Corinth and caused problems in the Church in Rome. Obviously those attitudes were doing some damage in Philippi. Why else would Paul be making such an impassioned plea to those Philippian Christians?

As best I’ve been able to tell during my four years here the congregation of Grace has not been cursed with an over-abundance of that “all-about-me” attitude. There are no overt conflicts over theology, Biblical interpretation, or worship styles. No sub-group – or individual - is demanding that they always have things their way. Unlike some of our neighboring congregations we are doing the multicultural thing in ways that don’t threaten to tear the church apart. There is a unity within our diversity.

This is not to say that we’re perfect. There are some strongly held and often shared opinions among us. There are some honest disagreements and the occasional clash of personalities. I don’t doubt that there are some pockets of unhappiness. But so far we’re doing a pretty good job of disagreeing without being disagreeable. Our various gifts, talents, and personalities seem to be meshing in healthy ways.

What does any of that have to do with stewardship? Well, there’s that whole incarnation thing: the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, willing to forego all the power and glory of heaven in order to empty himself, become one of us, live as a slave, and die on a cross. The key concept here is “sacrifice.” The Father’s loving gift to us of his only Son. The utter absence of proud, self-serving ambition on the part of our Lord. The humble and obedient servanthood lived and taught by Jesus.

The kind of stewardship being dealt with today is the stewardship of our relationships, primarily our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Those relationships tell the world just how Christ-like we really are. Those relationships are an embodiment of our love for one another. It is in those relationships that we act out what Jesus has taught us. It is within the context of those relationships that we practice humility, servanthood, and sometimes sacrifice.

Our relationships with one another in the Body of Christ are precious. We must be good stewards of them; intentionally nourishing and developing them. They require much of us in terms of honest apologies and gracious forgiveness. They require an ability and willingness on our part to speak the truth in love. They cannot exist apart from the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I’m going to focus now on two of those fruits: generosity and self-control. Christian relationships require a whole lot of generosity. In order to maintain them we have to spend ourselves: our time, our energy, our gifts, and our resources. We also have to exercise a tremendous amount of self-control: keeping our egos in check, reining in our ambitions, being frugal in the use of our resources in order to make them available to others.

It’s not about what I want; it’s about what you need. Sometimes our hopes, dreams, and expectations have to be put on hold in order for us to be there for our Christian brother or sister. We have to be willing to put our interests on the backburner in order to look to the interest of others. If we are going to have in us the same mind that is in Christ Jesus, then we have no choice but to more and more intentionally empty our lives of self.

As individuals and as a congregation we must put God’s will first; discerning and then carrying it out. One of our priorities is doing whatever it takes in order to teach the people of Grace how to be faithful disciples. Another is equipping the disciples of Grace with what they need in order to go forth into the world and make more disciples. Part and parcel of all that is our absolute responsibility to educate our children and youth in the ways of Jesus.

All of that requires making sure that we have the space, resources, and people needed to promote Christian fellowship, maintain an ongoing program of Christian education and youth ministries, reach out to the community around us, and worship the Lord in ways that honor and glorify his name. One vital subset within all of that is our need to keep our facilities clean, safe, attractive, up to date, and in good repair. Another is our need to worship God in spirit and in truth.

Paul’s words in today’s text are possessed of a theological beauty beyond compare. They are poetic and almost demand to be set to music. They are words that challenge and nurture us. They are words that open our hearts and minds to the fullness of the love, humility, and servanthood of Jesus. They are words that define Christian relationships and discipleship. But for all their beauty they amount to nothing unless we hear them and apply them in practical ways as we live out our daily lives as brothers and sisters in Christ and our life together as a congregation of God’s people.

So let’s be practical in discussing some issues that affect our relationships with one another and our ministry to those around us. This building requires a lot of upkeep. We can be thankful that our Trustees and others have done a magnificent job of maintaining it. But our building – more correctly God’s building - is in dire need of some major repairs and remodeling. The roof just keeps leaking. We may soon outgrow our nursery. We have already outgrown our youth room. The kitchen is woefully outdated and inadequate in terms of our fellowship and outreach needs.

We are searching for a competent and creative Director of Music, who will bring some freshness and energy back into our worship and revitalize our music program. Such folks don’t come cheap. We’ve already upped the position’s pay package. We may very well have to up it some more, possibly a lot more. We are also approaching a point where we need to seriously consider employing a youth minister.

“Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interest of others.” In our case that looking to the interests of others means not only maintaining healthy Christian relationships, but also maintaining and improving the overall ministry and mission of Grace Church. Such maintenance and improvement will require a major, and possibly sacrificial, investment of our time and energy. An investment made possible only if we have in us the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, a Christ-like attitude of humility and servanthood.

We are being called to empty ourselves: of pride, ego, and “all-about-me” attitudes. That’s hard enough, but wait till you hear the next words out of my mouth. We are also being challenged to empty our pockets. If we find the thought of such tangible sacrifice discomfiting, let us remember Paul’s words about 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. And being found in human form, humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.”

That, my friends, is real sacrifice. Amen.