Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday --- 13 April 2014

{Since the Passion from Matthew's Gospel was read today, my sermon was shorter and it was based on one of the other readings.}

Philippians 2:5-11

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. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

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

·        What is the mind of Jesus? Why is it important?

·        To learn the mind of Jesus, we need to look at his entire life on earth and what everything he did was dedicated to.

·        His parables, his teachings, his public words were all dedicated to the proclamation of the Kingdom of God.

·        His healings and deeds of power were signs of Kingdom breaking into our understanding of reality. For lack of a better term, they are the symptoms of the Kingdom entering our world.

·        Finally, as we’ve heard, Jesus’ own death – as an innocent suffering for the sake of others shows another face of this Kingdom of God.

·        The mind of Christ Jesus is to do the will of the One who sent him, to empty himself to see that the will of God is done.

·        Jesus laid aside all that he was so that others could be what God wished them to be. That is the mind of Christ Jesus.

·        This “mind of Christ Jesus” is important to us because it is to be our mind, too. Jesus is our example and our model to follow.

·        We will fall short of this example and model, but that does not make our following any less important. We may have our lives required of us in the same way Jesus’ was, but that does not make our change of heart and mind any less vital.

·        You see, the mind of Christ Jesus is nothing less than grace; grace that sees us through despite our failings.

·        In truth, when we surrender to the grace of God and realize that in grace, we live and Christ lives in us, then our mind will be conformed to Christ Jesus in many ways.

·        The mind of Christ is obedience. The will of Christ is salvation. The choice of Christ is the cross for our sakes and the sake of the Kingdom among us.

·        The mind of Christ Jesus is to empty oneself to show, proclaim, and live the Kingdom of God.