Christ Hymn for World Communion
Philippians 2:1-13
Rev. Dr. Mary Alice Mulligan
Most of us may remember that Paul wrote his letters even before Mark wrote the earliest Gospel. So Philippians was one of the earliest books written in the New Testament. What may be even more surprising is Paul’s quoting of a worship hymn in his letter which is one of the earliest constructions of a Christology. The Christ hymn quoted in Philippians reveals how the very early followers of Jesus were doing important theological and Christological reflection, deciding what it meant to claim Jesus Christ as Lord and then putting that into liturgical language to use in worship. We don’t know how old the Christ hymn actually is, but apparently well used in worship even before Paul wrote his letters.
On this World Communion Sunday, it makes sense to unpack the Christ Hymn a bit, realizing it is one of the very earliest worship pieces we have and Christians have been sharing it since before the Bible was compiled, or before anyone heard John 3:16 or 1 Corinthians 13. Read Philippians 2: 1-13, listening for the word of God.
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: 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. 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.
Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
The Church is God’s creation. People didn’t develop into a church under their own power. God’s Holy Spirit formed the church. In the Gospel of John, near the end of his earthly life, Jesus is reported to tell the disciples to expect an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will assist them, remind them of his teachings, and empower them. At the end of this passage to the Philippians, Paul reminds them that God is at work in the people of faith, the congregation, enabling them to carry on the ministry God sets before them. So, as the church develops, people have a pattern to live by. They are to imitate Christ. To clarify what such an encouragement means, Paul quotes a familiar hymn taken from the people’s regular worship service. “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…” The Christ Hymn which Paul quotes was probably as common in first century Christian worship services as the Apostles Creed or the Lord’s Prayer has been for many other Christians through the centuries.
The Christ Hymn, one of the oldest pieces we know of from the very earliest worship gatherings, gives us a faithful glimpse of what people thought of Jesus at the very beginning. The Chosen One of God, equal to God, gave up everything to come among humanity as a powerless servant. His self-emptying included even allowing his life to be taken. As a result, God allows us to see Christ is the exalted one, to whom all creation should pay obeisance. Obviously, none of us humbles ourselves easily. We like praise and honors, so it takes divine work in us to make us able to imitate Christ. One of the commentators explained, Paul is calling us to bow to the One who bowed first. Jesus Christ became servant of all to show us how to be servants too. When God works in us, we are empowered toward the vision of the world Jesus sets before us. Together, congregations can sacrifice and serve, because God’s creative power is at work throughout the church.
But nevertheless, divisions happen. We know the universal church can argue over the frequency of Communion or celibacy of priests or just about anything else, resulting in terrible divides. We also know local churches can argue over the color of carpet in the parlor, resulting in a third of the congregation leaving. Although we may feel like St. Andrew is mostly immune from such disagreements, the reality is if we get honest, we are separated from many other Christians. Driving past a church sign which says, “Come worship with us. You are welcome,” may stir up recollections of being rejected at a place just like that. Whole denominations can face splitting up property, missions, and investments, because some members feel like they cannot stay in Communion with people who welcome the queer community into the full life of the church and others are pretty sure they can’t stay in Communion with folks who don’t.
Even St. Andrew is unfortunately divided from some other Christians. Last week we received a phone call from someone who did not approve of some of the things on our sign. He wanted us to remove the slides that say, “Black History Matters” and “We Say Gay.” Although we talked for a while, he was not interested in considering our ideas. And I neglected to ask him which specific Bible verses he thought upheld his position so we could actually talk about our theological differences. His final comment was “Trump or Biden?” Of course the church does not make partisan statements, so that ended the conversation. But one of St. Andrew’s friends reminded me that when asked, “Trump or Biden,” I need to say “Jesus.” Painfully so many of us, pastors and laity, in St. Andrew and every other church, cling to positions which serve to show our differences. Throughout the history of the church and in our own backyards, church divisions happen.
We want to fix it, so we must reclaim the mind of Christ. Paul says Christians have the mind of Christ, so we must become conscious of what we already have. But of course, let’s ask what does it mean to have the mind of Christ? In part it means, when we believe in Jesus Christ, our minds are transformed as we make and renew our commitment to the will of God. We become connected to Christ’s ability to act from love, to sacrifice for others, and to move toward the vision of God’s intentions for the world. Paul notes important characteristics: Christ’s self-emptying, his compassion, and his utter humility, each of which is antithetical to the daily attitudes we usually hold. But when we connect with Christ, together we become like him. The Greek word for self-emptying is kenosis. Paul is not calling us to individual kenosis, but to a communal understanding. As a community of faith, when we have the mind of Christ, we see God’s vision for how the world should be and we desire to participate in bringing that vision to fruition by our communal self-emptying, humility, and compassion.
In 1974, Adrienne Rich won the National Book Award in poetry, beating out Audre Lorde and Alice Walker. Surprisingly, her acceptance speech began, “We, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, and Alice Walker, together accept this award in the name of all women whose voices have gone and still go unheard in a patriarchal world.” The three nominees had written the acceptance speech together, to be read by whichever one won. They wanted to make a statement about the power of collaboration and community. Their refusal to compete against each other bears a striking resemblance to having the mind of Christ. Not self-aggrandizement but self-emptying is how God is transforming the community of Christ, shaping us as God wills.
Which leads us to recognizing why we need World Communion Sunday. It isn’t St. Andrew showing unity. World Communion witnesses to the unity of over 2 billion people who call themselves Christians. Although not all will have Communion today or claim community with us, most will. We share the loaf and cup, admitting that in spite of our fragmented world, God has made the Church one body, united in the mind of Christ. Let us claim our unity in Christ.