Today’s Advent Reflection is from Andrea Millington
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:1-5
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.
Reflection
This passage is a letter of encouragement from Paul to the church in Philippi. Encouraged himself by the reception and the support he has already received Paul wants to develop their faith further. The words he uses remind us of the second of the two commandments given to us by Jesus. ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’. Paul goes even further suggesting that we not only treat our neighbour as ourself but in fact put their needs above our own. That is quite a challenge in itself but the further statement is the one which interests me ‘Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,’ or in another translation ‘ have the same mindset as Christ Jesus’.
Of course we have heard such phrases as ‘ God has no other hands ( eyes/feet) on earth but yours’ and with it the encouragement that we can do God’s work whoever we are and wherever we be. But to me that does not equate to having the same mind set as Jesus. Hopefully as we are part of a church family living out our faith in a supportive community we do care for each other. Many Christian values have become a way of life for everyone including those of no faith and are regarded as ‘decent and considerate’ . I think having the same mindset as Jesus takes us to a different place in our relationship with God and I wonder if it is achievable or even presumptuous to think it might be?
So we could admit defeat and consider this an impossibility. Instead, If we are to aspire to think as Jesus does then do we first need to reread the Gospels and ask ourselves a few questions? How was Jesus with people? How did he respond? What did he say and do? Did he ever turn anyone away? Was his response ever challenging etc ? If we follow Jesus’ example in how we live and interact with others then over time how God wishes us to live will become our way too. We will begin to live as though we have the same mindset in some respects. So the first step is to learn more about Jesus and the second step surely is to look at ourselves and see if we can in any way become closer to how God would have us be. Perhaps during this Advent as we prepare to celebrate the Nativity we might take some time to reflect on ourselves. This is not a self centred exercise but a means of acknowledging who we are, our strengths and weaknesses.
Previously it has been my privilege to work and be alongside people as they work through various issues and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and determine the right way forward. That required giving them my full attention, space, and an opportunity to be heard in an enabling and non-judgemental setting. Our daily conversations cannot be quite like that especially with people we know but the principals still apply . Often our own issues or preconceived ideas and judgements can hinder our communication with others and really listening to what is being said can be a challenge.
So perhaps Advent might be a time to learn more about Jesus’ life, and also to look at our own life story, the highs and lows, the things/ people/ situations we know we find difficult. I believe it will help us to be more understanding of others if we know ourselves better. Then through prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit we may aspire to live with the same mind set as Jesus.