31 Days of UnitySample

(Re)deem: If you are reading or watching a mystery story, the turning point in the saga often occurs when there is a key piece of evidence, a missing piece of the puzzle, that is finally discovered. At that moment, everything begins to make sense in a new way. The chaos of the mystery takes shape into a coherent narrative through the discovery of this crucial puzzle piece. The Rosetta Stone, which unlocked the ability of scholars to interpret Egyptian hieroglyphics, has become emblematic of these missing pieces of evidence which unlocks a new level of understanding in the face of a great mystery.

In many ways, Philippians 2:1-11 is a piece of the God puzzle, a Rosetta stone, for understanding the life and nature of Christ, and the love of God revealed through Christ. If we do not understand this passage and wrestle with its implications for our lives, we have a hard time understanding Jesus. New Testament scholar Dr. Michael Gorman says that this passage is the Apostle Paul’s “master story”, the interpretive key to understanding everything Paul believes about Jesus. As we move into (re)deem, the third phase of our 31 Days of Unity, we will use this passage as our focus for understanding how Jesus loves his church and calls us to love the world.

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 2:5) Unlocking the mindset of Jesus is our interpretive key to unlocking unity with each other and love of the world. So what is Jesus’ mindset according to this passage? Jesus is fully God but didn’t use his status or power for himself. In fact, Jesus emptied himself of these things, giving his life for the sake of others. Paul describes this as a humility that allows you to value others more than yourself. This is not self-deprecation, a lessening of yourself, it is instead a raising up of others in love and dignity. This is how powerfully Jesus loved others, that he could love them with a self-giving, self-emptying, love.

This love, which led Jesus to seek the redemption of all the world through his death on the cross, is the love that motivates and inspires our lives as the church. If we do not understand the nature of this love we fall into the trap of thinking that God's love is like our love. Our love is imperfect, often selfish, and frequently fickle. God’s love is none of those things. Frequently we love each other imperfectly and name that love as God’s love. This not only harms our ability to be unified, but it also dishonors God.

We will discover unity as the church when we learn how to love one another and those around us with the love revealed in Jesus. This is the key to everything.

After reading the passage, ask yourself these questions:

• What does self-giving or self-emptying love look like in a relationship?
• Have you ever experienced this type of love? Have you offered it to others?
• How would our ministry in the world change if every action taken was rooted in the mindset and love of Christ? What would some of the noticeable changes be?

Our Prayer for (Re)demption

Jesus, you did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to bring salvation. May your light shine brightly through your children, that in our love of one another, the unity of the Church, and our service to the world, all may see your glory and be drawn into life with you. Amen