Weekly Devotion with Pastor Mark

“What does it mean for a church to be united?”

Most of us assume it means agreeing with one another. This week Pastor Mark reads Philippians 2 and finds Paul reaching for something deeper.

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Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. — Philippians 2:5–8

What does it mean for a church to be united?

We might assume it means agreeing with one another. The same opinions. The same priorities. The same understanding of what the church ought to be doing.

But Paul seems to have something deeper in mind.

Writing to the church in Philippi, Paul urges them to be “of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” Yet almost immediately he explains what this looks like: “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.”

Christian unity, then, is not primarily about everyone thinking alike. It is about learning to think like Christ.

And what is the mind of Christ?

Paul answers with one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament. Though Christ was “in the form of God,” he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead, he emptied himself, took the form of a servant, and humbled himself—even to the point of the cross.

The movement is always outward and downward: away from status, away from self-importance, away from the need to win—and toward the neighbor.

That may be especially important for the church today.

Church communities are filled with people who see the world differently. We have different experiences, different opinions, different hopes for the future, and sometimes very different ideas about what should happen next. Paul does not tell us that faithful Christians will somehow stop having differences.

Instead, he asks us to bring those differences into a community shaped by the mind of Christ.

• Can I listen before insisting on being heard?
• Can I make room for another person’s experience?
• Can I care about what my neighbor needs, even when it is not what I need?
• Can I enter a disagreement asking not simply, “How can I win?” but “How can I love?”

That kind of humility is not weakness. According to Paul, it is one of the clearest signs that Christ is at work among us.

And perhaps that is why this passage ends with such an encouraging promise: “for it is God who is at work in you.”

We do not create Christian community by our own strength. God is already at work among us—softening hearts, widening perspectives, creating compassion, and teaching us again and again the way of Christ.

Our calling is simply to join in that work.

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Where is God asking you to lay down the need to win this week, and ask instead, “How can I love?” Sit with that question, and join us Sunday as we hear these readings together.

📍 Lutheran Church of the Redeemer · 731 Peachtree St NE, Midtown Atlanta Worship Sundays · All are welcome.