Saturday, April 5, 2025
If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ~ Philippians 2:1-2
Written by Anonymous
If the Apostle Paul could find “complete joy” in the unity of the Philippian Christians, how much more so would God rejoice in our being of the same mind and love.
But what would it take to be “of the same mind” with people in the church who hold such diverse understandings of: politics, economics, and societal norms, let alone religion and faith? It feels to me like I would have to compromise something of myself, some of my cherished beliefs, what I hold most dear, just to sit next to someone in the pew who voted differently from me.
Then I imagine Jesus, sitting with “sinners and tax collectors,” and at times even Pharisees, and he ate with them. He didn’t compromise himself or his mission to do this; in fact, it was part of his mission to do this. He didn’t form a community of the like-minded. He gathered with those who were willing to listen. He gathered those who were willing to follow and to have as their common ground the calling to “love one another.”
Prayer: Lord, give us one mind on what matters most: loving one another in your name. Amen.