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Oh, To Be Like Jesus Keith McFarren September 27, 2026 Philippians 2: 1-13 When it comes to achieving success, there’s no denying that teamwork plays a crucial role. We’ve all been there - taking part in group projects at school, working with others at our place of employment, or playing sports with teammates. And it’s no surprise that working together and working towards a common goal as a team can lead to outstanding results. There is a popular saying that is believed to have originated in the world of sports, like football and basketball, where players work together to accomplish an objective, like scoring a goal or winning the game. That saying of course is, “There is no “i” in team.” It’s a saying that is based on a pun, both figuratively and literally. Literally, we know that the word “team” doesn’t contain the letter “i,” but figuratively, the saying is meant to suggest the idea that team members shouldn’t focus on themselves as individuals. In other words, member of a team or of a group should avoid being too individualistic and should instead work together to achieve their combined goal. When someone says, “There is no i in team,” it’s a reminder that team members should prioritize the collective good of the team and be wiling to work with one another while setting aside their personal egos, ambitions and interests in favor of the team’s objectives. Paul sounds like he’s been doing a lot of thinking. And maybe he has, after all, he’s in prison and probably has a lot of free time to think. In the first few verses of our scripture reading this morning, he tells us that we should all think alike and at the same time, think like Jesus. But, “being of the same mind” as he calls it doesn’t mean that we can’t still can’t think for ourselves…that we still can’t be creative or we can’t make our own decisions or that we can’t have differences of opinion. He’s not trying to brainwash us and make us all alike. Being different…looking at things differently and having differences in perspective and opinion is part of living life in community. So what does he mean by “having the same mind?” How can a group of diverse people, people like us, people from all different backgrounds, people with different viewpoints on so many subjects, ever hope to think alike…especially at our age when so many of us are set in our ways and don’t want to (or refuse) to change. Paul has a solution…a simple solution. Wake up in the morning with your mind focused on Jesus. Did you ever hear that song, “Woke up this mornin’?” It’s an African - American song with seven verses and I want you to hear the first line of every verse: “Woke up this mornin with my mind, stayed on Jesus.” “Walkin and talkin with my mind, stayed on Jesus.” “No condemnation with my mind, stayed on Jesus.” “Can’t hate you neighbor in your mind, stayed on Jesus.” “Love everybody with you mind, stayed on Jesus.” “Devil can’t catch you in your mind, stayed on Jesus.” “Jesus, the captain in you mind, stayed on Jesus.” (The Faith We Sing, 2082). This is an old African American hymn but if we didn’t know any better we’d think that maybe it was a song put out by the Mental Health Association. In fact, it has nothing to do with our mental health…but then again, it does have something to do with our spiritual heal. It’s a song that is meant to make a very profound statement. “Woke up this morning with my mind…and it was stayed on Jesus” or as some versions say, “Woke up this mornin with my mind stayin on Jesus” It’s a song that points to an early morning act of faith…a song that invites us to think like Jesus thinks just as soon as we open our eyes in the morning. It is a song that is claiming that living the day that lies ahead of us the way we say we want to live it is possible…but it’s only possible if we start the day off right by focusing our mind on the mind of Jesus. That is exactly what Paul want us to get from our of our scripture reading this morning. He want us to think like Jesus…from the time we wake up in the morning till the time we go to bed. And the thought process he is particularly interested in is humility. “Set yourself aside” he says. Wake up in the morning and set aside your need to be right. Set aside your need to be right all the time. That’s a pretty tough way to start the day…especially for those of you who always think you’re right and everyone else is wrong. Set aside the need to have to have everything your way. Set all that aside…put all that behind you. Wouldn’t it be great if all those people who claim to be followers of Jesus…people in business, people in politics, people in the church…wouldn’t it be great if all those people would set their minds on Jesus first thing in the morning and embrace humility, and self-sacrifice, and a desire for unity and hope throughout the entire day…each and every day? This “having the same mind” that Paul’s talking about doesn’t mean that we should all have the same thoughts…that’s impossible because of the way we’re all made up. Instead, it means that, as followers of Jesus, we should all be united in such a way that we all have the same goals. Meaning that love always triumphs over prejudice. It means that sacrifice always wins over selfishness. It means that giving away what we have always triumphs over keeping everything we have for ourselves. But unity is a lot easier to talk about than it is to achieve. We can see that just by looking at some of Paul’s other letters. Paul and the groups of believers to whom he wrote to in Galatians (1:6-7) and Romans (14:1-12) could never work together because they faced all sorts of theological disputes. In 1 Corinthians (1:11-12) and 2 Corinthians 11:4-6) Paul was writing to believers who couldn’t agree because they were competing for allegiance to rival leaders. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:14-18, to a group of believers who didn’t trust each other when it came to handling their financial resources. Plus, he was always dealing with the inevitable complications of living in close quarters, as people in those days had to do…problems like rivalries, irritations and aggravations, and hard feelings and of course, people who could never get along with anyone they were grouped with. How each of us goes about becoming more like Jesus or having the same mind of Jesus is never going to be the same because each of us is different. But if we each have the same goal in mind of trying to be like Jesus. If we are all trying to bring the same kingdom of God into being at least we can all have the same hope that it can be done. That is what being like Jesus is all about. It means thinking, and acting and being as much like Jesus as we can be each and every day. It’s like the song says…it’s like choosing again and again, day after day, to have a mind “stayed” on Jesus. This is what caused Paul to break into singing in the last verse of this passage. He hopes that someday we won’t have to wonder what Jesus would do. We won’t have to be wearing those old WWJD bracelets anymore to remind us about Jesus because we will all be doing what Jesus would do because we will all have the mind of Jesus. Not because we’re forced into doing it or because we’ve been coerced into doing it, but because in our hearts and in our minds we want nothing more than to be like Jesus in all we say and all we do and in how we act. The demand to live in a certain way, the way of Jesus, is an obligation that is laid upon all Christians, arising from the fact that we are “in Christ” only because of what Jesus has done for us. Those who lay claim to Jesus cannot refuse this demand to think and live the Christian lifestyle without denying our trust in the gospel itself. If we are really “in Christ” as we say we are, then we have to share the same attitude and the same goal that was his. The path to Christian unity is for members of the faith community who are “in Christ” to be willing to set aside their own selfish ambitions and their own self interests and set their hearts on what is best, not for themselves, but what is best for others. And because they are concerned about the interest of others they will be of one mind and of one purpose…all having the same love and all having the same spiritual goals of mutual concern and service to others. Because we want to be like Jesus it becomes a natural response to any situation that we can ever be faced with…a response that is loving, a response that is caring and giving, a response that is the same way that Jesus would respond. “Woke up this mornin with my mind stayed on Jesus.” What a good way to start the day off. I’m going to try it. What about you? |
Bethel United Methodist Church
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