St. Paul, writing an epistle of joy to his beloved friends in Philippi, offers these words of hope and exhortation: “Because there is encouragement in Christ, because there is consolation from love, because there is koinonia in the Spirit, and because there is compassion and sympathy, therefore complete my joy by being 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. Have this mind among yourselves which is already yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:1-5).
Be who you are. Think the thoughts of Christ. Mind your manners. The mindset, the spiritual attitude, of the child of God is one of Christ-like humility. God invites us to be “of the mind of Christ”. Jesus was in the form of God, but did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. Jesus emptied himself and took on the form of a servant. He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. God has highly exalted Jesus and bestowed on him the name which is above every name. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth; and every tongue will confess that “Jesus is Lord” to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:6-11).
God loves us just as we are, but refuses to leave us just as we are. God wants us to be just like Jesus (Max Lucado). “Beloved we are God’s children now. We know that when Christ appears we will be like him for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who thus hopes in Jesus purifies themselves as he is pure” (I John 3:1-3). God wants us to exercise single-minded devotion to our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Sometimes however, we find ourselves of two minds; two opposing opinions or perspectives. Sometimes we find ourselves sitting on a fence, vacillating, trying to empathize with both sides of the argument. Trying to keep the peace, we may find ourselves pulled apart at the seams. Families know how difficult it can be to keep everyone happy when members of the same household have two different and competing ideologies or perspectives. Some families decide to avoid the tough topics as a way of preserving the peace. Truth be told, the elephant is still in the room even if it is not named or acknowledged.
Scripture warns us of the dangers of being double-minded. James says, “The doubter being double-minded and unstable in every way must not expect to receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:8). St. John, exiled on the island of Patmos, writes these words to the Church in Laodicea: “Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Peter was double-minded: He confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, he walked on water, and he told Jesus that he would never deny or desert him, but the cock crowed, and the waves covered his head. Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (Mark 8:33). Thomas was double-minded: “Let us go up to Jerusalem and die with Jesus;” and later, “unless I place my hands in the wounds of Jesus and see with my own eyes that he is alive, I will not believe.” John, who baptized Jesus Christ, saw the Holy Spirit descend upon the Savior "in bodily form like a dove" and heard a voice from heaven declare, "You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased" (Luke 3:21-22). Yet after landing in prison, where he would ultimately be beheaded, John sent men to Christ asking, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" (Luke 7:19-20).
We are sinners and saints at the same time. We all have the mind of Christ, but we are not of one mind at Mount Cross. Our congregation has been surveyed. What did we discover? Regarding benevolences we are apparently of one mind: Mount Cross is a generous congregation that wants its tithes to “glorify God, be in alignment with our core values and beliefs, and provide opportunities for hands-on participation.” Regarding our relationship with the ELCA and its policies on human sexuality we are double-minded and divided: 38% agreed that Mount Cross’ affiliation with the ELCA was important; 46% disagreed. 44% agreed that Mount Cross should explore affiliation with another Lutheran organization; 37% disagreed. 45% agreed that Mount Cross’ benevolences to the ELCA was OK; 12% said it should be increased and 38% said it should be decreased.
Two competing and opposite mindsets prevail at Mount Cross. We are definitely double-minded. How do we find a way forward? It won’t be easy. The path will require patience, respect, and mutual trust. We will have to believe that those with whom we deeply disagree are nevertheless still members of the same body of Christ. If we demonize one another, minimize our differences, or avoid one another, the chasm of disagreement will only get wider and the inevitable will most certainly happen, members will leave. If there is to be a way forward for Mount Cross then it will most certainly come only as we “have this mind among ourselves which is already ours in Christ Jesus.” May God grant us the grace to have what is already ours!
Prayerfully yours,
Pastor Dave Steffenson
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