Luke 10 – Tawa Baptist

Scriptures: Romans 12:2, Luke 10:25-37, Philippians 2:2-5, Ephesians 3:19, Colossians 3:15-16, Hebrews 12:1-3 and 1 Peter 2:12.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/JwJZhHPMdsY

Structure:

Introduction
Monday & Tuesday – verses 1-2
Wednesday & Thursday – verses 3-4
Friday & Saturday – verses 5-6
Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Last year we preached an anthems series, looking at some much loved worship songs of the Christian faith. Today we put our hair series on pause to focus on the hymn, May the mind of Christ my Saviour.

This song was written by Kate Wilkinson sometime prior to 1912. Kate was born in England in August 1859 and died in December 1928. So Kate was probably in her late 40’s or early 50’s when she wrote May the mind of Christ my Saviour. Her song is just over 100 years old.

Kate Wilkinson was a keen Christian and worked with young women in West London. I suppose she was sort of like a 24-7 youth worker. Kate was actively involved with the Keswick Convention, also known as the Deeper Life movement. Apparently Kate was quite intentional about personal discipleship and public faith.

The Baptist Hymnal shows five verses of the song May the mind of Christ my Saviour but there were originally six verses, one for each day of the week (Monday to Saturday).

The original idea was to cultivate one’s faith throughout the whole week by making one verse a focus of meditation each day. We could think of each of the six verses of the song as six days of re-creation.

Monday & Tuesday – Verses 1-2:

Verses one & two, which would be contemplated on a Monday and Tuesday respectively, read…

May the mind of Christ, my Saviour, live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling all I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph only through His power.

One of the song’s themes, evident in these verses, is the importance of one’s inner life. By ‘inner life’ we mean what goes on in our heart, mind and imagination. Making sure we get our thinking patterns, our attitudes and feelings in line with Christ. If we get our inner life on track, then this will naturally result in actions which are life-giving both for ourselves and others.

Kate Wilkinson believed in transformation from the inside out. Like the apostle Paul says in Romans 12: Be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Or said another way, discipleship (learning to be like Christ) involves consciously thinking: what would Jesus do in this situation?

Picture your mind as a garden. The thoughts you cultivate produce fruit in the form of words, feelings and actions. If we cultivate bad thoughts, if we focus on things that are not edifying, or if we give in too easily to thinking the worst all the time, then this will shape what we say and how we conduct ourselves.

For example, if we imagine that nobody likes us and that someone out there in the world wants to do us harm, then we will probably feel quite fearful a lot of the time. If we have to leave the house, then we might avoid eye contact with people and not talk to them. We will miss the friendly wave and the kind smile of the people around us. Life will start to feel pretty grim.

Of course, we don’t know what we don’t know. We may be stuck in a negative and false pattern of thinking because that’s all we know. Jesus gives us a better model for being human. As we think about Jesus, as we populate our mind and imagination with the stories and teachings of Jesus, we cultivate words and deeds which are Christ-like.

So, if we catch ourselves beginning to imagine that someone wants to do us harm, then we stop that negative thought by taking time to reflect on what Jesus has to say about this. We might consider the parable of the good Samaritan and actually imagine ourselves in the story.

Through Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan we are able to face our fear in a safe way. Someone does get beaten up in the story. Sometimes bad things happen to people. So we need to be careful. Don’t walk down a dark alley. Don’t swim with sharks. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way. But even when we are being careful, bad things can still happen. Fortunately, that’s not where the story ends.

Two out three people walk past the wounded man on the side of the road but one stops to help. Think about that for a moment. One person is all that is needed to redeem a bad situation. One person can undo harm and bring healing. One person can inspire others to hope and good deeds. One person can make a world of difference, even when the world seems indifferent. You might be that one person.

The masterful thing about the way Jesus’ story works in our imagination is that the one who stopped to help was the one we would least expect to stop and help. The hero of the story is a Samaritan. Someone different to us. Someone we would normally avoid. Someone we would ordinarily think of as dangerous.

In this way the parable undermines our worst fear and challenges our prejudice. Because it is the one who we thought was the most dangerous who shows the most kindness.

The parable also invites us to be the good Samaritan, to not think of ourselves as the victim but rather to imagine ourselves as the hero, the one who redeems.

Thinking of the original context, Jesus told this parable in response to a question about loving your neighbour. When our mind-set changes from being afraid of our neighbour to loving our neighbour, a whole new world of possibility opens up. So rather than avoiding eye contact and not talking to people, we walk around with our eyes open looking for some small way to help.

The point is, when we let the word of God take root in our hearts and minds, the Spirit of Jesus grows something good in the soil of our imagination to produce words and actions that are life giving to ourselves and others.

The opening line of the song, May the mind of Christ, my Saviour, live in me from day to day, finds its inspiration from Philippians 2, where Paul writes…

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

Those of us from a European background may be more inclined to interpret this phrase individually or personally, as Kate Wilkinson appears to. And while it can be embraced by individuals, as I’ve just illustrated, Paul’s original meaning was more social and relational.

Paul’s concern is not merely with the inner [mind set and] attitudes of individual believers, but with the concrete expressions of their attitudes in their day-to-day encounters with each other. [1]

In other words, the collective values and culture of our faith community should be characterised by Christ’s way of thinking. When a group of individuals are of one mind, all contemplating the example of Jesus together, the benefit is multiplied.

In Philippians 2 Paul writes: make my joy complete: be of one mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or vain 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.

Paul’s words here describe a Christ-like way of being in community with other believers. This is what it looks like to have the mind of Christ live in us (plural).

The line in verse 1 of Kate Wilkinson’s hymn where it says, by his love and power controlling all I do or say, also connects with Galatians 2 where Paul writes: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.

The idea is that Christian believers are the body of Christ. Jesus is the head or the brain of the church and we are his arms and legs, his hands and feet. Just as the brain controls the body’s movement and action, so too we (the church) want Christ to control our movements and actions.

It’s not that Jesus overpowers our free will. We are not robots. Rather we find our meaning and purpose as instruments of Christ. Just as a pen finds its purpose in the hands of a gifted writer or a bat fulfils its purpose in the hands of a talented cricketer, so too we fulfil our purpose when guided by Jesus. It is when we cooperate with God’s Spirit that we bring glory to Him.

Verse 2 of the song, which talks about the word of God dwelling richly in my heart from hour to hour, comes from Colossians 3:16 where Paul writes…

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God.

Having the mind of Christ live in us and letting the word of God dwell in our hearts are really two ways of saying the same thing. We cannot live a Godly life in our own strength.

Wednesday & Thursday – verses 3 & 4:

Moving on to verse 3 of the song, which we might contemplate on a Wednesday, Kate writes…

May the peace of God my Father rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing.

This verse finds its inspiration from Colossians 3:15 where Paul says…

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body…

Or as the Amplified Bible puts it: Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers].

Knowing that God is our Father gives us peace in our inner being. When we have to make decisions then we let the peace of Christ guide us. Kate Wilkinson has interpreted Colossians 3:15 from a personal perspective. So, if we have a bad feeling or a caution in our spirit about doing such and such a thing, then we must listen to our conscience and not do it.

However, in the original context of Colossians 3, Paul is talking more about having a collective sense of peace within the faith community. So we get peace, not by making decisions in isolation, but by talking about things with other believers and making decisions that take care of our relationships.

For example, the decision to undertake seismic strengthening works on our church buildings was not made by any one individual. Rather, the Deacons and pastors talked about it together, we did the due diligence and then brought the decision to the wider congregation. We proceeded with strengthening works because we all had a peace that this was the right thing to do for the well-being of all.

In many ways peace, both personally and collectively, is the foundation for making good decisions and helping others. If we are clear about why we are doing something and we feel good about it, then the lake of our soul can be still and calm to comfort those who are sick and sorrowing.

Verse 4 of the hymn, which Kate Wilkinson would have us think about on a Thursday, reads…

May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing, this is victory.

The love of Jesus is as abundant as the sea. We can’t exhaust the love of Christ.

To be filled with the love of Jesus is to be filled with God Himself. In Ephesians 3 Paul talks about knowing the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The knowledge of Christ’s love is an experiential knowledge, not just an abstract academic knowledge. The best (and possibly only) way to learn to love others is by receiving love ourselves. We can’t give what we don’t have.

To exalt Christ means to recognise that Jesus is Lord and to give him number one place in our lives. But those two words, self abasing, are problematic. Self abasing means belittling or degrading yourself. To abase oneself is to behave in a way that makes one seem lower or less deserving of respect. To abase yourself is to pull the rug out from under your own feet. It is remove the foundation on which you stand.

Perhaps Kate Wilkinson was trying to find a way of picking up on what Paul says in Philippians 2 about thinking of others as better than yourself? If so, then I don’t agree with her interpretation of Paul’s thought here.

To think of others as better than yourself does not mean comparing yourself to others and deciding that, in your estimation, they are better or more valuable than you. That can’t be right. Jesus said don’t judge others.

In the context of Philippians 2, to think of others as better than yourself, means caring for others in your community of faith and putting their needs ahead of your own.[2] Letting others go first, in other words. Putting the needs of others before your own is not the same as being self abasing.

It could be that Kate Wilkinson had the words of Jesus in mind, about denying yourself and picking up your cross, when she penned the phrase self abasing? But that doesn’t really fit either. The self-denial Jesus had in mind was about putting aside what we want in order to obey God in faith. Denying yourself for the sake of God’s purpose does not imply belittling yourself. Obeying God is the most valuable and honourable thing you can do with your life.

Exalting Christ does not require us to belittle ourselves. Jesus’ exaltation does not depend on us. Self abasement is not victory.

Part of our purpose in this life is to become aware of our true self, that is, the person God created us to be. Your true self is not the same as the persona that you project in public. To be your true self you have to take off your masks.

Your true self is your soul, the essence of your being, where the image of God is found. We must never say or do anything to diminish our true self because that is like defacing the image of God.

Far from belittling yourself, God wants you to accept your true self and to share yourself with others. When we do that people catch a glimpse of the image of God reflected in the lake of our soul and the Lord is glorified.

Rather than singing Christ exalting, self abasing, I would prefer we sang something like, Christ exalting, self controlling or Christ exalting, self giving orbetter still, Christ exalting, soul affirming, because that is victory.

Friday & Saturday – verses 5 & 6:

We now turn to verses 5 & 6, our meditations for Friday and Saturday.

Verse 5 reads…

May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.

It seems that Kate Wilkinson was reflecting on Hebrews 12 when she wrote verse 5 of her song. In Hebrews 12:1-3 we read…

Therefore… let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The Christian faith is a marathon, not a sprint. And the running of that marathon is across country with many obstacles. It’s not always a flat and even track.

The key to going the distance is keeping our eyes on Jesus. Some years ago during a Baptismal service I talked about sunflowers. Sunflowers are helio-tropic. That means the flower actually turns to face the sun and tracks the sunlight across the sky. So, when you see a field of sunflowers, they will normally all be facing the same way, towards the sun.

As followers of Jesus we are to be Christo-tropic. Just as sunflowers track the sun across the sky, so too we thrive as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, God’s Son, the author and perfecter of our faith.

In a practical sense we keep our eyes on Jesus by maintaining a regular devotional life and by staying in relationship with other Christian believers. Going a bit deeper than that though, we maintain our devotional life and our community life by staying in touch with our need for God. The poor in spirit are blessed because they know their need for God.

The final verse of Kate Wilkinson’s song reads…

May His beauty rest upon me, as I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel, seeing only Him.

For some reason this verse is not published in the Baptist hymnal, which is a shame for it makes plain the purpose of the song.

The channel, in the last line of the song there, refers to us. Anyone who passes on the love and truth of Jesus is his channel. Just as a tap acts as a channel for water, so too we (the followers of Jesus) are to act as a channel for God’s grace in Christ. That means it’s not about us. It’s about Him.

In 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 12, the apostle writes: Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

We looked at this verse last year. The main point here, and with verse 6 of Kate’s hymn, is that we are to be a winsome witness. To be winsome is to be attractive or charming or appealing in a fresh and innocent way. Winsomeness describes the beauty of Christ which we want to rest upon us.

Winsomeness is not loud or self-conscious. Winsomeness is pure and authentic. Winsomeness can be easily overlooked because it is not self-promoting. It is beautiful to those who have the eyes to see it.

When Naomi left Moab to return to Bethlehem and Ruth said to her, ‘Wherever you go I will go there with you’, that was winsome.

When Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, in John 8, ‘Is there no one left to condemn you… Then neither do I condemn you’, that was winsome.

When the father, in Luke 15, welcomed his prodigal son home with genuine joy and warmth, that was winsome.

When the Samaritan, in Luke 10, tenderly dressed the wounds of the stranger left for dead on the side of the road, that was winsome.

When Jesus wept outside the tomb of his dear friend Lazarus, in John 11, that was winsome.

When Mary, the mother of Jesus, said to the angel Gabriel, ‘I am the Lord’s servant; let it be with me according to your word’, that was winsome.

When Captain America, in the Marvel movie, Civil War, turned the other cheek as his old friend Bucky (the Winter Soldier) kept hitting him, that was winsome.

When Jesus said from the cross, ‘Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do’, that was winsome.

I could go on but you get the point. We are to be a winsome witness to the world. Our deeds are to be attractive, appealing, fresh and innocent. Who knows, by God’s grace we might win some for Christ.

Conclusion:

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for your son Jesus who shows us the way to be human.

May you fill us with the Spirit of Jesus, that our thought patterns and our imagination, our words and our actions would be shaped to fit the contours of your will.

Give us the grace of discovering and accepting our true self, that we may better reflect your image to those around us. May we never diminish ourselves or others but rather bear witness to the risen and exalted Christ.

Clothe us with the winsomeness of Jesus. Make us a channel of your justice and peace, your love and truth, your commitment and compassion, that we would glorify you and be a blessing to your world.

We pray these things in the name of Jesus, our Lord and friend. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

How is your inner life at the moment? What path is your imagination taking you down? What might Jesus have to say about this?

Discuss / reflect on Philippians 2:2-5. What did Paul mean when he said, ‘consider others better than yourselves?’ How might this find expression in our relationships with others?

What does it mean to let the peace of Christ guide our decisions? Why is peace an important guide?

Why is the phrase self abasing problematic? What might be a better phrase to use here?

What can we do to keep our eyes on Jesus?

Can you think of any examples of winsomeness, either from the Bible or from your own experience?

You might like to contemplate a verse of the song each day this week and write down any thoughts that nourish your soul.

Hymn Lyrics