1

“Playing God” Rev. Rachel Callender Philippians 2:1-11 Medford UMC, NJ Sunday, June 6th, 2021

Let us pray: God of Joy, with your Holy Word having been read and with your community gathered here we ask that your Spirit move through each of us as we meditate in our hearts. Open our ears that we may hear what you are saying to us this day. In Jesus‟ name we pray, Amen.

In 2015, there was a release of an app called “”. The apps description read something as follows:

“What kind of god would you be? Benevolent or vengeful? Play „Pocket God‟ and discover the answer within yourself. On a remote island, you are the all-powerful god that rules... You can bring new life, and then take it away just as quickly. Exercise your powers. Lift them in the air, alter gravity, hit them with lightning...you're the god! What sort of godly powers would you like to see added?”

What kind of god would you be? Definitely not a question that should be discussed in your weekly Bible Study, surely. But it picks at the question: if you have power or agency, what do you do with it? Are we being encouraged by Christ, by the Spirit to put ourselves aside, take on a posture of humility, adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus? Or would we be having too much fun seeing what people would do if we all the sudden altered gravity on them or something?

As Pastor Joe mentioned last week, when writing this letter, Paul is in jail, yet is writing this letter where he can‟t help but exude the joy he feels for the people of Philippi all throughout his writing. His joy, comes from his love for the people, not because they‟re better than anyone else or perfect. Far from it. Word has gotten to Paul about some Not-So-Jesus-Like behavior happening over in Philippi and because Paul truly cares for the people of Philippi, this being one of his most successful ministerial missions, hearing that they have some negative behavior going on really hurts him. They weren‟t doing anything huge or drastic, it appears mostly to be a whole bunch of small acts 2 of jealousy and entitlement that he wants to stop before it really escalates into a problem. It can seem like petty stuff, but I think we all know that petty stuff can create bigger issues.

Of Paul‟s letters, Philippians is written so differently than anything else. Paul is a very articulate man who thinks through what he writes, but not in Philippians, no. He is writing in the moment to these people. He‟s passionately trying to sell the life of being Christ-like, and how that is not some strict discipline but actually a way to find joy and share joy and make joy complete - as Paul writes.

The letter is so informal compared to everything else he‟s done, he is pouring his feelings out to them, hoping to reach them on a personal level. The same way that God came down to to reach us on a personal level. God, the all-powerful, choosing to exercise that power in human fragility and humility. Definitely not who everyone would choose to be like in “Pocket God”.

We even see a distinct 180 in format. In chapter 2, he‟s explaining his case, then shifts into a hymn. He‟s trying to explain his point but finds himself in a place where the lyrics say what he is at a loss for words from, full-on musical theatre style. Man after my own heart. And since he‟s using a hymn that is even older than his work, we get a glimpse into the theology of the earliest Christians, and it looks just like what we hold near and dear today: “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the

Father.” Amen! Paul is telling us how Jesus is God and is perfect but is unwilling to exploit that power over us just because God is stronger than us. There can be so much joy found in us following by example, so why do we often not?

When looking at the passage as a whole, we are faced with the question that Paul is challenging us with: Find joy in adopting an attitude of Christ:

“Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other.”

Are we doing that? Is that what our faith is projecting out into the world? What does even being a Christ follower look like in our lives? What parts are we modeling after Christ, and what parts have 3 we found excuses not to. “Complete my joy, adopt an attitude like Christ.” Adopt an attitude like Christ for joy to flourish within ourselves first. Let it change us.

Jeff Walling, a California Christian author, tells a story about a youth service trip to an old age home where the normal volunteer drivers were unavailable. So, the responsibility fell on a congregant who reluctantly agreed but it was not somewhere he felt at ease. He only just made it through the service and told the youth: “As soon as the service is over I am out of here. I will be on the bus.” His plan didn‟t work out though because when he headed for the bus, an elderly man who didn‟t seem to have much alertness strongly grabbed him, unwilling to let go. He said, “Sir, I have to go…But I‟ll be back.” He squeezed the old man‟s hand, then found himself saying, “Jesus loves you and so do I!” To his own surprise, the next month he signed up to drive the bus again, and again Mr. Lee, meaning the old man, grabbed his hand, and he again said to Mr. Lee, “You know I have to go now, but I will be back. Jesus loves you and so do I,” and again Mr. Lee responded by squeezing his hand. He signed on monthly for sixth months and was now praying for Mr. Lee regularly. But one month, when he got to the old age home, Mr. Lee couldn‟t be found and so he asked a nurse who led him back to Mr.

Lee‟s room. He wept as he sat down, taking Mr. Lee‟s hands and prayed saying, “I love you. I have to go now, but Jesus loves you and I love you.” Though Mr. Lee had been unresponsive up until that point, as when those familiar words were said, Mr. Lee gave a light squeeze and let go. He absolutely lost it. Just then a girl entered and said, “Before you go, I want you to know that I am his granddaughter and I wanted to meet you. When we came last night the doctor said granddad wouldn‟t talk any more but last night he sat up and said so clearly, „Julie, tell Jesus goodbye for me.‟

And then he lay down. I said, „Grandpa, you‟re going to be with Jesus, you can tell Him yourself!‟ And he opened his eyes and he looked at me with this funny smile and he told me, „No. Tell Jesus when he comes next Sunday to sit and hold my hand, that I am gone. I just don‟t want him to miss me.‟ He hasn‟t said a thing since…You know, I never envisioned Jesus quite as old and bald as you, but I think Jesus would be happy to be mistaken for you.” 4

Would Jesus, here today and now, be happy to be mistaken for you? If not, why? What is that beautiful line from Victor Hugo‟s Les Misérables? “To love another person is to see the face of God.”

Are we offering love and care and compassion to others in a way that others can see God at work, can truly see each of us as images of God?

Today, hear this call for unity in the Spirit from Paul. Hear this call to complete our joy by truly adopting an attitude of Christ instead of picking the aspects that work within our own life. Perhaps we don‟t have to play “Pocket God” to know whether we‟d be benevolent or vengeful, choose to be a source of good. Get mistaken for Jesus.