“How Do You Look at Things?” - May 1, 2016

Philippians 2:1-11

            So, here’s a challenge:

“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.”   [Philippians 2:3-4]

That is exactly the opposite outlook from the one that we are generally encouraged to hold. 

We make fun of people who don’t take competition seriously.  Consider how silly Tom Lehrer’s song, “Fight Fiercely, Harvard!” sounds:

“Fight fiercely, Harvard,
Fight, fight, fight!
Demonstrate to them our skill.
Albeit they possess the might,
Nonetheless we have the will.
How we shall celebrate our victory,
We shall invite the whole team up for tea
(how jolly!)
Hurl that spheroid down the field, and
Fight, fight, fight!

Fight fiercely, Harvard,
Fight, fight, fight!
Impress them with our prowess, do!
Oh, fellows, do not let the crimson down,
Be of stout heart and thru.
Come on, chaps, fight for Harvard's glorious name,
Won't it be peachy if we win the game?
(oh, goody!)
Let's try not to injure them, but
Fight, fight, fight!
And do fight fiercely!
Fight, fight, fight!”

We may not like competition, and we may think it goes overboard way too often, but we are part of a system that uses the impulse to compete, to fight, and to win as an organizing principle.  One economist writes,

“…competition is uncomfortable and costly to competitors. Some entrepreneurs enjoy the market rivalry per se. But most people are ambivalent about competition in a particular way; they would like to avoid competing on their own side of the market, but welcome competition among those they buy from or sell to. In a free society, people are, of course, entitled to rest on their laurels by not competing, but they will lose market share, and their assets will probably lose value.”[1]  

One of the major roles we assign to a government is to maintain a fair field for competition to occur, and one of the strongest causes of political turmoil is the perception that the system has been coopted to offer someone an unfair advantage.

            Competition has a tendency to work its way into all areas of life.  One of the most cynical songs in the musical Evita! pictures Evita Peron sleeping her way to the top of Argentine society and says,

“There is no-one, no-one at all

Never has been and never will be a lover

Male or female

Who hasn't an eye on

In fact they rely on

Tricks they can try on

Their partner

They're hoping their lover will help them or keep them

Support them, promote them

Don't blame them

You're the same.”[2]

Again, that’s harsh and extreme, but when you look at a marriage that is troubled, one of the things that is likely to be missing is the sense of working together and of putting your spouse’s needs before your own.  One sign that a child may become troubled as an adult is that his or her parents consider their own individual needs before what is good for their family. 

            It was kind of scary when I was writing this sermon to realize how easy it was to find quotations to illustrate these points.  One of them summarized even that feeling pretty well, a song by John Lennon:

“All I can hear, I me mine

I me mine, I me mine

Even those tears, I me mine

I me mine, I me mine

No one’s frightened of playing it

Everyone’s saying it

Flowing more freely than wine

All through your life I me mine”[3]

There really is no hope in the world of escaping this.

            Ah, but our hope does not come from this world.

            Our hope comes from One who is from beyond, and who has a broader view of what is good and true and, yes, possible.  Our help comes from someone who, even in reaching out to us, displays what it is to lay aside one’s own prerogatives.  Our help comes from a hand that let go of what was its own in order to be able to grasp us and lift us out of the chaos and anxiety and trouble that self-centeredness brings upon us.  Our help comes from one who shows us how to do that for others, which is part of the escape to real freedom.  In letting go of ourselves we find ourselves.  In trusting him, we find life.

            Have you had enough of the cycle of greed and grasping and pride and bragging and all the fear that underlies it?

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 
who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited, 
but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, 
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross.”  [Philippians 2:5-8]

And if you fear the outcome – because, yes, there is a cross involved, and there is pain and suffering for his followers as well – remember God’s long term plan does not stop at the cross and the grave.  When

   “he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross. 

Therefore God also highly exalted him
   and gave him the name
   that is above every name, 
so that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bend,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
and every tongue should confess
   that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.” [Philippians 2:8-11]

So, go ahead:

“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion 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] 

I dare you.

---

[1] Wolfgang Kasper, “Competition” in The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics, 2^nd edition.  http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Competition.html

[2] Tim Rice, “Good Night and Thank You” from Evita!, Act I, scene 5.  http://lib.ru/SONGS/evita.txt_with-big-pictures.html

[3] John Lennon, “I Me Mine” from Let It Be (Apple Records, 1970).  http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beatles/imemine.html