Now, you need to understand that Connie and I once spent the night in a tent with our dog who had just been sprayed by skunk. We are dog people, maybe to a fault.  In our 35 years of marriage we have had 4 dogs: Millie the wonder dog, Sandie a beautiful English Bird Dog and relentless mole hunter, Lucky our huge gentle yellow lab, and now Jazzie a rescued sweetheart mix. Jazzie is our empty nest dog and the first dog allowed on our living room couch. Pets bless us with companionship, acceptance, and the joy of giving them a good scratch behind their ears. 

You might imagine after 4 dogs and 35 years of marriage that Connie and I agree about how to train our dog. We do not agree, despite my multiple  YouTube dog training subscriptions and numerous dog training books I have purchased over the years.  We both love Jazzie and we love each other, but we have different goals and philosophies of dogs.  All Connie wants is for our dog to be loving and housebroken.  I want our dog to sit, stay, heal, fetch, come, roll over, lay down and maybe jump through a hoop.  Our disagreement is not a matter of Connie and I needing to love each other more.  Love does not ask one’s spouse to change their ideas about dog raising unless they harm others or the  dog. If I try to love Connie more I might try to better understand her perspective, but that may not change her approach or mine.  Love and agreement are not the same thing. When we think we are, we will struggle to stay “in love”!

Love is an attitude- not a dogma. (Sorry that is terrible). “Love is patient, kind, isn’t jealous, doesn’t brag, isn’t arrogant,  isn’t rude, doesn’t seek its own advantage, isn’t irritable, doesn’t keep a record of complaints, isn’t happy with injustice, but Love rejoices with the truth. Love puts up with things, risks trusting, hopes for good, and endures things.” (1 Corinthians 13)  Love is an attitude not a lucky state of agreement.   

The entire chapter of Romans 14 teaches that we do not always have to agree about theology and practice: “do not argue over opinions… One person considers vegetarianism the proper practice, while another person considers all foods pure. Each person must have their own convictions. …  stop judging each other.” Love is an attitude more than a dogma. Love can let it go and chill out at times. 

In our Philippian passage, writing from prison, Paul gentlely chides the church into getting along asking: “do you find any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy,  (do you?) then complete my joy sharing a mindset, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other. Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person simply watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus.”  

Adopting a Christ-like attitude feels very different from adopting Christian teachings. I grew up defining Christianity around what Christians did or did not do, believed or did not believe. However, Paul suggests Christianity is an attitude, a mindset, a way of being- a way of relating to people. Christianity is Christ-likeness. 

We Methodist are a global church. Belmont partners with a Church in Malawi and Mexico and we worship in two languages each Sunday, Karen and English.  In an age of disaffiliation, when we tend to define one another by our differences, how might a Christlike attitude change our hearts? Do we think we must agree to be one? 

Paul turns to maybe the oldest hymn in the New Testament, songs often hold truth in ways sermons do not.  I adapted the old hymn just a bit.  

Before Mary, the manger or the magi, 

Christ dwelt with God- as God.

Love does not abide in treasures, titles, or thrones 

So God emptied gods-self of everything but Love 

And God became like us.

Jesus came teaching, healing, and feeding,

but evil, injustice and oppression pushed back.  

Love being Love, resisted violence,

And Christ endured a cross. 

But violence never gets the last word, 

So God being God- raised Christ up to life,

Giving Christ the title above all other titles.

And one day everyone- 

everyone in heaven and on earth and everywhere else they may be, 

Everyone will name Christ’s Love together- forever. Amen

Do we love others like that, never being less than who we are, never becoming less than beloved children of God, but always working for the healing of our world? 

Do we strive to Love? Love is not weak resignation to evil, injustice or indifference.  Love is not always agreeing or apologizing for what it believes.  Jesus did not agree with everyone. (Matthew 23) Jesus did not apologize for believing in ideas that stretched the seams of the religious traditions until the bindings popped apart.( Luke 5)  Jesus unapologetically stood up to bullies in churches and politics naming the temple-palace complex “a den of robbers”(Mark 11) as the high priesthood was appointed by the Roman empire! Jesus did not acquiesce to judgy church folks who criticized who he ate dinner with or his lax attitude about the law. (Matthew 9)   Jesus kept doing his thing- living a life of love even when it aggravated church folks. Jesus loved us. When Jesus saw the weary crowds Jesus was moved with compassion, and Jesus loved a rich young ruler who treasured wealth too much to follow Christ. (Matthew 9, Mark 12) Jesus invested his life teaching, offering healthcare and dealing with peoples demons.(Matthew 4) Jesus came proclaiming a different world, one not rooted in people only serving themselves, but in denying themselves taking up their crosses and serving others, not just loving ourselves but loving others as we love ourselves.  (Mark 8 & 12)Do we love others enough to strive to help heal the world’s wounds in our smallest gestures and grandest deeds ? 

Have this attitude in you that was in Christ Jesus.  Of course, we have to sit with the stories of Jesus to really embrace the attitude of Jesus, but maybe Christianity isn’t so much a matter of doing or believing this or that. Maybe Christianity or being a Christ follower is more about having a Christ-like attitude; laying aside what is easiest and best for us and taking up what is good for the redemption or healing of the world.  Maybe the heart of Christian living is a Christ-like attitude?  May this attitude be in you, may a Christ-Like attitude abide in you, may the presence of Christ be in you- so that you and I might sow kindness, healing, hope and justice into our world.  Amen