Individuality and Togetherness

 (sit down please in sign language)

While I was in college a couple of my friends took American Sign Language to fulfill their humanities requirement.

As in studying any language, they delighted in learning new words and culture.

In particular, they greatly enjoyed one practice their teacher suggested for remembering vocabulary and learning how to put words together: sign singing.

Singing in sign language relies heavily on expressive face and hand movement

in order to differentiate it from regular speech.

Quickly all of their ASL study sessions became in essence sign karaoke.

They would get together and sing in ASL.

It was a sight to behold.

They were all sign singing the same songs together

but they were also all very individualistic in their expressive style.

In the passage from Philippians we heard this morning, we hear an interruption of Paul in his own writing.

"At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow... every tongue confess him, King of Glory now..."

This part of the passage from Paul's letter to the Philippians this morning is not in Paul's usual syntax and grammar.

It doesn't sound like authentic Paul.

Literary historians think that this hymn to Christ was something Paul learned in his travels to different churches and uses in this passage to support what he is saying to the Philippians.

The early followers of the Way were known to gather and sing,

particularly to sing responsively in the same manner that Jewish synagogues sing the Psalms.

We don't know this hymn's original tune,

but we do recognize its lyricism.

(We sang a version of it as our opening hymn.)

It is a beautiful hymn about Jesus and we are going to dive into it for a bit,

and after our hymn analysis, I also want to touch on what Paul is trying to do in this passage by using this hymn.

Not surprisingly, the earliest followers of the Way, the earliest Christians,

had a bit of an obsession with Jesus.

They sang about Jesus, they created art of Jesus, they tried to live exactly the way Jesus taught.

As Christianity grew and spread, its vision expanded a bit

so we aren't always as hyper focused on Jesus today as the first followers were.

While we think Paul didn't write this portion, we know that whoever did compose this hymn was steeped in Jewish tradition and scripture.

The phrase "the form of God" reminds us of the story of Adam, made in the image of God.

The Divine Wisdom figure from the Proverbs can be seen in the way this hymn talks about Jesus dwelling with humans.

The bit about Jesus humbling himself to death recalls the suffering servant imagery from Isaiah.

And the emphasis on the name of Jesus brings forth the Jewish tradition of the power of names.

This hymn shows the depth of belief of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.

And also, a bit of pulling away from that belief as Christology starts to become its own thing.

In the first century, the Jewish belief in the coming Messiah was of a human anointed by God,

but not someone who was both human and divine.

And this is where Christology, and Christianity, starts to go outside the lines of Judaism.

Jesus was and is believed to be part of God.

This hymn follows the drama of Jesus' life and story as divine and human by saying

that Jesus goes from the highest possible form to the lowest and back to the highest.

The hymn also brings out the tension between the individuality of Jesus and the connection with God.

Keep that thought in mind for a moment.

In essence this hymn has death and drama, an underdog and salvation

everything you need for number 1 hit.

No wonder Paul decided to use it to make his point.

So what is Paul's point?

In the surrounding passages to this hymn, Paul writes some seemingly contradictory things.

He focuses on humility and unity,

trying to remind the Philippians how he thinks they should live in community.

He writes,

"Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others."

And

"work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;"

which on the surface seem contradictory.

Look to others interests but work out your own salvation?

Is this about community?

Paul brings home his point with the use of this hymn about Jesus.

So let's focus back on Jesus.

This hymn reminds us of how Jesus acted and what Jesus did.

Some of the characteristics of Christ which Paul elucidates are humility, obedience, love, compassion, generosity

and Jesus' use of his free will.

He stays in connection with others, with God and the disciples,

and he makes his own decisions.

If you think about one of the biggest moments of his life,

and the crux of the drama in the hymn,

Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion,

in the stories we have, Jesus doesn't react emotionally to what is happening.

When everyone else gets emotionally riled up, he checks in with his own emotions and doesn't get swayed by mob mentality.

He continues to act the way he has always acted

with humility and unity, for the best of the cosmic community.

Even before the whole thing goes down,

He knows his own strengths and weaknesses, so he prays for the ability to do what he knows needs to be done.

Paul is reminding the Philippians that community

requires both humility and unity.

The ability to stay connected, and to make decisions based on our knowledge of ourselves.

The secret to the body of Christ

is that unity,

being connected to each other,

works best if we humbly know who we are personally.

Today, psychologists call this self-differentiation.

Jesus is a great example of a self-differentiated leader.

Dr. Edwin Friedman in his book A Failure of Nerve wrote,

"The most critical issue in understanding human institutions is how well they are able to handle the natural tension between individuality and togetherness."

In looking at Paul's writings to the different churches, the Philippians, the Corinthians, the Romans, the Galatians,

the working out of how to be in this new Christian community comes up over and over again.

The new followers struggle with issues of circumcision, foods they can eat, financial matters, other people's questionable behaviors...

the list goes on and on.

All of these squabbles are the tension between individuality and togetherness,

between the different people involved and the larger group of people.

We still struggle figuring out how to live in community.

Communities at their worst are negative feedback loops for the most immature member of the group.

Communities at their best are groups of diverse and well differentiated people who come together for a purpose.

Paul is reminding us all of the example of Jesus,

who built a community of diverse people

and didn't allow them to get dragged down by the differences among them.

Identity in community is a complicated dance.

The steps are integration and integrity,

knowing who you are and staying connected to others.

In other letters, Paul uses the imagery of the body of Christ

to talk about the unity and humility of different members of the community.

Especially, today, as we will baptize three people into Christ's body

we need to recognize that being in community

means we are called to be separate and connected.

An eye shouldn't try to become an arm

but they are connected.

8 am

[For all of us

who are baptized Christians

we belong to the community of followers of Jesus.

The Church asks us to learn some of the practices and teachings of Jesus and the church

and we also ask people to become the beautiful person God is calling you to be.

Christ doesn't need a body of all eyes.

Christ needs a body of eyes and ears and hearts and arms and legs and toes and hands.

As we participate in the sacred rituals and join the fellowship of the community

always bring ourselves, bring Olu and Leo and Yvette and Dee...

Remember Jesus as the example.

Give thanks,

and sing a hymn of praise

in whatever way your heart sings.]

10:30 am

[For Natalie and Robert, for Michael

you are becoming a baptized Christian

you are entering into this community of followers of Jesus

we ask that you learn some of the practices and teachings of Jesus and the church

and we also ask you to become the beautiful person God is calling you to be.

Christ doesn't need a body of all eyes

Christ needs a body of eyes and ears and hearts and arms and legs and toes and hands

As you learn and grow, as you participate in the sacred rituals and join the fellowship of the community

always bring yourself, bring Natalie and Robert and Michael.

Remember Jesus as your example

and give thanks

sing a hymn of praise

in whatever way your heart sings.]