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Being of the Same Mind

By Jared Warner

Willow Creek Friends Church

September 27, 2026

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Philippians 2:1–13 (ESV)

¹ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Last week we began looking at Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we continue with that letter today. While studying the past few weeks, I learned a few things I did not know before. Philippi was not like many of the other communities that received letters from Paul. They were not facing some crisis or living within some moral failing. Instead, they were encouraged and praised for their devotion. They were not being persecuted, but were freely living their faith and were in a position to enable Paul and others to extend the ministry. This however does not come without warnings. The people of Philippi although faithful, have something that is concerning. It has not yet made itself evident in the expression of their faith, but it is lurking in the background.

While studying, I learned about the demographics of this community. This community was near the sea but situated inland. It was not a major port, but it was close enough to the port to have access to it. We do not think too much about that as most of us do not live near a port city either. But there are things that go on in ports that do not happen in other communities. There is a constant flow of people boarding and disembarking ships. Cargo is being loaded and unloaded. Money is changing hands, and money is being spent. And the sailors that have been living without comforts of home often overindulge. The over indulgence is something that is often spoken about in Paul’s other letters, and the activities associated with meeting those indulgent demands. Philippi is not on the coast, but it is near. They do not face the crime nor the immoral binges. But there is something they must watch out for, comfort.

This city became an ideal place for retired soldiers to open the next chapters of their lives. They have citizenship, they have estates, they have comfortable economic status, and they have a voice. They are near enough to the Empirical capital to participate in governance if they are needed, but they are also far enough away to avoid much of it. But these are people of means, living within communities of means. This does not mean that there are not poor among them. Jesus said that the poor will always be among us. The poor are not necessarily economically poor, instead to be poor means that there is a lack. A lack of influence, a lack of opportunity, a lack of security, as well as a lack of wealth. There are poor among the people of Philippi, the poor of Philippi may not look like the poor in Israel, or some other region because by in large this is a prosperous community. But there are still people that lack something, as the poor are always among us. The question is if we are willing or able to see it.

Paul says, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

I want us to let those words percolate in our minds for a bit. I want the words to slowly filter through our minds. What is Paul speaking about? Empathy.

I sat with these verses, I have considered the demographics of Philippi, and I began to see some parallels. Philippi is very similar to many placed we might call first world nations. They had access to everything they wanted, yet they did not necessarily have to see what was behind the scenes of getting it there. Philippi is like the suburbs. They have access but do not experience the full toll of human cost to obtain the goods and services they desire. We could easily replace the name of their city, with Kansas City, the United States, London, or Germany nearly all of these first world places also have a similar experience. Do we know what is required to really get our morning coffee from Starbucks? We complain about the need to tip those that serve the cup, because it forces us to consider a bleak reality. The need for tips means that the cost of our cup of coffee does not fully cover the needed wages for an individual to survive. But that is just one small window into the lack within that Starbucks cup.

Do we know what it costs to grow the beans that are ground and roasted for our morning brew? Do we know if the people that grow those beans are being paid fair market value, or are the processing corporations using some exploitative practice to maximize their profits while keeping the price per cup low? The reality is that we are not paying full price, we know we are not paying full price because of the need for a tip, and we complain because we are paying more for things.

Our cell phones are another great example, our clothing, even the gas we put in our cars. All of these things have some aspect of poor or lack attached to them, and we often cannot or do not want to see it.

I speak in economic terms because that is often my understanding of things. Before I became a pastor, I loved science and economic. In my mind these things could explain just about everything I needed to know. I majored in crop science with the hopes that I would someday get a job working in some genetic research facility. As I went through school, I also took nearly every economics class I could. I will honestly say there is a lack of economic understanding. And that lack of understanding is frequently seen in the lack of empathy we have for people.

The world sees economics as the buying and selling of goods and services. But there is more to it than that. Economics is a tool people can use to understand those around us. When John the Baptist was preaching on the river banks, he cried out to the crowd if any of you have two shirts, give one to the person that lacks. We might just see that as charity, but it is economics. One person has a surplus and the other is lacking, the transfer provides equilibrium within the community. When homeostasis is lacking within a system, something will eventually break. When the ones with a surplus continue to hold the surplus and the lack begins to multiply eventually markets are forced to change. Usually the price rises, but there are times where things become more drastic. Riots, labor strikes, the invention of an alternative, or maybe a boycott.

People start to blame others for their problems, they want to pin their lack on someone or something, because clearly the system is not working.

Paul saw this brewing in the people of Philippi. It was just something small, but there was something there. If they did not start to make changes, it would eventually grow into a problem. He was seeing empathy diminishing.

If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit. If this is what you say you are, if this is what you experienced and claim in faith, “complete my joy by being of the same mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition of conceit, but in humility count others more significant they yourselves.”

These people were not immoral people in the eyes of the world. The people within their society would probably call them good people. Just as most within our society would call themselves good. Yet they were not good. They were selfish, some might call them grifters. They were looking out for themselves with little to no regard to the people around them. As long as they had what they needed, that is all that mattered. But there is lack within the society. If we cannot see the disequilibrium eventually the system will break.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant…”

This community is filled with retired soldiers. When a soldier was honorably discharged they would get paid, they were given a plot of land, and legal status. This is an honorable thing to provide to those that dedicated their lives to the empire. They served and they have been rewarded. They served, and because of that service they desire and demand some honor from those whose livelihood they protected.

This points to another aspect of imbalance within the system. Those that served and those that did not. Those that have that status and those that lack it. This status is something that Paul also speaks of. He is telling the former soldiers do not think too highly of yourselves. Instead, have within you the same mind as Jesus.

Jesus, at this point in time, had already been seen as more than a mere man within the Christian community. Paul says, that he was in the form or the essence of God. Jesus had the greatest status of any being. Yet Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.

The last time I spoke out of this passage, I mentioned that the word grasped, could be seen as taken or even stolen. It is to take by force. Jesus cannot take equality with God by force, because he is the essence of God. What this points to is the demand of recognition.

We have all had managers or supervisors at work that demand respect, but have done very little to deserve that respect. They walk around with a clip board, bark out orders, but everyone knows that they really do not know anything. I have been reprimanded by managers like that. This particular manager was not a bad manager, but he was a manager that did not understand, and could not retrain when error occurred. Many of you know that I am hearing impaired, and within one of my annual reviews I said that I had trouble communicating with people that had heavy accents. This manager did not take the time to ask why, he simply determined that my trouble with accents was discrimination. The reason is I cannot hear, I need a hearing aid, but I cannot afford one that will actually assist with my form of hearing loss. But since I did not have a hearing aid, he deemed it prejudice. I was given a written action plan and for the next six months, every action of every day was scrutinized till eventually I got tired of it and found a different job.

That manager, demanded recognition. And if it was not given he found a way to make sure it happened. Might is right, is the colloquial term. If you have the strength and the authority to force, you have the right to do so. This is often how the world works. We see it between nations, within the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and our own foreign policies. We assume we have the might so everything we demand should be what everyone else submits to.

Jesus has the power and the authority. Jesus fed the five thousand, he walked on water, he raised Lazarus from the grave. These are miracles yes, but Jesus did these things to show the world that he had the power, and they loved the power. Imagine if Jesus led the armies of Israel, the only war with no casualties because Jesus would simply heal the wounded and raise the dead. Imagine an army where the supply chain was not necessary to protect because Jesus could simply make all the bread the army needed out of thin air. This is what the world was thinking when they saw the power of Jesus. If he could only use that for us to gain power over those we see as enemies.

Jesus did not use his power for that cause though. Instead, Jesus humbled himself. He being the essence of God, was born in the likeness or the essence of man. He took on our flesh, and he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death. Not just death, he suffered the humiliation of the cross.

These former soldiers were trained to be mighty. They were commanded to use that might to compel obedience. “The rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,” Jesus taught us. (Matthew 20:25) They lord it over, they demand allegiance to their authority, because might is right. It shall not be so among you.

Jesus had the power, but he did not use it for himself or to extract loyalty. Jesus became a servant, even though he was the almighty God through whom all things that were created were made. He willingly served, he bent down to wash the feet of his own disciples. Our faith is not just words we say, it must be a life lived. Our focus should be encouraging everyone, to empower those around us to strive for something better. We should do this not for our own good, but for theirs.

Paul saw within the people of Philippi something that could eventually pose a problem if it was left unchecked. Friends, we also have the same concern around us. We are comfortable, and in that comfort we begin to see anything that poses the slighted inconvenience as being oppression. We complain about the tipping culture, yet we should be demanding that fair wages are paid so that tipping can go away. There was another culture that was in a similar place a century ago. That nation was an engineering powerhouse, filled with technological innovation, and industrial precision. That nation was predicted to become the greatest nation of the 20^th century. The nation being spoken of at the dawn of the 20^th century was Germany. It went from being the most innovative with unprecedented economic potential to something else. Germany was not only the leader in technology at that time, it was also a leader in other academic areas, including theology. Today Germany remains one of the most important voices in theology, and if you were to obtain a doctoral degree in theology you are required to learn German because many of the leading academic journals are published in German.

I know many people like to throw around comments comparing our contemporary era to the mid 20^th century German experience. Germany was a leader not only in the economy and technology, but they were a leader in theology. They went from leading, from being a beacon of hope, to something dire and evil. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said this in his book Cost of Discipleship.

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”

(https://joshbenner.org/2018/05/02/dietrich-bonhoeffer-cheap-grace-vs-costly-grace/)

Germany fell from grace. They had everything, yet they failed to see. They failed to see the poor, because they were seeking their own good. They failed to encourage and empower, because they were seeking their own ambition. They failed to understand true discipleship, because they did not want to humble themselves. Jesus came, he was born, lived, taught, suffered, died, was buried, and rose again not so we can be comfortable. He did this so that we could understand that all humanity bear the image of God, and are loved by him. Jesus experienced, and humbled himself not so everyone can go to heaven, but so we could recognize the areas of lack and abundance within our society. And he is calling us to make the abundance available to those that lack. We are called to bring equilibrium into our system. Or in the economy of God, we are to bring justice. This is work, it is a sacrifice, it is not something that will come easy or be widely praised, but it is what a disciple of Christ is, that is what a Friend of Jesus is. Someone who loves God, embraces the Holy Spirit, and lives the love of Christ with others. I pray that we will make his joy complete by being of the same mind.

Transformed in Grace

By Jared Warner

Willow Creek Friends Church

August 23, 2026

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Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili

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The past few weeks I have made a point to encourage us to use context as we read scripture. To observe more than the mere words within the passage, but to also consider the rest of the book, and even scriptures outside the book. Not just scripture, but also culture and history. It is even important to understand science, contemporary spiritual practices both inside and outside Hebrew influence. We need to do this because the writers of scripture were inspired to write within a historic and cultural context. The words were written to encourage and inspire those of their age, as well as us today.

This is significant when we consider the passages associated with eschatology. Imagine for a moment if the prophets of ancient times were only speaking of events that were to occur 3 to 4 thousand years in the future. Would the people of that age be able to recognize them as sacred texts, or would they only see them as the ravings of a mad man? The words were primarily for their time and place, but also allude to something more. But this something more, these future events, were understandable within their context.

I bring eschatology up not because this passage speaks of it, but because sometimes our thoughts on eschatology permeate through our lives to such a degree that our primary focus is on the end instead of the present. We are not called to merely prepare for that great day, but as we prepare we are to live today. We are to work, teach, serve, and share now.

Before we move on we do need to consider the context of our passage. When we look at the letter to the Romans we often assume that this was a letter written to the people of Rome. We are not wrong, but we sometimes forget what Rome was. Rome was the capital of an empire. There were people from every corner of the empire living within this city. There were representatives from the provinces of Africa, from the Central Europe, from Spain, and from across the lands surrounding the Mediterranean basin. There were also envoys from other lands. Envoys from the Persian remnant, diplomats from Ethiopia, merchants from the Far East, and even traders traveling down the rivers of Eastern Europe and Russia across the seas. Rome was not a homogeneous community but diverse.

The church within Rome was also diverse. There was a large Jewish population within Rome and many of them responded to the gospel along with those from the gentile nations. This is why Paul exerted such energy and thought to explain the reality of the grace of God. The church at this time did not have the scriptures that we have today. What they did have were the writings of the Old Testament, but they did not have the Hebrew scripture, they had the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. And because they had only the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, those are the scriptures that were used and recognized within the ancient churches.

When I was a child I was often taught that the Catholic Church added books to the bible. They are not wrong in that teaching, but they are not correct either. The Catholic Church added the New Testament, but they were not the only church that did so. The Church of Antioch, Ethiopia, Jerusalem, Constantinople, and Alexandria also added the New Testament. These however are not the book we are speaking of. Protestants frequently say that the Church of Rome added the Apocrypha, or the deuterocanonical books. These book were part of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, so they were not added, instead they were already part of the Jewish community that lived outside Judea. The reason they are not included in our Protestant bibles is because during the reformation the leaders of the Protestant churches wanted only the books that were represented in the accepted Hebrew text. The texts they used, the Masoretic text, was only accepted around the 7^th century of our current age, seven hundred years after the church began. One could argue that the Masoretic texts, could have been made in opposition to the church just as much as one could argue that the text was the Hebrew Bible used within Jerusalem.

So when Paul was writing to the church of Rome, everyone present only knew the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. The understanding that both the Jews and the Gentiles had of scripture was from those first century era of history. They believed that the nations were divided among lessor deities, under the leadership of the one true God. And that the entire purpose of the Messiah was to bring all people back to that one true God. As we saw within Psalm 138. “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise.”

Paul wanted both the Jews and the Gentiles of Rome to know the reality of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. It was not merely to make all people Jewish. It was to bring all people, all religions, all of humanity back to the place they were created to be. Restored to an Edenic existence, where all humanity lived as image bearers of that one true God.

The context is important. The people were reading the Greek translations. Books like Tobit, where a righteous man living in exile was given a quest by the angel Raphael. Or the book of Judith where a Jewish widow interacts and saves her people from the invading Assyrian army. These book gave those people living in exile hope, they provided direction and identity to people of faith living in exile. They often provided a bridge between the various cultures and allowed the righteous to live their faith in a problematic time. This is what Paul is getting at. All of humanity is in exile. All of humanity is living lives of faith as outsiders within an immoral worldly based context. Not only the people of Hebrew heritage but all people. And some of these people have been in exile even longer.

God does not repent of his calling of Israel, he needed them as the one people through whom he would reveal himself, but the ultimate goal was not merely Israel but everyone. And everyone that calls upon the name of Jesus will be shown mercy and grace.

He spent eleven chapters building up to this point. Drawing on language of the Law, or the teachings of God, to unify the church. We are not Jews and Greeks, but we are a spiritual family united under the one true God. And because we are one people, present yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

I want us to slow down and consider this for a moment. I have just presented a bunch of historical context that we may not have been aware of. But what Paul is telling us is that everything we do should be devoted to honoring God. Every word we speak should be laced with encouragement and grace. Every time we go to work our actions should be reflecting the devotion we have to God. When we interact with people around us our mind should not be focused on the things our world focus on, instead our thoughts should be devoted to bringing honor to God.

We are to be living. But not just living, we are also to be sacrifices. I want you to consider this. Most sacrifices are not living. Instead, their life is given to bring honor and signify devotion to the deity being worshiped. Our life is to be given. It is not our own everything we do, and every aspect of who we are should be directed to give honor to God. If you call on the name of Jesus, you are no longer living to yourself. You belong to God. You are set apart for a different purpose.

Paul then continues, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

As I was studying this week, I opened a translation of the New Testament I forgot I purchased. It is called the First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament. This translation was formulated by a group of pastors ministering to various native cultures throughout North America. They wanted to present a translation of scripture into the context of their people. At first, we might think this is heretical, but I want us to consider how we learned about God. Very few of us know Greek, each of us listen from our own cultural context. We explain the gospel to children in language they understand. We do not use words they are unaware of like, “propitiation.” because most adults do not even understand that word to mean atonement. It goes over our heads.

This team of translators present it like this:

“So then, my sacred family members, because Creator has shown us such mercy and kindness, I now call on you to offer your whole beings, heart, mind, and strength, to the Great Spirit as a living sacrifice. Do this in a sacred and spiritual manner that will make his heart glad. Do not permit the ways of this world to mold and shape you. Instead, let Creator change you from the inside out, in the way a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. He will do this by giving you a new way of thinking, seeing, and walking. Then you will know for sure what the Great Spirit wants for you, things that are good, that make the heart glad, and that help you to walk the path of becoming a mature and true human being.”

(Romans 12:1-2 FNV)

I sat reflecting on this passage from that perspective. I then considered what I knew of the various indigenous people groups. Their culture was not always like the cultures of European people, and neither are the cultures of Africa or Asia. I might not understand their culture, but that does not mean that they do not have some understanding that I do not have. I looked at these words from that perspective. And I was no longer looking at it systematically. Often European minded cultures look at everything from the rule of law perspective. We have hierarchies, departments, economies, and philosophies. We interpret everything from that western perspective. But that is not how everyone lives. The indigenous people of North America had a different rhythm of life. Their focus was on different aspects. Often their life revolved around survival of the community instead of individuality. They look at their place within a larger creation, and instead of conquest they instead strive to be a true human.

My understanding of their various cultures is lacking for sure, but this gave me pause. It challenged me to consider the words of Paul from a perspective that I was not used to. And I found it encouraging.

What happens to a group of people migrating around the prairies of Kansas and Missouri if those within the tribe are self-centered instead of focusing on the community? They will die. It is not a question of if, but when. There are so many factors in life that we cannot possibly be completely self-sufficient. When one person begins to become selfish, another person goes hungry. When one person demands the skins from the hunt, someone is left without clothing. When we become selfish we leave within visible sight someone without. What will eventually happen if we allow this to continue? We become weak. We become fractured. We become greedy. If the tribe continues down that path, how will they survive the winter? How will they respond to other tribes seeking harm?

Present yourself as a living sacrifice, Paul says, give yourself to something greater, something beyond yourself. Do not be shaped or molded by the ways of this world. This world is often devoted to sin. If we go back to the lives of Cain and Abel we see this. Cain was not accepted and Abel was. Cain wanted to be accepted, but he wanted it on his own terms. And God said to Cain if you do well will you not be accepted? That is the way of the world. We want things on our terms. We want it our way. We could not care less what anyone else thinks or feels as long as I have what I want.

It is short-sighted. And leads to destruction. God’s teaching his law is not for that short-sighted life. A few months ago I came across a discussion on the kosher dietary laws. The one presenting stated that we are not given a reason as to why certain foods are considered clean and unclean. So he explored possible reasons. Many of the reasons mentioned I had thought of, but there was one take that made me stop what I was doing to think. He said could it be that pork was unclean because there was only one reason to raise pork? Pork did not have multiple uses throughout its life like other animals. Sheep produce wool every year. So there is value while they live as well as value at the end of their life. Cattle also have multiple uses. They can be used as draft animals, for their milk, and at the end of their life meat and leather. But what is the use of swine? They are raised for one purpose and that is to eat. The point the presenter was making is God’s law in many cases was focused on continued existence, and not merely for short-sighted survival.

We can then look at other teachings within the law. How was Israel encouraged to build their dwellings? How were they supposed to handle mildew, and skin diseases? How were they to interact with individuals from other nations? Each of these laws point to something greater. Some laws have scientific explanations. Where some show us how to effectively assimilate others within our culture. But each of them teach us how to be true human beings.

Are we thinking about that type of life. A life lived to bring honor and glory to God while we live in service and ministry to others? This is the life and lifestyle that Jesus taught. He made it his custom to worship with the community. He often withdrew to pray in isolated places. And he would minister to the needs of the people. Providing healing to those with various diseases, feeding those without food, and providing teachings to draw us into a deeper understanding of life with God.

In all of this Jesus was encouraging us to explore where we fit and how we can become a blessing to others instead of living a life of self-centered consumption. Paul then expands on that thought as he writes to the people living in Rome. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

He then speaks of us being one part of a greater body. And how each of us have different skills and gifts to bring health and wellness to that body. The point is that we have been blessed with incomes, with skill, with abilities, ideas, and many other things. We have been blessed, but that blessing is to be shared. The blessing, gifts, and our abilities are only fully enjoyed if we utilized them to benefit those around us.

What good is a painting if it is locked away in a closet? What good is being able to bake the best bread if it is never shared with another? How are we to enjoy a song that is never sung? Or find a use for a technology invented if that technology is never built? And how do we help others whose lifestyles are changed when new technologies render their gifts less useful?

We must give and share our abilities. If we do not put ourselves out there for others, there is no nation, there is no economy, there is nothing of value, and we are no more than animals looking for our next meal. We are not true human beings unless we live for others.

“If your gift is to speak the heart and mind of the Great Spirit, in a prophecy, then let trust guide your words. If your gift is helping others, then give yourself to help others. If teaching is your gift, teach well. If your gift is to speak courage and strengthen the hearts of others, then speak bravely. The one whose gift is giving should not hold back. If your gift is leading, lead with honor. And the one whose gift is showing mercy and kindness to others should do so freely, with a glad heart!”

(Romans 12:6-8 FNV)

Let us be a people united in Christ. Let us encourage one another to use the things God has given us well. And let us become a blessing to the world around us. Let us live our lives in such a way that people see that there is a better way to live. One that give hope to the hopeless, help to the needy, and mercy to the afflicted. Let us become a people of blessing, instead of a nation of condemnation. Let us become living sacrifices devoted to the things of God and a people loving God, Embracing the Holy Spirit, and living the love of Christ with others. Let us not seek the end but to live for Christ now and until we take our last breath.

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Trusting the Promise

By Jared Warner

Willow Creek Friends Church

August 16, 2026

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Click to read in Swahili

Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili

Romans 11:1–2a, 29–32

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

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Since I have been pastor here at Willow Creek we have been using the lectionary. I have given my reasons, one reason is because it is a three-year cycle of scripture readings that give a decent overview of the entire bible. There some limits though. If we stay with the lectionary readings we will not read much of the minor prophets, and it is possible that it will start feeling like I just repeat myself. I do repeat myself. I will largely speak out of the Gospels because I think the words that the apostles remember Jesus saying are very important. Then there was a year when I used only the Old Testament readings. I did this because I felt that there was some background information missing from many of the contemporary teachings I was seeing online and hearing on the radio. The problem with the Old Testament readings, is there is so much history and context that we just do not fully understand. I would spend hours and days reading and studying. I would follow rabbit trails through various word studies and commentaries, and then I would realize that our meeting for Worship was in eight hours and I had not written anything yet.

The main reason I started using the lectionary is that I know who I am. I know my weaknesses and I know that I am easily distracted. I do not have sermon series planned out for the next year like some pastors. I often wish I was like those types of pastors. It would make things so much easier if I only knew what I was going to do. But that is not me. My leadership style is almost like an amoeba. I just flow around and if I like something it becomes the next best thing, but if I do not like it I put up my defenses.

You might be surprised to know that this little Meeting is frequently marveled about at the Yearly Meeting office. I have been asked on multiple occasions what I have been doing over the past sixteen years. Because when I started many in the Yearly Meeting were sure that this meeting would have closed, yet we did not. Instead, we began to grow little by little. Our outlook began to change little by little. Instead of being one of the Meetings they worried about they began asking what we would do. The problem is I do not have a clue.

What have we done? We adapt. We listen to what the needs are, and we make honest attempts at meeting the needs. Do we get it wrong. Absolutely, but we do it together. We flow and adapt to what is going on around us. And we become what we need to be at that moment.

Back to the lectionary. I began using this list of passages sixteen years ago, because we have multiple people picking music. At times some of them want to know in advance what passage I am going to use. So the question came up, and I simply said, I will use the lectionary and if I do not tell you specifically, we will default to the Gospel reading.

It has worked well. For sixteen years those picking music can look through the lectionary, and they will know a general idea of what scripture I will be using, and they can pick songs accordingly. The interesting thing about this, I have always thought the lectionary readings have been the right verses for that Sunday. In sixteen years, I have spoken on some pretty hard topics, and yet they have been what needed.

Which brings us to today’s passage. Last Sunday I said that we would be gifted with what was necessary at that moment. This is a very Quakerly perspective on the spiritual life. When we began as the religious society of Friends, our spiritual ancestors would meet together wherever they were on any day of the week. They believed that every day was given to us by the Lord, and that each day should be lived to honor God. They did not always meet on First days, they did not necessarily meet on the 7^th day either. Those early Friends would travel around the countryside, make an announcement, and people would come. They would meet in silence, waiting on the Spirit of Christ to move them to speak, and they would respond accordingly. They did not prepare a message, like I do. They just spoke.

I have often thought about that. I have been pretty harsh to myself for not having that level of faith. I would love to just come in and speak. I have done that during midweek services. I do that with the students during bible study. Sometimes we do not even get to the study I intended on doing because the questions that they have asked were too important, so we discuss them. But on Sunday, I am compelled to write everything down. It was only after our Congolese Friends started attending that I realized why this was happening. Our Friends came, and we as a meeting had to figure our how to respond. It was suggested that we provide some form of translation so that they could participate more fully. I did not want to put extra pressure on them, so I thought about different options.

In the writing software there is a translation tool where we can translate a document with a click of a button. I did not know anything about it at first. I did not even know it existed, because just a few years ago it did not exist. But not long after they started attending that feature was added to my document program. I wrote everything down because God knew sixteen years ago that we would need to translate everything today. It was not failure. It was preparation and being obedient even when understanding was not there.

Paul in today’s passage speaks of something similar. All through this letter to the Romans, Paul struggles with some fairly deep thoughts. He speaks of Israel, justification by faith, predestination, living by faith, and pretty much any other theological concept you can think of. But the past couple of weeks he has tackled the disparity between Israel and the faith of the Gentiles.

Is Israel saved because of their heritage? Do we need to become like Israel? Are Gentiles really saved? Is it necessary for all people to come to God through Jesus, or is there another way?

I want us to think about these things for a moment. Israel is important, but we need to keep the context. Israel has never, even in their golden age under King David, been a global superpower. They have always been this seemingly tiny nation at the crossroads of empires. This seemingly insignificant nation ends up at the center of many things. If we think about the great empires of the Ancient world, nearly all of them dealt with this tiny nation. And they had to, Israel was at the center of the available trade routes accessible to those empires.

I am someone that like to watch and keep track of various archeological findings. I actually subscribe to the Biblical Archaeological Review. And my dream vacation is to go on a dig somewhere in the lands mentioned within scriptures. The problem there are those types of trips are few and far between, and no one I know thinks that working in the arid sun all day digging in the dirt sounds like a vacation.

The thing is as these archeologists have conducted their various digs, they are finding things they did not expect. In Egypt, they are finding things from as far away as China. In India, they are finding things from Greece. They are evening finding bronze that contains tin sourced in Wales, that is found in the land that should have been ancient Persia. These things are changing our understanding of the world. We once thought that every culture was isolated, now we realize that there was ancient global trade. Some scholars have even gone so far as to suggest that the ancient world might have had trade routes to the Americas, because of the plants and seeds they have found. We have these global trade routes, but right in the middle of all the empires is Israel. A small inconsequential nation every culture must pass through to trade with the other empires.

Even before Israel existed, God chose them. God created this people from one couple who were unable to bear children. He called out to them while they lived in Ur, which we are finding out was a major city in the first great empire, Sumer. This empire is spoken of in the book of Job, the friends of Job come from all the major centers within this empire. And eventually those great cities form their own nations and cultures. But God selected for himself, not Egypt, not India, not Assyria, not even Sumer. He chose Abraham, a single man and his wife Sara. He called out to them to leave their family and their nation and to go out to a land he would give to them. They went. They trusted God. He said to them that they would be the parents of many nations, and that their descendants would be the light to all nations. Yet Sara was nearing ninety years old, and a child was not yet born. God promised Abraham, and Sarah laughed. And their small nation eventually did sit at the center of empires.

God made a promise, and God kept that promise. They did not understand at the time, yet God was working all things out according to his purposes.

In today’s passage Paul says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” I sat with this passage this week and I struggled. Last week I said that we will be gifted with the things necessary at that time, and at other times those gifts may not be necessary. And then I read this, and I was thinking I had misspoken.

I began to look deeper. I looked at this word, “Irrevokable” and suddenly theological positions of many traditions came crashing in at once. Can Israel be saved apart from Christ? Is it absolutely necessary for Israel as a nation to exist? These are arguments that are thrown around in our current era. There are some that believe that the current war between Iran, Israel, and the United States is a divinely sanctioned conflict that must occur, and if we say otherwise we are rejecting God. And many of these arguments are made because of this word used in this verse, “Irrevocable.”

I looked in the various translations I have, and I consistently saw the word irrevocable. Nearly every modern translation gave the same reading. I looked at this word, and the first thing I saw was that normally this word is not translated as Irrevocable, instead it is translated to mean something like without remorse or regret. The ones that did not translate it that way was the New Jerusalem Bible, which is a Catholic translation, and the King James Version. In the New Jerusalem Bible it says, “There is no change of mind on God’s part about the gifts he has made or of his choice.” And the King James says, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

To me the New Jerusalem Bible and the King James are more accurate in this case. But it bothered me to see that nearly every translation I looked at said irrevocable. I began looking even deeper. This word is used twice in the New Testament, once it is translated as irrevocable and the other time it is translated as without remorse. That did not help. So I opened the theological dictionary of the New Testament. This is a book where people write their entire doctoral thesis on one word, and they follow nearly every use of the world in known writings. Even here it seemed as if the vast majority of the usage of this word focused on without regret. But there was one usage in a decree during the early church era, where irrevocable was the proper translation. The leader of a city was calling for the end of violence, saying that anyone that would continue the violence against this certain group of people would face swift and harsh punishment. This punishment was irrevocable, because peace within the city was required.

I sat with these things in my mind. I looked at the notes scholars gave for their translation choice and I understood. The point is that God did not revoke his promises. He made the promise to Israel. And that promise will continue. It does not matter if they believe or not. God will stand by his word. But I still struggle with the translation. It suggests on the surface that Israel is saved because they are God’s chosen people. No matter what they do, God will forgive them. This is problematic because Israel is not perfect. Scripture is filled with examples of their kings honoring God as well as their leaders participating in idolatry. They were even judged and sent into exile. Does this mean that God was denying his own promise? And if we look at contemporary things, can we speak out against actions perpetuated by the nation of Israel, or is that being anti-sematic?

This does not mean that Israel is saved apart from Jesus. It only means that God will not remove the promise given, he will not change his mind. He is without remorse. Even though Israel often failed to live up to their end of the covenant, God will continue to preserve them as a people. And we see this throughout history. Israel remains. This seemingly insignificant nation has survived countless exiles, genocides, persecutions, and they still remain. They remain, not because they are perfect. No they remain because God is merciful and just.

Israel exists not because they are perfect, not because they deserve it, they exist and remain in existence because they are the people through whom God fulfills his promise to the entire world. They were chosen and God does not have regret for making that choice. He does not remove that promise because they failed. They are chosen because they were unlikely. God made them a people, he established them as a nation. He placed them in the land that sat on the crossroads of the entire world, and through them, he revealed his teachings, and his son.

But what does their gift, and the promise made to them reveal to us?

“For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.”

This is an enigmatic passage. It almost feels as if Paul is double speaking but once we wrestle with it once we are able to understand the conflict within it opens up to us.

God does not revoke his promise to Israel. He has preserved them in spite of themselves. Over the past few weeks I have had people send me messages saying to me that I should be careful with my words in this area, and I understand where they are coming from. When I say that Israel is not saved apart from Christ, it does sound as if I am being anti-sematic like so many religieuse leaders in the past have been. But I do not have any ill will to them as a people. I thank them for their history, and for the steadfast presence and faithfulness throughout history. But that does not mean that they are always right.

I love a great many people that I do not agree with. I believe in the sanctity of life. I believe that every person is created in the image of God. I hold my position, and I respect the position of others that do not share my belief. Some do not understand how or why I do this, but it is easy. I respect them because they have their own mind. I cannot convince them to change their mind without giving them a reason to. My pro-life position does not stop at birth, I am pro-life which means that I believe that every human being is an image bearer and because of that they have dignity and should be respected. It does not matter their social standing, religious background, nation of origin or any other definition we place to divide people. Every human being is an image bearer and has dignity because God loves them. And because they have dignity and are loved by my God, they should be treated with the same dignity that is given to each of us. Every baby has a right to be live, every child has a right to live, every immigrant, every enemy, every theoretical extraterrestrial has a right to life. Guess what everyone has some opposition to my beliefs.

Why even bring this up? Paul spent the past few chapters speaking about the promises to his own people, and where we as Gentiles find our place in that history. We do not replace Israel, nor does Israel have salvation in any other way except through the full revelation of God in Jesus. Each of us are held accountable to the knowledge we have. Paul says, “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.”

“Prone to wander Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love,” the hymn writer once wrote. We are each prone to disobedience. Everyone everywhere is shut out, and separated from God. But wait Paul said that nothing could separate us from the love of God. This is true. God loves, that is his nature. God provided for each person a way to return to him. That way is irrevocable. It comes through the promise of God to Israel, and ultimately through Jesus. We can either reject the love God has for us or we can accept it on his terms. God does not regret the choices he made, nor does he repent of it. That is the way, the only way. Anyone who calls upon the name of Jesus will receive mercy.

Yet we still wander. Every single day we go back and forth. Every day we struggle. Trying to decide if we trust God or not. God has not changed, his teachings remain the same, we struggle not because God’s methods are so difficult. No we struggle because we are selfish. We want our way. Throughout the Psalms David laments that he followed God, yet his enemies seemed to gain power and influence. We lament because those making decisions in our society are unaffected by the choices they make as well. We lament and cry out for justice and mercy. Jesus said that the poor will always be with us. There will always be those that have and those that do not have power and influence. This is not the injustice of God, instead it is his mercy. Mercy? When Peter drew the sword on the guards when they came to arrest Jesus, Jesus told him to put the sword away. And he said one simple statement. “Those that live by the sword die by the sword.” He also told us, that in the manner we judge others will be the manner in which we will be judged.

Life is a cycle. We are born we live and we die. We learn and we forget. Systems therapists will take detailed family histories, and as they explore those histories they will be able to find issues and events that brought about responses that we struggle with today. It might be three generations back, but once we start on a path we tend to stay on that path, we teach that path to the people around us. We give to our children and grandchildren the fear and shame we experience. We pass on the hate and the selfishness. But what if we change the cycle. What if we confess and turn a different direction? We break that cycle.

God has promised, God has gifted. He does not remove, repent of, nor does he regret the promise he made. He will honor what he said even though we are disobedient. And he provides a way to change the cycles through Jesus. Jesus left the throne in Heaven to live among humanity. He was born within a family, and lived within a community. He worked alongside his relatives. He experienced the full human life, and yet he did not sin. He taught, and he provided and example. He became true Israel. And through him everyone can return to God. God stands knocking on the door of our life, will we respond? Will we turn toward him and enter into his life and lifestyle, or will we continue to live in our selfishness? Will we be the one that will change the cycle?

We might not understand what God is doing at this moment. We might not even sense that He is near. But we can know and trust. We can take on his life and lifestyle. We can look at history and see that empires rise and fall, but the group of people that God made a promise to remain. Through hardships, through persecutions. They remain. A small insignificant nation at the crossroads of empires. A people scattered and exiled through the world. They remain. They remain because God does not revoke his promises. His promise to us is just as irrevocable. Will we trust that he has us within his hands?

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