Philippians 2:1-11 (NRSV) If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. 9Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I remember watching a beauty pageant many years ago in which the contestants were asked to answer a question for which they were not prepared in advance: how would they “think upon their feet?” “What is humility?” The young lady answered, “It is that which, if you think you have it, you don’t.” None of us can be perfect at being humble, but if we are always wondering about how we are perceived and if we desire accolades for everything (artwork on the fridge does not work when we are 34), we will be frustrated and ineffective.
Jesus was perfectly humble, He alone; He looked outward, to the need. He had to be aware of the cost, but our salvation was not about His comfort. He left His eternal comfort zone at the right hand of the Father and laid aside all His glory. His humiliation was not that He got caught doing something wrong, but that He died in our stead without the accolades from the world. So often, He said, “Tell no one what I have done.” They (and we in our old sinful nature) all forsook Him and fled.
The greatest (yet saddest and wickedest) moment came when He bore the brunt of the Creator’s wrath against all who blithely think one can do fine without God. His death on Good Friday was not accidental. His humility meant obedience to death. It was the war to end all wars (against God). It brought the resurrection peace that passes all understanding. NOW is the time to exalt and praise the Lord. Each Sunday is a resurrection celebration, even the Sunday right after Easter. Every day is the Lord’s new day as a gift to us. The Lenten season is a time to bind ourselves regularly to hearing about His humiliation and our exaltation IN HIM.
Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess. We get to start the celebration already now and we get to humble and submit ourselves to His grace that flows from the faith He gives us. See you (again) soon – for the rejoicing.
Pastor Tom, Mission Pastor
Walking the Emmaus Road with the Risen Lord
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XV, Number 9, April 2014)