Paul writes to the church in
Philippi asking them to have the same mind as Jesus. After all, the church is
founded on no other name than the name of Jesus! This would mean that
they should think like Jesus, have the same attitudes as Jesus did – thus
imitate Jesus and follow his example completely. So, what was it about Jesus …
that was so worthy of imitation, and so significant … as to build the whole church
upon it? How does Jesus stand out … as the One who we should stake our life on?
This was an important question to be explored, as Paul was writing before the
Gospels were available in a written form. People were still grappling to know
who this Jesus was, and what was he like.
It is likely that what Paul
quotes in verses 6 to 11, to describe Jesus, was an early hymn. Likely these
words were written and sung … to try to build understanding in the early church
about the person of Jesus, especially those twin features of divinity and
humanity. At the same time as being equal with God, and part of God, in respect
of being part of the Divine Community (known as the Trinity), Jesus became a
fully-fledged human being born of an earthly mother. In so doing, Jesus engaged
with all that it means to be human – from the joys of family and fun, to the
challenges of isolation and conflict. No one could ever now say … that God
doesn’t know what it’s like to be living in this world!
God, in Jesus, meets us in
the everyday affairs of human life … wherever we are, whatever we are doing,
whatever complex challenge sits before us. This was NOT to bring judgment or
find fault, but rather a ministry of love and grace. This is made clear by
repeated references to Jesus being … “in the form of a slave”, “born in human
likeness”, “found in human form”. Religious people, as well as spiritual
seekers, were looking for a Messiah – a new king. It seems that, mainly, they
were looking with the wrong definition of ‘kingship’ in mind. They were
thinking power, God was thinking service.
What sort of a king was
Jesus? Thirty-three years after the first Christmas, he rode into Jerusalem
humbly on a donkey. Jesus had taught, healed, gained committed yet fallible
followers, and generally created a bit of a stir (for three years). Then, when,
for some, he was a threat, and for others a disappointment, the powers that be
… crucified him. Yet ironically, for God, this was a case of sacrifice – a
willing sacrifice of love. Jesus could have called on power to avoid the cross;
but he had from the outset of his ministry, before the devil, and before his
disciples, focussed himself on a humble ministry of service to the world. Jesus
is the ‘Servant King’! Some would criticise his choice of friends, or those he
spent time with, but Jesus came to set the captives free; and as a healer for
the sick, not a convenience for the self-satisfied.
Why is it that we seek power
and influence, when we follow the ‘Servant King”!?! We might even compromise
some core beliefs, to gain that power. For me, this was the temptation that
many American evangelicals recently fell for (in their support of their
president-elect). Now they will have to live with it (and we will have to live
with it too). Rather, isn’t the message of Christmas clearly about following
the humble path of service, especially when the tide turns against us. Jesus,
the King of Glory, born to earth in humble circumstances, reaching out to the
blind and lame, speaking about love of enemies … becomes the ‘Servant King’,
and dies on a cross to redeem all humanity and all creation!
Jesus was here described in
terms of a “slave”, indicating the adoption of the humblest human status (even
accepting the type of death proscribed for slaves – crucifixion). God’s
response to the darkness, evil and sin in the world, was NOT from anger,
although you would have easily excused such feelings, considering what humanity
had done to God’s beautiful acts of creation. RATHER, God’s response was from
love (and desire for relationship). And quite the opposite from turning his
back on the world, God paid the earth a visit … and not a brief
(passing) one, but rather quite an extended visit! Actually, God moved right
into our neighbourhood. How might we describe this in another way?
[In spite of his best efforts,
surgeon Richard Selzer had to cut a nerve in a young woman's cheek in order to get at a tumor. The result was that her mouth was permanently
misshapen. Dr. Selzer was uncertain as to how her husband would respond to the
change. Therefore, he was encouraged when the young man came in and was warm
and caring to his wife, even joking about her new cute look. But when he saw
what happened next, Dr. Selzer's encouragement turned to awe. The young husband
bent down towards his wife, twisted his lips to fit her crooked mouth, and
gently kissed her.
Christmas is all about the incarnation; about the Divine Word "making himself
nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness" (Philippians 2:7).
In so doing, God bent down, 'twisted his lips’,
and kissed the crooked lips of a world, misshapen by sin and despair, with His
love and grace. From: Steve Nordbye, Charlton, Massachusetts;
source: David McCullough, Trivialization of God (Nav Press, 1995), pages 47-48.]
This was all a case of
‘downward mobility’. This was an unprecedented offer of relationship and
blessing, of healing and wholeness … to a world in desperate need. One crucial
issue to deal with though – getting past our guilt. To go forward, we would
need to experience God’s mercy – forgiveness from our sins from God’s
perspective, and also from our own perspective … there is always that mountain
of being able to forgive ourselves.
God, in Jesus, took upon
himself the worst suffering imaginable, the torture of a cross, the product of
a devious Roman mind … to prove how much he loves us, values us, and wants to
relate to us. Where we were lost – largely a product of our (own) poor
decision-making; where we couldn’t find our way forward, imprisoned in
destructive life patterns … along comes Jesus. Where God couldn’t reach us from
a distance, because we had stopped listening, Jesus entered our environment …
everywhere we live and go – to show us His love and compassion. And he lifted
our burdens there at Calvary!
What a King! What a Leader to
follow! Not remote, but near. Not power-seeking, but relational, personal and
self-giving. Not coercive, but invitational and welcoming. And the only thing
that would befit such a ‘king’ is a complete resolution and total reversal:
what seemed to be humiliation and defeat turned into exaltation and victory.
Jesus returns in all fullness to his Divine role: firstly raised from death to
defeat death, and then restored to Heavenly Community and cosmic authority. A
resurrection in glory! The whole of salvation history turns on Jesus. Jesus was
brought low, so that we too may be raised up! Through Jesus’ resurrection, there
is a possible reversal for us, should we choose it, a restoration of our created potential to live
in God’s image.
So here is the greatest
Christmas gift of all! You are being invited to accept this gift … in
humility and repentance. You are being invited to unwrap this gift … in
being healed and becoming a disciple. You are being invited to appreciate
this gift … in worship and witness. You are being invited to share this
gift … in service of others. Which invitation do you need to respond to
positively today? You may know that the gift is under the tree, but have not
grasped it. You may have the gift at hand, but never unwrapped it – so it has
never been any use to you. You may have actually experienced the gift in some
way, but never really found any joy in it, or been able to express new found
love. You may have accepted, unwrapped and appreciated the gift okay, but then
kept it all to yourself. What invitation will you respond to today??
Christmas is a wonderful
reminder of the ‘downward mobility’ of God to us – a ‘Servant King’. God
continues to come down and touch our lives, as well as the circumstances
happening around us. We pray, and things change, because God hears our prayers,
sees our faith, and acts. We may not see this clearly all at once. We
may only notice God’s activity in hindsight. But we should be looking! Where is
God working? What is God doing? Healing – physical maybe, spiritual certainly.
Relationships – easing the tensions. There is a fresh indwelling presence.
Faith is able to be newly shared. Doors are opening for ministry to others.
Confidence is growing in the use of gifts and abilities. People are coming to
know Jesus.
Yes … Christmas is a
wonderful reminder of the ‘downward’ mobility of God for us. Yet it is also a
profound challenge for us to embrace similar journeys of ‘downward mobility’.
Let us lay aside any power, privilege or position – to give ourselves in love
to others, so that, some might be saved. [Edited from: Mark Leach,
Rector of Darling Street Anglican, Rozelle, Sydney.] For us, it would be
more like an ‘outward mobility’. How might this work?
A closing quote from ‘Saturate’
by Jeff Vanderstelt. “Jesus came as a king, but his posture
is that of a servant. He did not come to be served, for he needed
nothing. He came to serve, because we needed everything he had!
And he provided us with everything we need – as a servant who laid down his
life, so we could have life!
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