September 27, 2020
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be 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 regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was[a] in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
Therefore, God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Our Bible study just finished looking at Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It was an engaging study. The passage we just read was claimed by several people as one of their favorites in scripture. These thirteen verves are really 7 of proses and 6 of a poplar hymn that Paul quotes. Imagine if you were writing and you wanted to capture attention, so you quote… Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me…. Just like we know all those words, it is believed that the church in Philippi knew this hymn, this poem, as well. He is applying the truth in this hymn to the tension within the church community, drawing them back to unity.
Encouragement in Christ, consolation from love, fellowship in the Spirit, compassion and sympathy work to make Paul’s joy complete. He is reminding them of what they share and calling them back to their best selves in Christ. He warns of the dangers of selfish ambition, asking these Christians to be of one humble mind in Christ.
So why does Paul quote this hymn? We might think it is because like, our anthem sang, at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Declaring the glory of God found in Christ is inspiring and uplifting. But much happens before we get there. This hymn speaks to the incarnation of Christ. The moment when Jesus emptied himself. The word empty here is “kenosis.” Jesus is self-emptying, but scripture does not say what is being emptied out. As the Son of God, Jesus is equal to God yet at his birth Jesus takes on the form of a human being, a baby. So an emptying takes place for the fullness of God and the fullness humanity to come into being.
This week I have been emptying. Emptying the shrubs, pulling up the old tiles and digging the dirt needed to make space for the patio Parker and I are creating. We spent weeks cutting back two large shrubs and Parker spent days digging up the roots, all so we could make space for a larger patio. This coming week, while on vacation, we will be digging out more dirt, emptying more space, before filling in the created space with gravel, sand and tiles. We are doing all of this in the hopes of forming a lasting patio to sit and enjoy the great outdoors. When we create something very often, we need to make a space for it.
As you know once you empty something it often creates a void that seeks to be filled. Think of cleaning out your closet and the desire to go shopping afterwards. But kenosis is a different kind of emptying. Jesus does not empty himself of his divine nature, rather he sets aside the privileges of the divine so that he can become fully human. We cannot think of this like my patio in truly special terms. This kenosis is a paradox- Jesus is both fully human and fully God and it is in the moment of the incarnation, this moment of self-emptying, that this mystery happens.
Jesus not only self-empties but he also takes on something as well. The kenosis deals with what Christ took on. Jesus added to His divine nature a human nature as He humbled Himself for us. Jesus knows our hurts and fears because he is fully human. Jesus wept for Lazarus for the grief of a friend. Jesus ate with the disciples in the most holy meal. But God does not need to cry or eat. Kenosis makes space for all the fullness of humanity that Jesus shows over and over again. We connect to Jesus through the stories of his life, his compassion on the world and the humanity he shares, all while being God. Truly a paradox.
Jesus was with God during the creation, abides with God now, but for a time he emptied himself so that we could have a glimpse of God. Jesus went from being the glory of glories in heaven, to being a human being who was put to death on the cross. Paul declares, “Taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” In the ultimate act of humility, the God of the universe became a human being and died for His creation. Jesus the Son of God emptied himself so that he could live on earth bearing witness to God and died on the cross so that we could be freed from sin and united with God.
Paul shares this hymn seeking unity in the body of Christ, because it speaks of the very nature of God, the very nature of Jesus. One commentator writes, “Jesus Christ presents in human likeness the true nature of God, manifests truly imago Dei in the flesh” (Feasting on the Word, A4, 112). The kenosis is the act of Christ taking on a human nature with all of its limitations, except with no sin. As one Bible scholar wrote, “At His incarnation (Jesus) remained ‘in the form of God’ and as such He is Lord and Ruler over all, but He also accepted the nature of a servant as part of His humanity” (J. J. Müller, The Epistles of Paul to the Philippians and to Philemon, p. 82).
Paul lifts up Christ’s humanity so that we can imitate Jesus, his servanthood and love. Jesus’ self-emptying inspires us to ponder ways we can be our better selves, how we can let go of our selfish ambitions and our own self-interests to serve the interest of others. This might mean we lay aside our ego and apologize when we have wronged someone. We show compassion for the people who are raising their voices in protest, after being long silenced. We share a word of encouragement even when we feel like we are running out of steam. I am sure you can think of our own way of self-emptying that would move you to be more like the mind of Christ. If you wonder how do I make this change? Hear Paul’s words, “God is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for God’s good pleasure” (13). You do not have to empty “your proverbial behavior closet” all by yourself. God is at work in you. All you need do is pray for God’s help, seek ways of being of the same mind as Christ, humbly desiring to be of service to Jesus.
Singing Amazing Grace warms our hearts to the abundant and life giving grace of God in much the same way that this hymn shows how to humble oneself like Jesus and to empty ourselves of selfish ambition, so we can serve others and reach the mind of Christ. But you do not have to go it alone. The very nature of God, of kenosis, is love. Love of God and love for others.
With all that is going on right now, making more space for love sounds like a wonderful idea. Emptying ourselves of the anxiety and conflict that seems to permeate so much of life, and taking on the love of Christ, inviting God’s love into that space.
As we make more space for love let me end with this quote. “This is love; that God was, is and always will be Immanuel, God with and for us. Every creature is bowing to the Three-in-One who bowed first and still bows. The testimony is not the ultimate dissolution of self, but to self now received as sheer gift on the far side of utter emptying to and love for all others. This describes the ultimate realization of Koinonia, fellowship of the Spirit, of joy made radically complete, the triumph of love” (Feasting on the Word, A4, 114).
May we, with God’s help, aspire to make it so. Amen.
