“Have this attitude in yourselves
which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself,
taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the
point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted
Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the
name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” (NASB)
“…although He existed in the form
of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant…”
Christ Jesus, God of very God
(John 1:1-5, 14 – 18), leaves His glory (a glory that He recalls and anticipates
in John 17:5), and empties Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant (a slave).
Here is Advent, but what kind of Advent? Is it an Advent that we consign to
some 2,000 years ago and therefore cover with a cloak or lock in a closet? Is
it an Advent that we have driven underground so that its life-giving water is
unavailable to us today? Or…is it an Advent that continues to flow and live and
animate our life in Christ, touching others, healing others, comforting others,
offering life to others? Is Bethlehem expanding and metamorphosing into a City
and Kingdom filling the earth? Is Bethlehem merging with the New Jerusalem
coming down from the heavens (Revelation 21 & 22)?
Or, does Bethlehem lay in ruins? Are
our lives and the lives of our congregations “pressing onward toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14); or are
we steadfast defenders of a dry and stagnant Christianity which seeks to
preserve itself at all costs, even at the expense of quenching the Holy Spirit
and a growing and functioning Body of Christ? Are we purveyors of spoiled wine
in old wineskins?
Paul styled himself a “bond-servant”
or “slave” throughout his writings (Phil. 1:1); Christ became a bond-servant
for us, are we bond-servants for Him? Christ left his glory for us, are we,
with Paul, counting “all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing
Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:8)? Are we asking
God to empty us and cleanse us and then fill us with His Holy Spirit for His
glory (2 Timothy 2:20 – 21; Ephesians 5:18 – 21)?
How are we participating in the
Incarnation? How is the Incarnation occurring in us? In our churches?
No comments:
Post a Comment