In Advent we contemplate the profound mystery of the Incarnation.
When the eternal God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus, a preposterous
exchange of cosmic proportions took place. That exchange is beautifully articulated
in the Christ hymn of Philippians 2.
Advent is a time for folks who like to sing! God’s people
have always been a singing people. From the earliest records of corporate
worship in the Old Testament the Psalms functioned as a hymnbook that put
Israel’s prayers to music. The apostle Paul himself must have been a
music lover because in his correspondence with first-century churches he frequently
mentioned the use of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs as a way of admonishing
and encouraging the community of faith (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).
In the same way that you and I might reference songs in our
sermons that express spiritual truths we are trying to convey (e.g., “Because
of our confidence that God is with us in every storm, we can say, ‘It
is well, it is well with my soul.’”), so it appears that Paul
also used segments of early Christian songs to make his points more understandable
(Ephesians 5:14; Colossians 1:15-18; 1 Timothy 3:16; 2 Timothy 2:11-13).
The most famous of these early songs is the beautiful hymn about
the person of Jesus as found in Philippians 2:6-11. This passage has come
to be known as the kenosis or Christ hymn from the Greek word ekenosen, meaning,
“he emptied.” It has traditionally been considered as a rehearsal
of the Christ story in three movements: preexistence, existence, postexistence.1
It has also been viewed structurally as a portrayal of the sacrifice of Christ
(vv. 6-8) and the exaltation of Christ (vv. 9-11).
But just as in all scripture passages, it has a context (Dennis
Kinlaw noted that he once preached a sermon series on the verses before the
famous verses). Paul is trying to teach the church at Philippi the essential
qualities of their life together. In recalling their life as a community formed
by the gospel, Paul uses in verse 1-4 a number of key ideas from chapter 1:
joy, fellowship, lover, partnership, affection, unity, and mind-set or attitude;
and does so in a language that assumes these experiences are already genuinely
theirs.
Paul begins in verse 1 with the tiny preposition ei. It can
be translated either “if” or “since,” depending on
the context. It is the same word used by the devil to tempt Jesus in Matthew’s
Gospel (4:3, 6), inferring less a question than a statement. “Since
you are the Son of God . . .” gives the temptation even more force.
Paul is not questioning the “encouragement of Christ” or “the
consolation from love” (nrsv). Rather he is making a clear declaration
that these are indeed the foundation of their lives together.
Making a clear declaration of their benefits in Christ, Paul
now asks them to make his “joy complete” (2:2) by living in the
light that they have been given. For emphasis as well as clarity he says what
he has in mind in four expressions (all nrsv): being “of the same mind”
(the phrase does not refer to agreeing on everything, but to having a common
attitude or orientation); “having the same love, being in full accord”
(joined in their mission); “and of one mind” (he repeats the call
for a common attitude or mind-set). The word used twice in 2:2 and translated
“mind” is extremely important in this letter. The nrsv translates
it “to think this way” in 1:7, “be of the same mind”
in 3:15, “their minds are set” in 3:19, and “to be of the
same mind” in 4:2. By his double use of the word in 2:2, Paul is preparing
those who are hearing this letter read for his elaboration upon what the Christian
mind-set, attitude, or orientation is, beginning in 2:5: “Let this same
mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.”2
Therefore, the clear setting for the Christ hymn functions as
a living example of what life lived in the Kingdom means. “Paul’s
primary purpose for composing this hymn was not theological or Christological
but ethical. The goal he had in mind was not to give instruction in doctrine,
but to reinforce instruction for Christian living. And he did this by using
Christ as the ultimate model for moral action, as the supreme example of unselfish
conduct.”3 What does it mean to have the “in Christ Jesus”
mind? It means to be like Jesus. Paul sings a songs so we won’t forget.
The most important first step in any study of the Scriptures
is to find a good translation. Along with the original language, I have chosen
to use two secondary sources: the New Revised Standard Version and the translation
provided by Gerald Hawthorne in his excellent commentary on Philippians. I
have found it to be both grammatically feasible and exceedingly clear.
This way of thinking must be adopted by you, which also was
the way of thinking adopted by Christ Jesus. Precisely because he was in the
form of God he did not consider being equal with God grounds for grasping.
On the contrary, he rather poured himself out by taking the form of a slave,
by being born in the likeness of human beings, and by being recognized as
a man. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient even to the point of accepting
death, and that of all things, death on a cross. As a consequence, therefore,
God exalted him to the highest place, and conferred on him the name that is
above every name, in order that before the name that Jesus bears every knee
might bow, of heavenly beings, and of earthly beings, and of beings under
the earth, and in order that every tongue might openly and thankfully acknowledge
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.4
The obvious need throughout this passage is Christlikeness in
all our relationships. The vertical relationship we enjoy with God can never
be in right standing unless our horizontal relationships are also in right
standing. How we treat one another is an expression of Christ’s life
among us. This passage serves as an introductory 101 class for citizenship
in the kingdom of God.
The Incarnation is God’s ultimate yes to humanity. God
knew we could not live the life of love He called for through our own strength
and wisdom. And so at just the right time He took on human flesh to show us
the more excellent way. Jesus of Nazareth did not give up His deity in the
Incarnation—rather He took on the form of a servant. Advent is not divine
subtraction—it is holy addition.
The mind-set of Jesus during His life on earth serves as the
model for what it means to live one’s life for others. Relationships
previously defined by manipulative power must now be defined by holy submission.
Relationships previously ordered by stringent demands and reciprocal rules
must now be ordered by humble servanthood and sacrificial love. This is the
only kind of life honored by God.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons.”)
I have chosen to frame the first three Advent sermons around
the major themes of the Incarnation as found in Philippians 2: humility, servanthood,
and love. The exchange of power for humility, supremacy for servanthood, and
security for love seems like a preposterous exchange. And yet we learn from
Jesus that it is that very exchange that God exalts.
To begin, the preacher might choose to focus on the issues of
power and weakness. We have been taught that only the strong survive and that
power is to be grasped at all costs. Not only does Darwin’s law exist
in societal and familial structures, but also in the Church. Everyone seems
to want to know: “Who is in charge?” That is the wrong question
to ask. The Incarnation demonstrates that the one with the most power is the
one who willingly sets it aside for the benefit of others.
The sermon could walk through the ways in which manipulative
power has been evidenced in our human relationships. Even some current religious
philosophies emphasize spiritual triumphalism to the dear expense of the sacrifice
of love. Offer contemporary illustrations of how apparent weakness offered
in the name of Jesus has overcome the abuse of power in the world. Focus on
the truth that while power can coerce people, only love can transform them.
1. Fred Craddock, Philippians, in the Interpretation Commentary (Atlanta:
John Knox, 1985), 40.
2. Ibid., 36-37.
3. Gerald Hawthorne, Philippians, in Word Biblical Themes Series
(Waco, Tex.: Word, 1987), 66-67.
4.Ibid., 75.
