Kenosis
Philippians 2
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
A major portion on the church looks at this as “Holy Week”. Going from Jesus entering Jerusalem through the events that lead to Maundy Thursday (The Last Supper); The arrest in the Gethsemane; the trials before the Sanhedrin, Pilate and Herod; Peter’s denial in the courtyard; the crucifixion; the burial; the empty tomb. The week is filled with emotion and drama.
I find Paul brings this week to us in its raw emotion with the words we see here from Philippians 2. It is often referred to as the “Kenosis Hymn”. Kenosis – meaning to empty. Christ empties himself of all that would exempt him from this suffering and death. Christ taking on the punishment we deserve. Christ bringing us life that is beyond what we deserve.
We often sit with these pieces of the story and see how they bring us all good things. But we are following Jesus. It means we go with Jesus in this week, and we go with him in all of life, into some places that we might not wish to go. Suffering for ourselves or some close to us. Dealing with the many struggles of life, for ourselves and others close to us. Sickness, death, poverty, pain, loneliness, and the whole of human suffering. We go with him to die.
But we also see that go with him into life. Life goes beyond the simple understanding of the little things we have here and now. Life is about more than having homes, cars, holidays, retirements, or the things we value in this world. Life is about being raised to a truly new life.
A new life now that allows us to die to the things that hold us here. Letting go of the life filled with our possessions and seeing how those things we value are from God and for blessing others. Letting go of our own ambitions and looking for the good of Christ’s church and for the good of the people he cares about – the whole creation, as John tells us.
And we see that it is also about resurrection yet to come. Something we use many images to describe, but about which we can only truly say that it is so good we must describe it with buildings made of gemstones, streets paved with precious metals. Taking the image of the best things we can think of and say that those are simply building materials. We are given life now that is changed, as we get ready for life that is not yet within our understanding.
Walk in this week with Jesus as he heads to the cross. Walk with him to the grave. Live in the pain, but be ready for the joy. The joy of life that always sits as our certain place of permanence.