April 13, 2023

Scripture: Philippians 2:6-8 – “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

What it means

Here’s a great passage of scripture from the apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi, and it gets to the heart of Jesus and what He was about during His time on earth. He just didn’t fit the mold of what the people were expecting in Messiah. He wasn’t a military warrior, He wasn’t a politician, He wasn’t a mover and a shaker in society…none of those titles really appealed to Him. He was a miracle worker and a healer, so He definitely stood out to the crowd, but when you get down to cases, He was an encourager…He was a foot washer…He was a servant. Even though He was God in the flesh, He never lost sight of what His mission was. He never felt the need to elevate Himself for the sake of making Himself look important…on the contrary, He “made Himself nothing.”

What it means to me

It’s becoming more and more rare for us to see anyone willing to take on the role of a servant and not insert themselves too strongly in the middle of everything, but we have examples of that within our own church. I’ll name a few, but this is just a sample…Sandy Everett, Fonda Allen, David Marks, Leslie Milligan and Kim Henry, but again, this isn’t all inclusive. They do the work that never seems to get much recognition, but it is necessary work in order for the church to operate. They give of themselves - their time, effort and expense – simply because they love our church and think that it’s worth it. That’s how Jesus was – He was humble, and He was “obedient to death – even death on a cross!”

Love you guys, see you in church on Sunday!

In Christ,

Brian