“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
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!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.“
Philippians 2:5-11
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If there’s one thing that’s true about humans, it’s this: we really, really like to imagine God in our own image.
When it comes to God being powerful, that’s truer than ever.
So much of the Bible—the Law, the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles—employs page after page to remind us that we’ve gotten off track, that God is not the way we imagine Him, and God’s power is not the way we imagine it. In Jesus, God took on flesh to show us that God uses God’s power to take on a humble position, to care, to heal, to cleanse, to feed, and above all, to serve. Even when this means losing status. Even when this means alienating those with earthly power. Even if they plot to kill you.
God took the trouble to become a human and demonstrate this with skin on and still we imagine God wielding power like a toxic human leader—and think maybe He blesses humans with that kind of power, too.
A thousand years or more before Jesus, the Psalmist wrote this song of God’s power:
“He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.”
Psalm 147:9-11
After, Paul and the early Christians wrote another song to remind themselves that God’s power is nothing, just truly, absolutely nothing like the earthly power we crave. This song, found in Philippians 2, uses words for God—God! —like these:
Did not seek his own advantage or cling to his status
Made himself nothing
Took on the form of a servant
Humbled himself
Became obedient
Even to death
Even death on a cross!
Friend, it is for this that God exalted Jesus to the highest. This is what power looks like in God’s mind.
Is this the kind of power you seek? Is this the way you wield power?
What about those in our society who claim to speak or act for God? What does power look like in their hands?
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What stands out to you in these words from Philippians?
- What stands out to you in the words of the Psalms?
- What stands out to you in the incarnation of God in Jesus?
- How can all this impact your view of God and your view of power?
- How can this shape the way you represent God and represent power?
Church Reading Plan: Isaiah 44; Revelation 14