Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form.  Philippians 2:5-7 (ESV)

In the first blog, we looked at one word.  In this second blog, we’ll also look at one word.  In the ESV it’s translated “emptied himself” in the NIV it’s “made himself nothing”.  The word is kenosis.

In text emphasizes that Christ did this to himself.  It was voluntary.  He emptied himself.  He was not emptied.  He made himself nothing.  He was not made nothing by someone else.  The eternal Son willingly choose to become human.

The text also clarifies what this means by three adverbial phrases.  Taking the form of a servant.  Being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form.  Notice the repetition of the word form.  Although he was in the form of God he took the form of a servant, the form of a man.  Or as we saw in the last blog, because he was in the form of God he took the form or a servant, the form of a man.

Kenosis is incarnation.  The eternal Son emptied himself, made himself nothing by becoming a human being, by being born.  It's good to pause here and reflect on how incredible the incarnation is.  It's hard to believe that God would willingly lower himself to our level.  Who would do such a thing?  The God we worship.

This everyone agrees with.  But there is debate.  Jesus Christ is fully God.  Jesus Christ is fully human.  But how exactly does that work?  Some argue that Jesus divested himself of some divine attributes to become fully human.  Others argue that Jesus didn’t divest himself of any divine attributes so as to remain fully God.

I’m inclined towards the former.  For one thing, Jesus divested himself of all-presence.  God is spirit and present everywhere, but Jesus Christ had a body located in time and space.  If Jesus was in Nazereth, he wasn’t in Jerusalem.  And instead of thinking that Jesus retained omniscience and omnipotence, I’d prefer to think he relied on the Holy Spirit to reveal and empower him.  And so when Jesus says he does not know the day or hour of his return, I think he means he does not know the day or hour of his return.  And I’d prefer to think Jesus was like us in everyway, except without sin.

But it’s always difficult to figure out exactly how Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human simultaneously.  If Jesus is not fully God, we’re in big trouble.  If Jesus is not fully human, we’re in big trouble.  Thankfully for us he’s both.

And ultimately we don’t have to figure out how.  The fact of the incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basis of our faith.  It happened.  We don’t have to fully understand it and we never will.  But I do like to try.    

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.  Philippians 2:5-6

As promised I'll be posting some blogs on what I'm learning about Paul's wonderful letter to the Philippians.  Because Philippians 2:1-11 is so rich, I'll post several blogs on this section this week.  Next week I'll move on to chapter three.  But the first entry will be about a single word.

The first verb in Philippians 2:6 is the participle (verbal adjective/adverb) translated here as "being".  The verb can be translated as simply “being” or as adversative “although” or causative “because”.

If translated as “although”, the participle stresses the status differential between being God and becoming human.  Although Christ is God, he willingly became human.  This translation highlights what Paul says later.  That Christ did not consider equality with God something to be grasped or exploited.  In short it stresses the hard-to-believe selfless action of God.

If translated as “because”, the participle stresses the hard-to-believe character of God.  Because Jesus is God, he empties himself, humbles himself, becomes a man, a servant.  In this view what Jesus is doing is not out of character for God but rather totally in character for God.  Because God is a servant, God becomes a man, a slave who willingly dies for all humanity.

I’m inclined to see the wisdom of God revealing himself through the Greek language.  I think both meanings are true.  Both meanings reveal something of God.  The one highlights the incredible action of God, the other highlight the incredible character of God.

What a God we worship!  God does not act as we’d expect.  His actions from the standpoint of sinful humanity are incredible.  Even more, this incredible action is totally in God’s character.

God is a servant.  He acts like a servant because He is a servant--it's His character.

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, please take a moment to read and meditate on the following:

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called - His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him.

This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead...

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display His wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

This was His eternal plan, which He carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Did anything stir inside you as you read the words above? Let's recap; we are God's inheritance, His masterpiece. That's how He sees us. He has good things for us to do. His intention is for us to be the demonstration of His greatness, wisdom and power to the earth right now, to the end that He is glorified and His kingdom is increased. The idea that salvation is missing hell and waiting for Jesus to come back and get us out of here is a lie from our enemy to keep us passive and complacent. The devil has more faith in our power and potential as sons of the Most High God than we do! He knows that when we rise up and believe the truth - become what Jesus saved us to be - he's in real trouble! And if one can chase 1,000, two can chase 10,000. And a three-fold cord is not quickly broken.

Does this resonate with anyone else? If so, please let me know.

By the way, the words I began with are truth - but they are not mine, although I agree with them. They were taken ver batim from the New Living Translation (Ephesians 1:18-20, 2:10, 3:10 & 11)

Rejoice and be blessed today!

Shalom and Agape,

Pam

This is in reference to my last post - proposed amendment to the Constitution. Once again, I leapt before looking. Thank God for His mercy and infinite patience. I read an email from someone I don't know as well as I should and it pressed one of my buttons and I reacted. (Note to self: always pray first! - and give that first cup of coffee a chance to kick in.)

Thanks, Peggy, for pointing out the websites that exposed this for what it was. Forgive me, everyone, for passing on false information. Perhaps I should stick to areas that I know a little something about from now on.

That being said, right now in CT one politician is taking another to court to block campaign funds - does it bother anyone else that it takes millions of dollars to be elected to office? No one spends that kind of money without expectations. (No one contributes that kind of money without expectations.)

A long time ago I read a little book called "The Federalist Papers". I highly recommend it. One thing I remember clearly is that government service was considered both a duty and a sacrifice. Our elected representatives were expected to have proven themselves successful in business and community. They were to serve for a limited time and then return to their homes, jobs, lives, etc... Our founding fathers never envisioned politics as a career path.

Here's a thought - what if America decided to clean house? What if we refused to re-elect incumbents - regardless of party affiliation? Level the playing field? I don't even know if that's possible,but I can dream.

That's the last you will hear from me on this topic in this forum. God bless you all and may God continue to bless America.

Any one interested in doing mission in the Bronx?  On August 6,7 and 8, or any part of that time that you are available, we will be working with the people that we go to New Orleans with (Lutherans CARE).  We will be cool sealing (tarring) 5 roofs on a church school in the Bronx.  We will also be sealing a parking lot, painting 12 class rooms and building an 8 foot tall fence.

It would be appropriate for children age 10 and above to be involved in this project.  Come for the whole time and spend the night of come for just a day or part of a day.  This would be a great project for anyone interested in joining us in New Orleans to check out.  You will get a taste of what we do in New Orleans and have some contact with the people who join us there.

Cost is minimal - you provide transportation and pay $10 for meals and lodging for the weekend.  For more details contact Bob Jeram (bob@stpaulswired.org).

If interested please sign up in the church lobby.  Decision needed by 7/27/10. 

 I only recently became aware of the facts below.  I could blame the school system or the media, but I won't.  The secret of the success of our enemy is the secrecy of his moves.  We are blessed to live in a great country with a system of government that works as long as the citizens hold those chosen to represent them accountable.  It is not hopeless and we are not helpless.  Biblically, prayer is our first responsibility - I Timothy 2:2 - but I personally believe that this idea was birthed by prayer and is an answer to our prayers for God to help us help this nation as His ambassadors.  May I suggest that you join me in sending a copy of this proposed amendment to all of your elected representatives, requesting that they represent you in supporting this amendment.  

From: Pamela Riddell <pgriddell@gmail.com>

Date: July 14, 2010 1:47:56 PM EDT

To: Pamela Riddell <pgriddell@gmail.com>

Okay, I think perhaps I'm starting to get a sense of what a blog is and what it isn't.

It doesn't seem to be a place to write a book, cover a topic in depth, or even - as I recently discovered - to have the last word on a subject.

It seems to be a good place for sharing a journey - thoughts and musings that are immediate and personal but not necessarily fully developed.  A place to begin a jigsaw puzzle without a box and invite others to add pieces - to discover the picture together...

With that in mind, I offer a recent musing.  Who among us does not have a close friend or family member who has been hurt by a brother or sister in the faith?  As I was speaking to the Lord about this today, He took me back to some memories from when my kids were younger.  Although the parents among us will more readily relate, I pray that the Holy Spirit imparts to everyone who reads this a revelation of the heart of God on this matter.

There is nothing that grieves the heart of a parent more than when their children treat each other badly.  There was a time when I was convinced that my older son had ruined any chance he had to be friends with his younger - adoring - brother as a result of repeated thoughtless and occasionally intentionally cruel words and actions.  Those two currently have a wonderful relationship - praise God!  (although somehow my younger son apparently has not yet made the connection regarding his treatment of his younger sister.)  The memory that I felt the urge to share was of an interaction with a hurting child.  This is not so much one specific memory as it is an overview of the situation from a spiritual perspective.

My child comes to me intentionally wronged.  He is hurt and angry.  He wants me to do something.  He wants justice.  (Basically, he wants me to hurt his brother back.)  Now, I love my wounded son very much.  I hate to see him in emotional or physical pain.  Do I react or respond?  Do I  go smack my other son and say "that's what you get."?

(Pause here for a minute and ask yourself if that is what you expect from God when you sin.  For a long time I did.)

The truth is, if I were to do that I would not be representing the heart of God to my children.  Now, before I go further, let me say that there is plenty of scripture to support the fact that there are consequences to our actions.  But those consequences are designed by God not to crush us, but to refine us.  To teach us the better way.  To improve our relationships with each other and with Him.

Back to my child.  How do I handle his heart?  First I comfort him.  I remind him how much I love him.  I let him know how sorry I am that he was treated badly.  Perhaps I grieve with him.  I assure him that I will deal with his brother, even if it isn't in the way that he thinks I should.  Then when he is calm and able to hear it, I share some truth with him.  Truth that he may not want to hear, or even be ready to accept, but truth nonetheless, spoken in love, that has the potential of bringing about the purposes of God -  true healing and reconciliation.  The truth is that his brother does love him, and I love them both.  The truth is that we all hurt each other because our fallen nature is selfishness.  I gently remind him of times that he has done things that he is sorry for.  I remind him that he loves his brother and try to get him to release his brother through forgiveness.  (The next step for me as a parent is to deal with the other child, but that's a topic for another day.)

As I write this, scripture after scripture is firing off in my brain.  If anyone wants the references, let me know.  Our Father God desires that we grow up and stop the infighting.  His will is for us to extend the same mercy and grace to the household that we do to the rest of the world.  As Jesus did, we are called to release expectations, and lay down our rights.  This means deciding to forgive even if we are never asked.  This means praying for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of those who wrong us, not for our sakes, but for the sake of their eternal lives.

To those who are reading this and think that it is a difficult, if not impossible standard to attain, I leave you with a story.  Our first house was in Louisiana, in a starter house neighborhood.  To give you a picture, the lots were 60' x 100', the houses were one of 5 designs, occasionally reversed for variety, 1600-1800 square feet, separated by 6' wooden privacy fences.  It was not a neighborhood that anyone intentionally planned to stay in for long.  To this day, I thank God for our neighbors across the street.  The husband, James, set a high bar for the neighborhood.  His grass was always watered and fertilized.  His yard was always mowed and edged.  His flower beds were neat and weed free.  There was never a burned out light bulb on his porch.  He painted his house before it seemed to need it.  He stewarded that home as if it were the mansion they later moved into.  Can you see where I'm going with this?  There were about 40 homes on our street.  Ours were toward the middle.  Thanks to the example and standard that James set, our section of the street always looked better than any other part of the neighborhood.  The farther you got away from James' house in either direction, the less cared for the property looked.  By the way, no one - including us - ever matched, let alone exceeded, James' efforts, but as long as he lived there many of us tried.

Our standard is found in the Word of God in the example of Jesus.  Jesus is not apologetic about setting a high standard.  The good news is that He doesn't expect any of us to always meet it.  He knows that isn't possible.  What He does expect is that we try.  That we aim higher.  That we lift our vision.  As soon as we take the first step - sometimes as soon as we decide to take the first step - He meets us with the help we need to succeed.  Let's stop being satisfied with good enough.  Let's shoot for that high standard ourselves and encourage our "neighbors" to do the same.  Let's dare to love each other outrageously, ridiculously, undeservedly, because that's how our God loves us!  What would that look like?!

Hi again everyone,

There are only 7 Saturdays until the end of August, and even if all of them are sunny that only leaves 5 1/2 to enjoy the great outdoors and each others' company.   (We will be home after Beth and Mike's wedding on the 31st - we're only 2 miles down the road from the Presbyterian Church - but we have to cancel August 14th.)

There have been a few questions - the main things to remember are it's only on sunny Saturdays, it ends at dark, and you don't have to bring anything unless you want something more substantial to eat than fruit and light snacks.

Even though we have yet to see most of you, the Lord has been teaching and blessing us every week.  We have tried to have no personal expectations, but even so, the Lord has surprised us each Saturday with what He brings to pass.  Also, we have learned the practice of laboring to enter into His rest.  What a joy to set aside a time each week to be entirely free to relax and enjoy the company of whoever turns up.

Again we invite you to come by - even if it's simply out of curiousity!  May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and your families, and may His love abound more and more towards you, in you and through you.

Shalom and Agape,

Ray and Pam Riddell

This week we’ll be starting a new series on Philippians.  It will be seven weeks long taking us through the rest of the summer.  You may want to read each section before the weekend.  Here is the breakdown of the series--sermon titles are subject to change

Week One.  Praying Gospel Prayers.  Philippians 1:1-11.  In this first message we’ll examine Paul’s prayers of thanksgiving and petition for the Philippians.

Week Two.  Putting the Gospel First.  Philippians 1:12-30.  In this second message we’ll see how God uses Paul’s personal sufferings to advance the gospel.

Week  Three.  Following the Example of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 2:1-11.  In this third message we’ll examine the most famous passage in the entire book, and perhaps in all of Paul.  We’ll see the humiliation and exaltation of Jesus Christ.

Week Four.  Following the Example of Christ-like Leaders.  Philippians 2:12-30.  In this fourth message we’ll learn from the examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus.

Week Five.  What Counts?  Philippians 3:1-21.  In this fifth message we learn from Paul both what doesn’t count and what does.

Week Six.  Standing Firm.  Philippians 4:1-10.  In this sixth message Paul encourages the church to stand firm by agreeing, rejoicing, considering, and applying.

Week Seven.  Giving Thanks.  Philippians 4:11-23.  In this final message Paul thanks the Philippians for their gifts to him and reminds them that God, not Paul, was the true recipient.

After a week of toiling in weather that some would describe as hot, the volunteers of St. Paul's gardening group have filled our plot with plants and seeds. Our primary efforts in the garden in the coming weeks will focus on watering, mulching, and weeding until it's harvest time--which will come sooner than we think!

We are currently organizing two watering times for next week via our e-mail list. If you aren't interested in getting your hands dirty but want to help, there are several great ways you can contribute:

If you can donate any of these items, leave a comment below and we'll get in touch with you.

For those living in the Manchester area, we will need someone to deliver our harvest to the ministry there. We're still working on those details, but if you think you may be able to help, let us know.

If you're driving on 195 by Mansfield Supply sometime, pull onto the dirt road and check out our plot (it's #9 by the T-intersection). All of our plants and fertilizer have been donated by local businesses and put into the ground by the people of St. Paul's. Have a look around and enjoy God's provision for us in this new ministry.