A vision for this world and the next

As you read this GPS, Election Day is next Tuesday. (You may have already voted. If not, don’t forget!) Sadly, you aren’t hearing very many political messages that embody the spirit of the Bible verses we read today. We know Roman emperors clung to the title “Lord” with ruthless violence. But the early Christians boldly said Jesus was the true “Lord,” and not despite being humble, loving and gracious but because he embodied those qualities. Contrasting Rome’s military might against Jesus and his seemingly naïve followers, the contest looked absurdly uneven. Oh, it was—but 2,000 years of history show that it was Jesus and his love, not ruthless Caesar with his legions, who had the unstoppable power. Pastor Hamilton suggested we ought to remember that every election day: “[Paul] wrote [Philippians 2:3-7] as a challenge to individual Christians. They strike me as capturing God’s heart for America, and as a great starting point for a new way forward.” *

• The early Christian hymn the apostle Paul quoted said Jesus “emptied himself…by becoming like human beings.” And not even like a powerful, wealthy human being. “Christ’s status before the incarnation was so high that becoming human is compared here to accepting the position of a slave.” ** Do you recoil from that kind of humbling path for your life, or do you sense the freedom and power of it? How does reflecting on what Jesus did in coming to earth deepen your sense of what it means to want to “be like Jesus”? Scholar H. C. Hewlett said, “Humility is the recognition of our true littleness as those dependent utterly on God.” *** That’s quite different from yielding outwardly while being irate inside about someone else “winning” or depriving you of a treasured “perk.” How can the kind of deep humility that Jesus modeled open your heart to God’s love? How can it clear away inner barriers that may block you from “doing unto others”?