Jesus: Image of God's Invisible Character

Today’s passage is sometimes called “Christ’s Hymn.” Scholars believe that Paul was quoting or paraphrasing a hymn/chant that was commonly used in worship & would have been familiar to his readers. I love the idea of hymns, like “Joy to the World,” connecting believers through thousands of years, first as a Psalm (98), then as an exclamation point to a candlelight Christmas Eve service.

I began to think, wouldn’t be cool if we discovered in a long-buried urn a collection of early hymns (by which I mean pre-2000) that had not only helped those early congregations understand key biblical stories & themes but could connect with believers living generations later as well? Maybe some of the discovered hymns would be like this:

• “All my ex’s live in Texas, that’s why I reside in Galilee”¹ – Might be a hymn noting that with Solomon’s many marriages, some probably didn’t work out.
• “Pretty Woman” ² – Could be a hymn sung by Adam when he woke up & caught his first glimpse of Eve.
• “Thank God & Greyhound she’s gone” ³ –Would probably be Elijah’s exclamation at the demise of his nemesis, Queen Jezebel
• “Surfin’ in the Ju-de-A” ⁴ – Could be an upbeat interpretation of the miracle of Jesus’ walking on water
• “I can see clearly now, the rain has gone” ⁵ – This hymn would echo Noah’s feelings as he builds his sacrificial altar to honor God
• “Walk like an Egyptian” ⁶ – This hymn could have been Moses’ mantra as he was adopted into the Pharoah’s household (or Joseph’s?).
• “I should have been a cowboy” ⁷ – This song might capture David’s lament as his older brothers kept sticking him with the shepherding nightshift
• “Cheeseburger in paradise” ⁸ – This would be celebratory hymn for John the Baptist as he can finally savor a meal that didn’t contain bugs & honey.
• “The devil went down to Gibeon” ⁹ – This hymn would help congregants recall Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness
• Of course, no early hymnal would be complete without an Easter Sunday anthem like, “Here Comes the Son!” ¹⁰

So, what might today’s passage mean for us today? (I’ve been asking that question myself – Editor.) As we consider today’s theme, I’ve become enamored with the idea that when we join in the communion of saints in the afterlife, we would already have a lot in common. 

Regardless of what century we lived in, where we resided, our cultural backgrounds, or even our native languages, as we hear the opening bars of a hymn like The Doxology, or join in the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, or participate in the sacrament of Communion, there would be an immediate connection & realization that we are all brothers/sisters in Christ’s amazing family. 

So, perhaps we could take a break from focusing on our differences or what antagonizes & irritates one another & learn from Jacob & Esau, Joseph & his brothers, or even the story of the Prodigal Son, & join together singing, “Reunited & it feels so good.” ¹¹ Ah, “what a wonderful world that would be.” ¹²

¹George Strait (1987)
²Roy Orbison (1964)
³A paraphrase of Roy Clark’s song (1970)
⁴A paraphrase of the Beach Boys’ song (1964)
⁵Johnny Nash (1972)
⁶The Bangles (1986)
⁷Toby Keith (1993)
⁸Jimmy Buffet (1978)
⁹A paraphrase of Charlie Daniel’s song (1979)
¹⁰A pun on the Beatles’ song (1969)
¹¹Peaches & Herb (1978)
¹²Louis Armstrong (1967)