Each year during the Christmas season I enjoy taking some element of the Christmas story and meditating on it. Last year it was the different characters that interacted with the events and what their responses revealed about their view of God. This year, I decided to focus on the humility of Christ displayed in the incarnation. The main passage that I have been using as the basis of my meditation is Philippians 2:5-11: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
While there are many thought-provoking elements of this passage I was struck by the complete inverse of this passage that we see in the Fall of Satan in Isaiah 14, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)
Christ, as the second person of the Trinity was in complete equality with God. He did not consider His equality something that was stolen, or that he did not have a right to hold or keep. However, in supreme humility and obedience, he voluntarily went to the lowest so that the Father would be exalted. In turn, The Father exalted Christ to the highest position. Lucifer sought the position of the Most High, and was in turn brought low. In seeking self-promotion, Satan in turn was abased. This reality is crystallized for us by Christ, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)
This theme is picked up elsewhere in James 4:6 and I Peter 5:5:
“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (James 4:6)
“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
In light of the example of Christ, who took upon Him “the form of a servant,” Peter’s command for us to be clothed with humility should remind us of our obligation. In this season of giving and getting, of happiness and haste, will we commit ourselves to reflect the humility of Christ to those around us? Will we seek to be a servant of God, fulfilling our roles from a passion to please and glorify God? Christ took on flesh in humility, lived in humble service, and died a humiliating death out of a passionate devotion to God. We are called to wear the same clothes.
Pray for us as we seek to “be clothed with humility” as we use the language, learn how the Romanian medical system works in regard to Marie’s pregnancy, raise our kids, and learn different traditions and ways of seeing the world. We are finished with language school for the year, and prayers are appreciated for our continued use and study of the language during the break. Our 3 kids are learning how to serve at church through friendliness and singing with other children. It is exciting to see them begin to grasp the concept of different languages. Serenity, our oldest (3), has just begun trying to pray in sign language, while William (2) will shout "doi, patru, cinci" (Romanian for "two, four, five"), when challenged to count in Romanian. And Penny (2) will babble and then tell us she’s speaking Spanish! Marie’s pregnancy is going well, and we are grateful for a good doctor, and that the birthing hospital is not too far from our house. We look forward to welcoming this new little boy into our home in February, Lord willing. Finally, the Lord has opened up an opportunity for Ben to serve others in India for two weeks in January, co-teaching a group of men on spiritual disciplines with our Director, David Bennett. Continue to pray for us to be passionately devoted to God as Christ was, and increasingly be “clothed with humility” in our lives.
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