Thursday's SOAP - Philippians 2:5-11

⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

 ⁶ Though he was God,
      he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
 ⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
      he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
   When he appeared in human form,
 ⁸ he humbled himself in obedience to God
      and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

 ⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
      and gave him the name above all other names,
 ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.

S(cripture) - Though he [Jesus] was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

O(bservation) - This is absolutely one of my favorite texts. It centers me by pointing to the magnificent nature of Jesus and Paul's call to emulate him. And it rises in crescendo to Christ being worshiped by all creation.

The verse that goes with this week's readings makes it clear that Jesus was "divine stuff." To be honest, translators have difficulty with this text. The same word "morphe" is used in the phrase "morphe of God" and "morphe of a slave." It literally translates as "form," but this doesn't carry the depth that the context carries. (What is the form of God who is invisible?) In most commentaries, the language shifts to "essence" or "nature" - a state of being. Jesus is more than the outward form of God or a slave. He embodied both God and man. Fully God and fully man.

The awe and mystery in this should not be glossed over here. I just keep hearing over and over - "O Holy Night . . . fall on your knees."

A(pplication) - These are words that need to savored slowly. You may be drawn to another word or phrase. Rest there and revere. The reality of who Jesus was and is and will be is essential to our faith walk. But be warned, an encounter with Christ will change you.

P(rayer) - Abba, the gift of your Son is a great wrestling for our finite minds. We wrestle with how You could put on flesh. We wrestle with how one God can be in three persons. On the surface, these seem impossible, but in experiencing you and knowing Your story we hear its TRUTH. This reality is beyond us and yet you invite us in to believe and trust. There is no other way through the story except the witness of those who saw you and touched you and heard you. We join them in their unending hymn to You. And in this Christmas season, we fall on our knees. And worship. Amen.