First Lutheran Church
October 4, 2020 – Philippians Series
Chapter Two – Joy in Emptiness
Philippians 2:1-13. 1If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.
9Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Sermon “Joy in Emptiness”
Pastor Greg Ronning
Today's text from Paul's letter to the Philippians contains one of my favorite portions of scripture, the so called "Christ Hymn.” In our reading Paul quotes the hymn …
"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God."
Tradition says that this hymn was sung by the early church on the occasion of baptism as the community recalled the saving acts of God. It is a song of love. God's incredible love for us, inspires the creative and redeeming "Word" to give up the glories of heaven to become flesh, a human of no status or privilege; and to face death, even death on a cross. Jesus “emptied himself” that we might be filled, that we might know the love of the creator, that we might have abundant life. And in this action, in this decision, Jesus is filled with joy. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for - the joy set before him - endured the cross." (Hebrews 12:2)
The "Christ Hymn" tells the gospel story, it reveals the passionate nature of God. And it is a hymn that both comforts us and challenges us. The comfort is found in the incredible love that motivates Christ to descend deep into the human realm; and the challenge is found in its call for us to be of “the same mind” as Christ, to follow the way of Christ, to humbly descend, to embrace emptiness. In today’s text we find comfort, challenge, and the promise of joy!
It’s a challenge because we don't like to descend, we live in a world that likes to ascend to the top! And we don’t like to be empty, we prefer plenty over want. Truth be told we're actually quite afraid of descent and emptiness. Descent and emptiness force us to ask the hard, existential questions of life. So instead we race to the top and along the way we fill our lives with as much stuff as we can, - and our world has a lot of stuff. And boy do we know how to collect stuff! Our cars sit in the driveway because the garage is filled with stuff, we’ve created a booming “self-storage” industry, and we all have a box or two of “something” that we’ve held onto from a past move, a box whose contents are a mystery. Yet we hang on to it. As a society we’ve been trained to “acquire,” and to “consume,” but not to “let go!” So it is, descent and emptiness, the humble descent into emptiness, which accord to Paul is the mindset of Christ, the way of Christ, - is indeed a challenge for us.
And that’s a problem because the ability to “descend” and “let go” - is actually a gift. It’s a gift that we want, that we need, a gift of faith that we are invited to open up and experience. For it is in the emptiness of life, that the one who became “empty” is intensely present for us! So when we choose to fill up our emptiness, or cover it up, when we choose to race to the top of the heap; we cut ourselves off from that gift, we insulate ourselves from the experience of unconditional love; the chance to become that person - that we truly are - deep inside, the opportunity to experience and live life from the depths of joy.
Emptiness is the fertile ground of creation, the source of vocation, the place where we discover our great longing, our calling in life. When we avoid emptiness by filling our life with the values, attitudes, and things of the dominant culture that surrounds us, we exclude the possibilities of the kingdom. And without the kingdom nothing changes, nothing's realized. Outside of the kingdom the best we can hope for is to be routine or ordinary, the best we can hope for is meaningless possessions and mere happiness. In and through emptiness God calls us to be more. Our emptiness will not be satisfied by anything less. It inspires us to find a life that is full, a life that has depth and meaning, a life of serving others, a life that makes a difference, a life that knows the depths of joy. The ironic truth is that the emptiness we fear and avoid is actually present in our life to save us, to lead us into a life abundant.
“Love Rains on You”
In the middle of the pain, Hear your lover say
“Hold onto the emptiness that comes to save”
In the silence of the night, The hollow of the day
Don't become your fear, hear the artist say
I am there, Creating in you
In the mystery of life and death
Everything's made new
Love Rains on You
The sojourner must cry, Along the less traveled road
But with every step taken the dream takes hold
Only the empty heart, Can hold life that's true
A strange peace and a strong love waits for you
I am there, Creating in you
In the mystery of life and death
Everything's made new
Love Rains on You
As the rain begins to fall, Take the risk of letting go
The world may pass you by but you'll never know
In the renewal of the mind, The transformation of the heart
A new age dawns, faith becomes art
I am there, Creating in you
In the mystery of life and death
Everything's made new
Love Rains on You
For three long days love rains on you
For three long days love rains on you
For three long days love rains on you
Life begins, all things are new
St. Paul implored the Philippians, and on this day St. Paul invites each of us, “Make my joy complete,” (Make your joy complete!) “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” May God grant each of us the faith and courage to take the risk of letting go, to trust the way of God, to embrace descent and emptiness, to let go of the things of this world in order that we might grab hold of the things that belong to the kingdom. And in doing so, find ourselves wrapped up in the unconditional love of Christ; and called by Christ into a life of meaning and purpose, a life of humble service, a life lived from the depths of joy, an abundant life filled to overflowing with the good things of God. Amen.