Weekly Worship 6/28/20

Call to Worship: Devotional (By Pastor Dan Loch)

1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, ² make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. ³ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; ⁴ do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:1-11 (NASB)

What makes a hero a hero? How a culture answers this question reveals what that culture values. In the Greek “Odyssey”, the answer is cunning, bravery, and ruthless vengeance. In the Roman “Aeneid”, the answer is unwavering devotion to Rome. In America, we love the determination that leads from rags to riches. For the Jewish people in Jesus’ time, they were looking for a conquering king who would use his divine right to liberate them from a gentile government.

It is interesting to compare theses expectations against the Bible’s depiction of Christ. Here is God, the One who created the heavens and the earth. All riches, honor, and glory belong to Him. Yet instead of demanding what is rightfully His, He humbles Himself, even to the point of death on a cross. What a wondrous mystery, that the God of all creation would sacrifice Himself for the good of His creation. May we marvel in His grace and be transformed into humble heroes who imitate their selfless Lord in thought, word, and deed.