Category: Personal

Phil 2?

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 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 bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philipians 2:1-11

“emptied himself” – κενόω, verb  

  1. to empty, make empty 
    1. of Christ, he laid aside equality with or the form of God 
  2. to make void 
    1. deprive of force, render vain, useless, of no effect 
  3. to make void 
    1. cause a thing to be seen to be empty, hollow, false 

kenotic love

I have been feeling the absence of a friend in the last few days. The interaction, conversation, and intimacy of friendship. The friendship was not perfect and did not end well. My depression and anxiety, and my not facing them, did not help. But it was a long friendship with many shared experiences.

Sometimes life calls us to give up something good for a greater good. A sacrifice of love, surrender to Jesus. An emptying that is fundamental to following Jesus who “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness”.

I had an insight this morning: Jesus calls me His friend so I need to learn to call Jesus my friend. Look for the intimacy, interaction, and conversation with Jesus rather than a human being. Friendship with a human being is a great good given to us by God. But “friendship with Jesus” is a greater good. So: spend more time with Jesus – pray! – and more time in serving others. More time to be a follower rather than an admirer. Make Jesus my friend.

the new and the old …

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:1-17

This week’s gospel is the visit of Nicodemus to Jesus. It has a number of themes: authority, spiritual vs physical, faith. But yet again it illustrates that in Jesus there is a radical change. Authority is with Him and He is the continuation of Israel. No longer is the relationship by birth but it is now a relationship “from above” – a relationship in faith.

Somehow I feel I am repeating myself!

Psalm 56

You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your record?

Psalm 56:8

One of the psalms for Morning Prayer today was Psalm 56. My life gives context to the psalms I pray during Morning and Evening Prayer. They become my prayer. I am always struck by how the psalms are extremely human – they embrace the whole of human experience, including a life with depression and anxiety.

Verse 8 really struck me as appropriate to my life at the moment. In uncertain and complicated situations God is present. I can try to control things – I can work through the millions of options. And God knows how stressful life can be. Yet, the good news is that God is not distant or removed from my life. He is right in the midst of it. In fact, He is “in me”. The intimacy of the relationship is echoed again and again in the psalms. God is right there in my stress and tears.

I needed to hear that today.

borrowed time …

I was thinking this morning that my depression this year has moved with the liturgical seasons. I really struggled during Lent. I had a very major depressive episode on Holy Saturday. But it all lifted on Easter Sunday and this Easter season has been very fruitful for me.

Today is Pentecost – the celebration of the Advocate that reminds me of Jesus. The above song woke me this morning. Somehow by Providence. Yes, regret and shame. But today is my day of salvation – today is Jesus’ day!!!! Love is still the same as it was when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles all gathered in one place.

Come Holy Spirit! May you have a blessed celebration of Pentecost and may the Holy Spirit always strengthen you in faith towards Jesus.

loved by Jesus

I saw this on Instagram and instantly thought of the Merton quote: “who am I? I am loved by Christ”.

The above do not define me unless I allow them to define me. And they all call me to turn to Jesus and simply receive His love. I always have a choice to wear the mask that I am given by others or simply to be me.

I follow a number of “depression” themed Instagram pages. They are often extremely helpful. They echo what my counsellor says to me. But it is good to be reminded everyday. Of course, what my counsellor adds is Jesus. And I am thankful to have a faithful Christian who gives me guidance.

person?

I have been thinking about the concept of levelling. I guess Merton would call it alienation. I like to think of it in terms of people becoming objects and the impersonalness of the modern world. But Kierkegaard calls it “levelling”: the victory of the abstract over the individual.

For a politician I am a vote, for a supermarket I am a consumer, for (some) churches I am a “bum on a seat”. For none of these I am an individual with individual experiences, hurts, or desires. I am simply something that can serve their purposes. I sometimes think that the only virtue left in the modern age is “conformity”.

The modern issue, the modern sin, is turning people into objects – something that can be measured and defined. But there is something more about each one of us. I am more than the sum of my parts. I can be measured but I cannot be defined. Between the measuring and the defining is choice.

I have seen in the last three month how impersonal the world can be. How I am just a number without feelings, pain, or needs. And I have experienced that in churches too. (Not my current church!) The first step – my choice – is to see all people as people. Love calls me to choice the good of the other without asking their worthiness. Love calls me to see the other as an individual person who is “so much more”.