Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Philippians 2:5-11
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  April 10, 2022

“A Holy Week” is the theme for this final week in Lent. And when you think about it, a holiday is really just shorthand for holy day. Holidays are days where things stop, where we pause and reflect, where we get our bearings. And that’s where we are today. The events of Palm Sunday might not seem all that important in the grand scheme of our salvation. There’s no sermon of Jesus to analyze. No grand interaction with the disciples or with Jesus’ enemies. No new covenant, no bloodshed. And yet, Palm Sunday has great symbolic significance. It sets the stage for this Holy Week.  We are at the precipice of Jesus doing everything he came to do. What Jesus does on this day, what Jesus will do this week perfectly illustrates the kind of King that Jesus came to be. And in it all, humility is the key.

Humility is a hard concept for the world to embrace. There is a constant puffing up of oneself that characterizes our world, our society. And it’s not just today. This has been happening for millenia. Christians, who were marked by humility, were mocked in Rome by being accused of onolatry, or “donkey worship.” The idea that you would worship a King who died on a cross was completely asinine to the people of pagan Rome. The most famous example is the “Alexamenos Grafitto,” which combines the two. It depicts a donkey-headed man on a cross with the inscription, “Alexamenos worships his god.” This is how the world views the humility that is so fully embodied in Christ. 

And if we’re honest, we’re not all that excited to embrace humility either. We’re not eager to give things up. We’re not eager to empty ourselves. The story is told about a group of soldiers who were repairing a fence during the Revolutionary War. A rider on a horse comes up and he sees that their superior is barking orders at them like “hurry up,” or “faster.” And the rider on the horse asked him, “Well, why aren’t you helping them?” And he replied, “Well, because I’m a corporal.” And so the rider gets off his horse and helps the men repair the fence. And when they were done, the man said, “Well corporal, the next time you need help mending a fence, tell them your commander-in-chief will come and help you out.” The man on the horse was George Washington. 

No, we are not quick to embrace humility. But today, we are blessed to hear the words of the Apostle Paul, words which likely were from an early Christian hymn, words which help adjust our attitude at the beginning of this Holy Week as we see Jesus’ humility is our hope. Paul writes: “Indeed, let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Attitude is really a mindset. The word that Paul uses here pictures a mindset that is solid, a mindset that has been determined after careful reflection. Paul is encouraging us to carefully reflect on, to carefully consider having the same humble mindset, the same attitude as Jesus. And how did Jesus come to that mindset? 

“Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant.” Equality with God or a servant, which one would you choose? It’s not even a choice, is it? But as Jesus considered the choice, after careful reflection, he was determined to save us. And so he willingly set aside his heavenly power and glory. He willingly emptied himself of all his rights as God and took the form of a servant. And how did he do that? “When he was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” 

Being fully human is not what it meant to empty himself, because Jesus is still fully human today in his glorified state. No, even though he was a king, he didn’t look like a king. He looked like everyone else. Even though he was 100% God, he didn’t flaunt his status. He set it all aside and he came as the kind of King that the world will never understand. He came to conquer by surrendering. He knew fully what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem. Yet he was determined to come to carry out the work God had given him to do. He crushed the head of Satan by letting himself be crushed. His kingly path was full of willing humility. 

You can see the events of this Holy Week in Paul’s words here. “Taking the nature of a servant…” And our thoughts drift to Holy Thursday in that upper room as Jesus washed his disciples feet, as he prayed for them, as he fed them his Supper. “He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death–even death on a cross.” How can we not think of Good Friday! How can we not remember how Jesus took the world’s sin in his flesh, how he was abandoned by his Father, how he cried out, “It is finished!”  But we know the story doesn’t end there. “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 will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” And there’s the glorious Easter truth! Jesus’ accomplished what he set out to do. He was exalted as God by God because he accomplished our salvation. And notice, Jesus isn’t just simply exalted, he’s highly exalted, he’s super exalted! His humility led to his super exaltation. And therefore, his humility is our hope! His mindset can be our mindset!

And here’s where the challenge comes in. How can we have the same attitude as Jesus? How can we empty ourselves and embrace humility? It’s impossible on your own. It’s impossible if we’re not secure in our standing. And our sinful human nature is going to constantly be telling us that we have to look out for ourselves, that we need to keep filling ourselves up. We can’t love unconditionally, we can’t make ourselves nothing, because then there will be nothing left for us.

But Paul reminds us today that we can have the same attitude as Jesus because Jesus has already done it. We can have the same mindset as Jesus because he’s already claimed us as his own. Because of our connection to Christ, we too are super exalted in God’s eyes. And because God has exalted us and has placed us right alongside his Son, we can give up our rights. We can make ourselves nothing. We can love unconditionally because we know of the love of God in Christ. 

Just think of how that changes how we view the world! Instead of thinking, “how does this benefit me, how does this make my standing more secure,” we can ask, “Who is the person who needs my service today?” Instead of grasping and reaching for the things in this life, instead of looking for what I’m entitled to, we can embrace humility, we can give up our rights for the sake of others that they may see Christ. 

The verses prior to our reading for today really set the stage. Paul says this to the Philippians and ultimately to us: “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility consider one another better than yourselves. Let each of you look carefully not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Are we united with Christ? Through faith, through the waters of baptism, through the bread and wine of Holy Communion we are! We find our power to serve in these means of grace! Do we find comfort in his love? His love is the only place that we can find true comfort. When trouble, temptation, and trial face us, his love is the only comfort that is true and lasting. Do we have fellowship in the Spirit? We are here as a group of believers. We share the same faith, hope, and love of Christ! There is no higher fellowship on this side of heaven! Do we feel Christ’s tenderness and compassion? How can we not! We see it so plainly and clearly in his passion! We see how he was willing to suffer and die for us before we loved him.

If the answers to these questions are true, which we know they are, then let the same attitude be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus. And don’t worry. This mindset, this attitude works. It’s proven. Jesus’ humility is our hope. He’s super exalted now, and because he’s claimed us, so are we! Amen.