Good Friday/ Holy Saturday

Good Friday has now passed and Holy Saturday is almost at an end too, but I wanted to draw our attention to a passage I think which reflect the events from Yesterday, Good Friday, and point us towards the resurrection we celebrate tomorrow.  The passage comes from outside the traditional Gospel story we typically read this weekend and instead comes for Philippians 2:5-11.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This Christological hymn not only draws us to the depths of Good Friday of Jesus hanging on the cross, it also points us to the power of Jesus resurrection and glorification. As much as the passage is about Christ, it also is a challenge to us and calls us into the same action, willing humility, to also attain to the resurrection of the dead.

I can't draw a picture here, at least I don't know how, but imagine a big "V" when you read this passage. Christ willing goes all the way to the bottom of the V, and because of that he is able to be exalted and glorified.  He was tempted to skip that lowering at his temptation in the wilderness by Satan. But Paul draws us to this downward nature of Christ, who reveals who God is, and calls us to that same pattern.

Perhaps this is also a good passage to close out the season of Lent. Tomorrow we will celebrate the resurrection and exaltation of Christ. But let us not forget how Jesus, and even we, got here. Jesus, and us, got here through the obedient sacrifice and humility of serving God and others. The call post-Easter is the same as before Easter: faithful living to the Kingdom of God in obedience and humility. Christ resurrection gives us hope for our own resurrection and the coming Kingdom of God. And his Spirit gives us strength and willingness to follow his example.

Let us live faithful to Christ's example, by the power of his Spirit, and to the glory of God the Father.

Grace and Peace.