The Rev. Joseph Farnes
All Saints, Boise
October 1, 2023
Proper 21A
When we are wondering who someone is deep down, we might take some wisdom from the dating world and go to dinner with them. If someone says they are a nice person but then becomes demeaning and demanding with the wait staff at the slightest inconvenience, then maybe we are getting a clue to some of their deeper personality traits. They may say that they are nice, but they are capable of very not-nice things.
Power, even the smallest kinds of it, can reveal who we are deep down. Suddenly we have power and we can get our way, we can avoid consequences. We’ve seen it all too many times in the news, whether it be spiritual leaders or celebrities or politicians or whomever that, deep down, is capable of cruelty to someone they see as inferior, lesser.
We might think that we would never be so inclined. That we would always be caring, kind, and fair. That we couldn’t be tempted by that kind of thing.
But, until the moment comes, we might know for sure. I wonder whether that line in the Lord’s Prayer “lead us not into temptation” or “save us from the time of trial” may be hinting at just that kind of occasion. God, help us not to fall into that kind of trap! Keep us from falling and becoming someone who would be like that! Our sense of self might be shaken, or, infinitely worse, we might start to think it is normal to be arrogant and demeaning toward someone we see as inferior. We might convince ourselves that we are just standing for what we deserve, demanding the respect we are entitled to.
God help us to be the one who actually does what is right, not the one who speaks empty words and does what is worse!
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul is quoting an ancient hymn that the congregation knew. He uses it to appeal to them: embrace humility, and not any kind of humility, but Christ-like humility. The humility that does not see lesser and lower as contemptable. The humility that does not even see the concepts of lesser and lower. Christ is not attached to power and glory but lets it go to embrace all of humanity, all of creation. Christ humbles himself and stretches out his arms of love on the cross for all the world. Christ descends to the dead and rises again in fullness of glory to bring us with him into that same glory.
And Christ also descends and embraces us in our weakness. Christ takes all of it into himself. Our frailty, our weakness in body, mind, and spirit – Christ embraces all of it. Christ says to the person who is struggling with bodily weakness, “I love you, your weakness is my weakness. You are loved even when your strength fails.” Christ says to the person who is struggling with mental illness, “I love you, your weakness is my weakness. You are loved even when your brain is giving you a hard time.” And Christ says to the person struggling with spiritual heaviness, “I love you, your weakness is my weakness. You are loved even when you cry out in hopelessness. Recall that I cried out, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani!’ from the cross. I, too, have felt abandoned.”
Christ has no need to be worshipped and adored. He is not a famous, important person who needs attention. Christ does not need us to bow the knee to show our awe. No, we shall bow and bend and rejoice in the greatness of his love, a love that does not cling to power but a love that is confident in the power of love to redeem, restore, sanctify, glorify. We kneel in joy and awe at a love that embraces us in our weakness. For us as Christians, our model in all things is Christ. True humility looks like Jesus, who was born and placed in a manger. True love looks like Jesus who proclaimed that prostitutes and tax collectors would enter the Kingdom of Heaven. True glory looks like Jesus stretching out his arms on the cross. True majesty looks like Christ in the fullness of glory, embracing all in his powerful love.