In the so-called ‘Christ hymn’ in Philippians 2:5-11, we have one of Scripture’s most startling words: ‘kenosis’ or ‘emptying. It means a voluntary act of letting go of my will in favour of God’s will. That was what Jesus did when he entered our world. He didn’t stop being God but instead he had to freely and repeatedly lay aside his status, privilege, and rights as God, taking the form of a servant and humbling himself to death on a cross in order to fulfill God’s will for humanity. “Yeah, but that’s Jesus!” Fair enough!
What about Mary? I think she shows us what ‘kenosis’ looks like. When the angel Gabriel turned up with news that would upend her life, she simply said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38). This is despite knowing what it would cost her (a teenage girl, engaged and getting pregnant). There was no promise of a happy ending either and yet she put everything on the line for God and set aside her will for the Father’s perfect will.
John the Baptist had the same posture, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). And Paul too in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me”. The following excerpts from a reflection by Charles Ringma is helpful in unpacking this further:
‘…we are often too full of ourselves, too preoccupied with our own activities, and too full of our own plans and desires. Even our activities on behalf of others can often reflect much of our own need for fulfillment or recognition. And our relationship with God frequently pivots around our own prayers, needs, and projects. We are … persons without space and room…
We therefore need to be, as it were, pried loose from ourselves. Nouwen, in speaking of prayer as a way of solitude,
challenges us to be willing to open our tightly clenched fist and “give up [our] last coin.” So often we receive nothing
from our spiritual exercises because we have not created any open spaces in our lives. We are too full. We may want to receive, but we certainly do not want anything to be taken away.
God can hardly fill our hands with the good things of His love and grace while our hands are full with our own things.
Therefore, in our search for inner peace and strength, we need to learn the gentle but difficult art of relinquishment as much as we need to seek God’s empowerment’
“…have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5). Self-emptying is the life Jesus calls us to. Just as Jesus’ trust in our Father’s good and perfect will was tested repeatedly, so will ours too. Yielding to God’s will for our lives will require God’s strength and practice on a daily basis but our lives will be fuller and richer for it!
Mark
Recent Comments