Humility
Read
Philippians 2: 5-11
Humble.
Humility. Humiliation. All three words come from the Latin root:
humus. It means “dirt”…the soil, the rich earth out of which
things grow. The word humiliation is related…to be humiliated is to
be brought back down to the Earth. The word humble also finds its
meaning in this root word. Humble people may take their life’s work
very seriously, but they take themselves lightly.
“Let
the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” Think for a
moment if that were the only verse of Scripture available to you for
meditation. Take everything you think, believe, and understand about
yourself, the world, even the way you form opinions and decisions and
set them aside. Now, “take up the mind of Christ Jesus.” Conform
and mold all that you are after Christ’s way of thinking.
Paul
says Christ “emptied himself; did not regard equality with God as
something to be exploited; and took on humanity in the form of a
slave.” What a change Christ made for the sake of the whole
world…salvation. Paul does not talk about what a good teacher Jesus
was or about the miracles he performed, or anything that might
distract from the essential message: Christ was God; he humbled
himself to humanity and then to death as an ultimate gift of
self-denial for our sake.
In
this season of Lent, may we be open to reflect on our understanding
of humility. How might the practice of humility enrich our life of
faith? What role might it play in our speech, our actions, our
decisions, our lifestyle and our relationships? Who might benefit
from our gift of servanthood in the name of Christ? Paul offers some
answers in verses 1-4 of this same chapter.
Rev.
Judy May
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