Philippians 2 : 6-11 (NRSV)
... who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.
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 should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Daily Byte
This ancient hymn of the Church tells the story of Jesus in a concise and poetic way. This demonstrates both how God’s story formed the foundation for the faith of the early Christians, and also how this story was told and retold in their worship. The call of this worship is for followers of Christ to embrace this story-telling not just as mindless repetition, but as an opportunity to open to God’s Spirit again, and move into intimacy with God.
In what ways does the hymn of Philippians 2 speak to you of God’s story? Read it again slowly, as an act of prayer and worship. As you do, become aware of God’s Spirit reaching out to you through the words. Reflect on how this experience feels for you, and ask yourself how you can develop a regular discipline, both in church and on your own, of listening to God’s story.
Pray As You Go
Lord Jesus, in You we recognise what life can be;
Recklessly loving, abundantly forgiving, and limitlessly free.
Thank You for offering this life to us again, now.
Thank You for removing the barriers that would keep us from this life,
and for making us new again.
We praise You for the way You lived - opening doors of pain and guilt, and releasing captives.
We praise You for the way You died - forgiving sinners, and denying revenge.
We praise You for the way You returned from death - opening graves,
and re-awakening our hopes and dreams.
And we praise You for the way You come to us now - stirring love in our hearts, and passion in our lives.
Amen.
Today’s devotion is taken from Rev John van de Laar’s outstanding book ‘The Hour That Changes Everything: How worship forms us into the people God wants us to be.’ Used with permission.
To order copies of this book and for other superb worship resources visit http://www.sacredise.com
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