This week I had the privilege of meeting a writer I highly respect for the first time. I contacted her so we could talk about 20/21. However we talked little about this collective and more about God; oh yeah and the election.
We had similar views and never thought in a million years Donald Trump would be president of the United States of America (no matter our views positive or negative towards him).
But we did share that when we were both young we wanted to be POTUS (by the way this is still a great dream for boys and girls to have). We laughed, we cried, (sorry we didn't actually cry) although we did talk about how therapeutic it is, and we discussed the Bible.
She told me how her favorite author Sarah Bessey uses the Message translation when writing her books. I thought she was crazy. But my new found friend continued by explaining that when most Christians read Bessey's book they skip over any bible verse they see and act they like already know it, when in reality they usually don't.
Now by using the Message, which is seen by most as a narrative instead of a science book, people will read and acknowledge the passage. I never thought it of that way and it really got me thinking.
So when I was trying to figure out what to say today; I turned to the words of God. Philippians 2:5-11 is one of my favorite sections of scripture. I love all that it encourages on orthopraxy, yet also teaches on orthodoxy.
And you guessed it, this time I found the Message translation to be more applicable for the context of this post. I conclude with a few simple verses from the apostle Paul to a community very different than ours but none the less spoken by the Glorious Father to his image bearing creation throughout the course of history.
"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father."
I know this is an over simplification, but the answer is Jesus. It always has been and it always will be. I'm sorry I don't have anything truly significant to say concerning our current state of affairs... Kurios Iesous.
In God's love,
- TC