Getting Ready to Serve = "Get Down"

Lavishly our lives are wasted
Humbleness is left untasted
You can't live your life to please yourself , yeah

That's a tip from my mistakes
Exactly what it doesn't take
To win you've got to come in last place
To live your life you've got to lose it

And all the losers get a crown

CHORUS:
I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up
I get down

I've always enjoyed this song by Audio Adrenaline. It's an oldy but goody in my book, and not just because of the upbeat tempo. The words have always held real meaning for me. To me it's been a very necessary reminder in this world where "humbleness is left untasted". While to "get down" at least a decade ago referred to "dancing in a very 'hip' way", Audio Adrenaline used this play on words to liken "getting down" or humbling ourselves to a very hip action.

This may seem very strange indeed... that making less of ourselves could be 'cool.' The 'cool crowd' in school and the 'prestigious' in society aren't the ones who humble themselves... but that's exactly what Jesus did. That's the example Jesus gave us. Our counter-cultural Christian cool does indeed require us to 'get down'... instead of living our lives to please ourselves and live our lives to serve others... so that God can lift us up.

¹ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. ~ Phillipians 2:1-11

We are called in this passage to be like-minded, to be imitators of Christ. Phillipians 2:3 is the verse that Brad and I chose as a guiding scripture for our marriage, and I am still glad that this is the verse we chose. As many like to say, 'marriage is not a 50-50 deal.' You give you choose to serve and love and serve with your whole self, valuing the other as more important than yourself. Who was a better example of this than Christ who gave His life for us? That is why we are called to be imitators of Christ... in terms of His service, obedience and unity to God.

Servant

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

When Christ came to the earth, what he deserved was fine robes, a palace, the best clothes, a life of luxury. He is Lord! But He took nothing that He 'deserved.' Instead, He was born in a stable, lived the life of a simple carpenter, went around healing and preaching to others. So many of the stories of Jesus' life involve Him serving others.

I think of how often I say, "It's not fair!" We very often feel that we are entitled to certain things. And usually, most often it's about wanting more. We should get a higher grade, a better job, a better salary, more vacation, etc. In fact, just last night I was reciting "It's not fair!" about the fact that I need to pay for a new visa to Brazil in addition to a new passport, because I changed my name.

But sometimes I find it helpful to think of all that Jesus deserved that He didn't get. He and his family were refugees. He lived with very little. He was born in a stable. He was disrespected and hated. He had every right to say, "It's not fair!" But let's think about what Jesus said instead... "Blessed are the poor in spirit.... Go, you are healed....In my Father's house, there are many rooms." Instead of worrying about what He deserved and didn't get, Jesus spent His days serving others.

Obedient

⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

While serving others, Christ was also obedient... following where Christ led Him to go. It certainly wasn't easy... and that is reflected in the scriptures. We see Him calling out, "Lord, take this bitter cup from me." His whole life was one of humility. Jesus took on human form and lived a humble, simple life. He was obedient in whatever God decided for His life... even facing the cross. He knew what was coming, but He also knew that it was God's will.

Sometimes it's hard for me to be obedient to Christ's call... but mostly because I don't 'hear' it. But sometimes I wonder if that is a fair representation of things. If I clutter my life with so many things that I have no 'time' to spend hours praying and listening and opening myself to hear God. Perhaps my 'disobedience' in not opening myself up to wait and listen to the Lord stops me from being more obedient with other aspects of my life. We know it is said "whoever is faithful with little will be faithful with much." And for me, it is just that.

One of the things that I loved about worshipping with the Quakers was their appreciation for silence and listening. So often we feel a need to fill every silence. Even in our quiet times, we read, we pray, we type ;o), but do we listen? How can we expect to be obedient is we do not take the time to be still... and listen.. If we did this, I feel we would have the same reaction as Jacob in the story of Jacob's ladder: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” (Genesis 28:16)

Unity with God

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

In the scripture, we know that Christ was exalted for His humility and obedience to God. While we cannot (should not) expect to be exalted, we should expect is unity with God. We, being actual humans (not just human in form), will err. We will at times feel proud and act disobediently. While not capable of the perfection of Christ, we can become new. When we ask Christ into our hearts, He has the power to change our lives... to change our marriage, to change our friendships, to change our whole selves. The Holy Spirit will guide and change us and work in our lives.

And then, we will be able to live "in the highest place"! We will be a part of the Kingdom of God! We are welcomed into the family of God.

I'll end this morning with lyrics of another song... that may encourage us as we pray to God this morning, asking Him to grant us the hearts of servants and minds that are obedient to His will only...

Now I won’t deny the worst you could say about me
But I’m not defined by mistakes that I’ve made because God says of me

I am not who I was, I am being remade, I am new
I am chosen and holy and I’m dearly loved, I am new, I am new

Who I thought I was and who I thought I had to be
I had to give them both up cause neither were willing to ever believe

Too long I have lived in the shadows of shame
Believing that there was no way I could change
But the one who is making everything new doesn’t see me the way that I do
He doesn’t see me the way that I do

I am not who I was, I am being remade, I am new
Dead to the old man, I’m coming alive, I am new, I am new

Forgiven beloved, hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the Giver of Life
Righteous and holy, reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy, this is our new name
This is who we are now