A year ago I posted this little meditation on Christmas, and as I read through it tonight I realized that I needed to hear it again. It is easy in our society today to be a bit too full of ourselves, to think a bit more highly of ourselves than we ought, . . . but I am quickly coming to the conclusion that that is not the Spirit of Christmas, and it certainly was NOT the Spirit of Christ. Bear with me, if you will, while I contemplate what it means to have no reputation as a follower of Christ.
Philippians
2:5-9 NAS
"Have
this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He
existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made
in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
This
passage may not usually be associated with Christmas, but for some reason that
is how it comes to me this year. Look closely at the passage above, then read
the quote from The Jesus Style by Gayle D. Erwin below.
“Christ Jesus . . . made himself nothing.“He made himself nothing, he emptied himself—-the great kenosis. He made himself no reputation, no image.“I can recall my father shaking his head and repeating over and over to himself, ‘If only I knew what this meant. There is something powerful here. If I only understood it.’ Maybe that is why this Scripture has glued itself to my mind and equally disturbs me. Reputation is so important to me. I want to be seen with the right people, remembered in the right light, advertised with my name spelled right, live in the right neighborhood, drive the right kind of car, wear the right kind of clothing. But Jesus made himself of no reputation.”
Christmas
in America means lots of things to lots of different people.
For some
it becomes a political event that pits “the true meaning of Christmas” against
the bias of some against religion. For others Christmas is just another time to
visit families and to pretend to get along with each other. For others
Christmas is a season that involves incredible profits (or expenses) and lots
of activities. This year some may see Christmas as a bleak season filled with
bad economic news and the dread of a new year. For still others Christmas is
simply a winter break, a time to regroup for a new year.
I know
I’ve left a large group out! There are those who see Christmas as the
celebration of the birth of the world’s Savior and as the Incarnation of God. But I want to twist the prism a
bit and look at Christmas from a different angle.
Almost
all of the views above look at Christmas from the perspective of what humans
gain from the season. I wonder if we can look at the season as something we can
offer to others, a gift of sorts. I wonder, can we make a gift of Christmas?
Can we this year find a way to give the "spirit" of Christmas to
those around us?
Hear me
out . . .
This
passage from Philippians reminds me that Christmas for Jesus wasn’t about what
he would gain. In fact, he lost just about everything! He left the comfort of
his Father’s place, he became a tottering, dribbling little baby, he had to
learn to talk, to walk, to eat, he left his riches behind for the starkness of a
manger, and ultimately he would even become sin and even die for humanity. Remember, dead and sin were two things he had
never experienced before.
As Paul says, he made himself of no reputation.
Imagine what
Christmas would be like this year if those of us who follow Jesus would do as
Paul admonishes here and have this approach to the season. Imagine if we
actually attempted to have the same attitude towards others that Jesus has
towards us! What would Christmas look like if we didn’t care about what we got
out of it but became more concerned about what we could give to others? How
would our world change if we laid down our lives . . . our reputations . . .
our desires in order to bless others this Christmas? What if we even went
further and did it anonymously, with no expectation of reward or recognition?
Ronald
Reagan is credited with the saying “There is no telling what you can accomplish
if you don’t care who gets the credit.” We don’t like that approach though, do
we? We kick against it! I mean, we deserve to be recognized, don’t we?
You came
up with the idea that made the company money, shouldn’t you be rewarded? Maybe
you found a problem and fixed it, and that fix saved someone’s job. Shouldn’t
you be shown gratitude? Maybe you did some kindness for someone you knew
couldn’t pay you back, shouldn’t you get credit for that? You gave that money
to charity, shouldn't someone say "thank you"? You gave of your time
to that charitable organization, shouldn't there be some "benefit" in
it for you?
Don’t we
all think that we should be center stage, center of the world, the most
important person in the world? How many times have you heard “I quit going to
that church because MY needs weren’t being met”?
No reputation.
Let that
sink in.
NO
Reputation!
No fame,
no credit, no automatic acceptance, no celebrities, and no place where who you
know or what you know earns you admittance or recognition. That requires a true humility!
Jesus
made himself of no reputation; he humbled himself. The very God of the universe became nobody. He
emptied himself, he became a servant. As Isaiah said, he was not handsome or
attractive in such a way as to draw attention to himself. He lived to give
attention only to God. Jesus was truly humble. He had "no reputation."
Ouch!
We love
our awards, the acceptance of others, the glamor of being “somebody,” or the
wonderful happiness of fame, don’t we? We like to be recognized, remembered,
acknowledged, accepted, and celebrated.
“Don’t
neglect me” is the motto of many in our society.
The
motto of Christ followers should be “No reputation.” God chooses such
people to further his agenda. Will we be involved, or do we like our perks too
much?
In Job
1, Satan appears in God's court. God acknowledges the good job done by Job, and
asks Satan if he has noticed what a righteous person Job has become. Satan's
response is a tough challenge: "Does Job fear God for nothing?"
Think
about what the evil one is implying here. He is asking, "Will a human
serve God with no expectation of something in return?"
Will
humans serve God for nothing?
That
hurts, doesn't it? Even the mere thought of it as a possibility smarts a bit.
Surely the mighty God of the universe wouldn't expect me to show him respect
and serve his purposes without expectation of payment for services rendered,
right?
Can we
humble ourselves to the point where we realize that God owes us nothing? Quite
literally, we have done nothing to merit a reward. Even our service is a response
to his continued mercy.
Will we,
like Christ, humble ourselves to the point of no reputation? Are we willing to
be "nobodies" in God's service, among his people, even among those
who ought to "recognize" us?
What
would Christmas look like this year if we (all of us) decided to give with no
expectation of return? What if we humbled ourselves and expected no
acknowledgment? What if we chose to serve anonymously and to bless others
without receiving a blessing in return? What would happen?
What can
you do this Christmas season that will bless others and garnish no reputation
for you? Who can you serve that can't repay you? This year let's commit
ourselves to serving, giving, and loving as Christ did. Let's look for
opportunities to bless others in a way that does not give us recognition. Instead of asking for things for ourselves, let's give to the needs of others.
Instead of expecting gifts, let's give our lives away in blessing others.
How
would that change Christmas in your neighborhood?
Thanks
for reading!
1 comment:
So true. I am striving for no reputation as my Savior Christ prefected....
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