A Hymn to Sing Traveling Life
Philippians 2:5-11
NO 04/01/07 EW

Introduction

I love the movie Uncle Remus, or The Song of the South, and it is really difficult to me to understand how it belittles anyone but others seem to see it differently.  I called Disney a few years back to see if I could purchase a copy so my grandsons would have that wonderful opportunity to see the movie as I had as a child.  They no longer merchandise it but told me I could find copies in Japan.  I got to work and found copies that started at $300 and went up from there.  I didn’t get a copy.

I loved all the characters, Brer Rabbit being my favorite.  My favorite scene is Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby.  I don’t want to get into that at this point because it can be a sermon within itself.  The song that plays throughout the movie and is sung to praise a most beautiful life is Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Doda.  The words are:

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my what a wonderful day!
Plenty of sunshine heading my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

Mister Bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's actch'll
Ev'rything is satisfactch'll
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!

This is the song that Brer Rabbit lived by and sang as he entered into and out of the dealings of his life.  You might say it was his hymn to live by.

The Philippians Hymn

Paul, in his letter to the church in Philippi gives us a hymn to live by as well.  This is one that we Christians probably should memorize and sing along as we go through the day so that we can keep in mind that “Ev’rything is satisfactch’ll.”

Listen to these words: (Philippians 2:5-11)

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 have no idea what the tune might have been in the early church but I don’t think that matters much.  What matters is that we sing this hymn so we can think of ourselves in the way that Jesus thought of himself.

The Death of God

Back in the 60s, Thomas J. J. Altizer wrote a book, The Death of God that got a great deal of attention and boos from the religious world.  If I remember correctly, which I may not, it was based partially on this scripture and I suspect had he used a different title it would have been much more acceptable.  However, it would mostly likely not have been a best seller.  Bishop Bill Cannon talked about reading the book on a train crossing Europe and when he finished he started to toss it out the window.  Ah, but he was afraid that someone would find it and read it and he didn’t want that.  He kept the book because he didn’t know what else to do.  That’s an example of the general feeling of Altizer’s book.

Altizer pictured God becoming Jesus.  He perceived that the Almighty God literally emptied himself from being God in order to be human.  This was a huge risk on God’s part because there would be no deity privilege or power.  God would be just another human being like each of us.  There would not be a guaranteed resurrection because God had become completely human.    Once Altizer breached the doors protecting how we are to believe it was no longer possible for him to step back.  No matter his motivation, whether profit or to satisfy the Spirit, the Christian public stood against what he had written.  He was out there all by himself.

            Out There All By Ourselves

This, I think, is the greatest fear for most Christians.  We are afraid that if we speak out and share what we believe or understand to be the Spirit’s transforming power in our lives we will be hung out to dry.  So, we put on our peacemaker suit and go along with what others tell us is the right way to go.

Your pastor certainly has to struggle with this sense of not knowing what will happen when I share where I am in life in relation to Jesus.  Sometimes I just cannot understand why I have some of the thoughts I have and why what I hear from the scriptures appears and sounds different from what I’ve been taught over the years.  Every once-in-a-while, I think that I’m getting close to retirement whether ready or not and perhaps it is time to be more of a peacemaker rather than the stirrer of the pot.

I know what it’s like to be concerned about what I say in the pulpit, at Bible Study, in Sunday School and in conversations with my church family members.  Sometimes I yearn for a softer message to deliver.  I’m not interested in being another Thomas J. J. Altizer.  Still, there is that call to think of myself as Jesus Christ thought of himself.   It’s not just my call but our call.  How did he think of himself?

            He Thought Himself Human

Jesus gave up any thought of being God.  We are the ones who decided many centuries ago that Jesus must be totally divine as well as totally human.  It appears that Jesus thought of himself as totally human in relationship with God being totally God.  We are the ones who get uncomfortable with the arguments concerning Jesus – it was not a big deal to him it seems to me.  He did not take on any of the privileges of being God – none!

            Jesus Took On the Status of a Slave

No wonder people had and have such a difficult time with Jesus.  He simply does not fit the mold of a good business man.  He doesn’t seem a bit concerned about his status and the labels and perks that would come his way as God.  He became a slave.  His status was to serve rather than be served.

                        The New Rich

I remember a number of conversations as a teenager about those in the community whose had come from generations of wealth.  Each generation had carefully amassed wealth, protected it and passed it on to the next generation.  The “new rich” on the other hand, are those who “hit the jackpot” in some manner of speaking – great job, wonderful investments, etc.  Their wealth was not that passed from the past generations.

The new rich wanted to live the style as the old rich but it seemed to never work out.  They just did not know how and often their attempts turned into embarrassment and at other times humor. 

These folks often spent their wealth almost as fast as they had amassed it.  I would hear others talk about how the new rich didn’t understand wealth and so they could not hold onto it.  My father talked about how “money burnt a hole in my pocket” as the reason I never had any.  Sort of the same kind of thing as amassing a lot of money and then it’s gone.

                        Contemporary Christians and Jesus

We contemporary Christians want to be a privileged bunch of folks.  We have grabbed the golden ring and are looking for the free ride.  We see the Light and we try to turn it into a three-way bulb.  We feel the excitement and then we look for all the promises that will make our lives sweeter.  We hear the voice of God whispering and we suddenly think we are the “in” crowd and that everything’s going our way.  We are singing Zip-A-Dee-D0-Da all the day long.

Jesus, on the other hand, comes from the old stock.  He doesn’t take on all the privileges that he might have coming to him.  He does not need to crank up the volume to make sure that everyone hears what he has to say.  He isn’t another actor in Hollywood who will make a fortune and be the envy of all those who are looking for their fifteen minutes of fame.

Jesus comes from the beginning.  He was with God when everything was created.  Jesus has all the credentials needed to be God and yet he took on human form, kept human form throughout his ministry, washed the feet of his disciples, and died on the cross – all in human form. 

Conclusion

If we are going to be of the same mind as Jesus we too will have to take on the status of a slave rather than as God.  Now, I know that there is not a single person here this evening who thinks of themselves as God.  I also know that we all too often take the position that our being believers gives us some kind of privilege that others don’t enjoy.  Too often we think that God loves us more than God loves “those” people.  We will all see throughout this Holy Week that God loves every person that has every existed as if he or she were God’s own – all are God’s own.

Paul said there will come a time when everyone will worship Jesus, even those who have been dead.  Everyone will praise Jesus, even those who may not know him.  We are called as slaves of those who need to meet Jesus.  We are to take his love and status of serving to them as we head for the cross.

Our hymn to live by each day is Jesus is Lord and comes for the sinner!