Like Him in His Life

Silent Reflection

After reading the Scriptures for this week, take some time to simply pause and reflect before moving on to the remarks.

Remarks

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him."

Romans 6:8 (NIV)

"He humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name."

Philippians 2:8–9 (NIV)

We are now leaving our season of reflection on the resurrection life that we find in Jesus. It is of course entwined with our season of reflection on death, in which we saw that the way of Jesus is first and foremost a way of descending. Of stooping down, of setting aside power and authority, of embracing servanthood and meekness, of associating with the lowly.

The mystery of God is that ascension only happens through descending. Read Philippians 2. Read Romans 6. Consider the whole arc of the passion narrative of Jesus. Jesus is always going down—down to the outcasts, down to rejection, down to his own death. And it is precisely because he chose to go all the way to the bottom, to become obedient even to the point of death on a cross, that he was lifted high above every name and power.

It is scary, but as we saw at Easter Weekend, death is inevitable. It is coming for us one way or another. But we have a choice. We can choose to do everything in our power to preserve and save ourselves, to avoid death at all costs. Many do. But when we do, what we get is isolation, shrinking, decay. Or we can choose to walk into our deaths just as Jesus walked into his. Not literally, but in the realest sense: to lay down our rights and power and our very selves, trusting in the mysterious way of God. And when we do, we believe what Ephesians tells us: that through this, the very same power that was at work to raise Jesus from the dead will also be at work in us.

And it will empower us to live a resurrection life and to walk in the ways of the Kingdom of God. To be generous, forgiving, and compassionate. To be filled with and to truly bear the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

So may we choose the low road, friends. May we choose to follow Jesus down whatever paths he leads us, which will certainly involve surrender and death on our part. And may we experience the joy and beauty and goodness of the lives that he will certainly give back to us when we do.

Silent Reflection

After reading the remarks, take some time to pause, reflect, and listen.

Response

Return to this week's Scriptures each day as you respond throughout the week.

• As an act of trust in the way of Jesus, have you been able to let anything die during these last two seasons of the liturgy? Is there anything left that you need to let die?
• How have you seen the same power that raised Jesus from the dead at work in your own life?
• What are you hoping for in the next season of the liturgy?

Conclusion to Part C with Reed Dent and Joshua Bossé.