Devotion for Saturday, April 4, The Fifth Week in Lent

Philippians 2:5–11 | He humbled himself and became obedient unto death.

Lowliness, meekness, forbearance: the classic descriptive words for humility, which is the hallmark of Christian character. I see it in the face of Christ. I want it for myself.

How do we get it? Well, there exists an “infinite qualitative distinction” (C.S. Lewis) between God and us. God chose humility. He made the awesome voluntary decision to “travel” from highest authority to abnegation and dependency.

You and I have less choice in the matter. We are in general humiliated by the school of hard knocks. We are devastated by COVID-19, shocked to our feet or laid flat on our backs by a plummeting stock market and a disaster in the economy, slapped in the face by rejection, hurled against the wall by the “winds of war” and the “simple twists of fate.” You and I do not choose humility. It is chosen for us.

Holy Week is the week of Jesus’ Passion. He exposed himself to a place of and dereliction from which we in our flesh would flee like the wind. His choice of meekness sets the difference between him and me, which difference I rejoice in, because his divinity, underneath the wrecked humanity, is sufficient to win the victory over sin. He did not have to humble himself. But he did, for the cause of us.

PRAYER
Humble Jesus, let us feel the love you have for us
as we watch your vulnerable heart come into our town this week.