Taking The Form Of A Servant

"Taking the form of a servant..." These are words found in Philippians chapter 2. Scholars have pointed out that these are some of the words from an ancient hymn text; words inserted intentionally in Paul's letter to the Christians in this ancient city in northern Greece.. These words are significant because they refer to Jesus. Jesus....the servant. These words would seem odd when describing some, but not when speaking of Jesus. The real question for each of us is does the word servant seem odd when attached to our own names?? In The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch recounts the following story from his teenage years.

When I was fifteen, I worked at an orchard hoeing strawberries,

and most of my coworkers were day laborers. A couple of teachers

worked there, too, earning a little extra cash for the summer. I

made a comment to my dad about the job being beneath those

teachers. (I guess I was implying that the job was beneath me too.)

My dad gave me the tongue-lashing of a lifetime. He believed manual

labor was beneath no one. He said he'd prefer that I worked hard and

became the best ditch-digger in the world rather than coasting along

as a self-impressed elitist behind a desk. I went back into that strawberry

field and I still didn't like the job. But I had heard my dad's words. I

watched my attitude and hoed a little harder.

Jesus must have heard his Father's words as he lived and died among us.....a servant who humbled himself and became obedient unto death...even death on a cross. Thanks be to God!

Still In ONE Peace,

Jon(the methodist)