My friends, as we gather this Sunday to recall the passing of the weeks of Lent and move ourselves into the holiest of weeks in the Christian calendar, there is no better passage for us to reflect upon. Many scholars believe this passage from the letter to the church in Philippi may have been an ancient, early Christian hymn unfolding the stages of Christ’s whole being ― from being in the form of God, to becoming human, to surrendering to humiliation and death, and then to ascension back into heaven. Much of Christian theology rests in these verses. Let us explore them a little and then reflect on their meaning for us in this time and place.

Paul reminds us, as does the first chapter of the gospel of John, that Jesus, being in the form of God was at the beginning, was always divine from the…