Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, May 17, 2026
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: The Christ Hymn demonstrates how we can be both humble and exalted, and we can honor God in both states.
Paul wrote to the Philippians at a time when the Christian community was coming apart. They were listening to a variety of evangelists that were sometimes proclaiming contradictory ideas about Christ. While Paul was one of the most effective missionaries that we know (and he believed himself to be), he also recognized that the infighting could not be sustained. He crafted what we call the Christ Hymn, an incredible testament to the power of words to uplift, encourage, and inspire.
In it, Paul encouraged people to imagine the essence of Christ and then seek to emulate Christ. The first of these characteristics was humility. Indeed, if the Christian community of Philippi was to survive, it would have to keep its pride in check. Paul wrote that Christ—in the form of God—was not too prideful for humility. He emptied himself, and the very act of becoming human was an exercise in humility. It was unexpected and hard to wrap their heads around the concept that any god, much less Creator God, would allow God’s self to be humbled into a human form. Yet here God was doing just that. It was the ultimate expression of humility and love.
In the very act of humbling himself into human form, Jesus then became the very essence of one deserving of being highly exalted. By being simultaneously humbled and exalted, Jesus showed that we do not need to be wholly anything to be worthy of the title of God’s children.
Too often we are taught in the church that there is one right way to be. We should be humble, but not so much that our righteousness becomes a stumbling block for others. We should be joyful, but not too joyful lest we slip into pride. We should be exuberant in our expression of worship and love for God, but also keep it in the closet so we don’t look like we boast.
Maybe we just stop it, and recognize that we can be many things and still be worthy of Christ. We can be humble, kind, and strong like Jesus. We can also be rough around the edges, impatient, and jealous like Paul. We can be joyful and grieved, creative and stumped, explosive and mild, loud and quiet, humble and exalted. We are worthy of Christ simply because we already have been made in God’s image, and that is enough.
