Jesus Christ who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped … (Phi 2:6 NIV)

Oh Jesus, Lord God and Immanuel – you could have made your appearance amongst us  in the very nature of God – in form and substance if you would have wanted to. As the son appears bright and shiny, you to could have appeared as the light of light. Then the mountains would have rejoiced, the hillocks bounded, trees blossomed and the oceans resounded and all creatures would have fallen submissively down on their face worshipping you prostrate at your feet!

Yet – that’s not what you did nor wanted. You did not come as some godly hero victoriously showcasing his bounty. Your glory did not appear visibly around you. You did not seek the admiration and glorification of people. All the heavens where yours – and they worshipped you. When your Father introduced you to this world there in Bethlehem – all angels were praising your name with select hymnodies of exquisite beauty. How could the chorus of fallen sinners be something you’d miss? You had more in mind. You made yourself nothing, taking on the nature of a servant you discarded the divine glory and majesty. You Lord God became the servant of servants, the servant of sinners – yet without sin.

Almighty, eternal God! You sent your only begotten son Jesus Christ in the form of a servant and into our flesh, lowering himself and making himself nothing. Grant us your grace that we take on this mindset from you to serve each other lovingly and mercifully with honest humility and true humbleness so that you will on the last Judgement day raise us into your eternal glory and splendid realm. Through Jesus Christ our Lord and our God we ask this. Amen.   

Discarding all his glory and might, he’s lowly and so poor; he wears a servants form all right  – the mighty Lord of all, the mighty Lord of all!

He is the slave and I the Lord – o what a change that is! How could he still be friendlier – my dearest Jesus say? My dearest Jesus say? +  (Nikolaus Hermann 1480-1561)

This is a translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Palm Sunday (6th Sunday in Lent). The hymn can be sung to the melody of “Lobt Gott Ihr Christen alle gleich…”  Both are found on Pg. 152 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.