RELATABLE
Kendra Intihar
Today's Scripture: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:5-7, ESV
Theme: God came down to us to know, serve, and save.
PERSPECTIVE
When my husband and I were dating in college, I had a conversation with my (future) father in-law that has stayed with me for the past 24 years. He encouraged us to say hello to our professors when we walked into class – every single time. He reminded us that professors are people too, with lives outside the classroom. It was an eye-opening conversation for me. I had never considered that my professors might be more than just experts on sociology or economics; they had families, struggles, hobbies, and dreams that I knew nothing about. I had only seen them in one dimension: as authority figures in a classroom who knew a lot of stuff.
DIVNIITY + HUMANITY
The way I thought about my professors back then reminds me of the way a lot of us view Jesus. We often focus so much on the divinity of Jesus that we forget that He was also fully human. Jesus isn’t a one-dimensional, distant deity. When God came to earth, He came to be with us - to walk alongside us, to understand us, and to show us the depth of His love and empathy.
God could’ve chosen to come to earth in any way He wanted. He could have appeared as a mighty king, crowned in glory and power, surrounded by angels declaring His sovereignty. But instead, He chose the humble path of a helpless baby. He chose to experience the vulnerability and messiness of humanity. When I had my first child, it struck me how baby Jesus would have experienced the same helplessness as my newborn – crying for His mother, waking for night feedings, needing diaper changes, learning to crawl and walk. And as He grew, He experienced hunger, tiredness, sickness, and pain. Christianity affirms that Jesus was, in every sense of the word, God… and that He was also, in every sense of the word, human.
IMMANUEL
Jesus didn’t come into this world to be served as a king, but instead to serve others (see Matthew 20:28). He didn’t merely observe our struggles from afar; He entered into them. He chose to experience all the same joys and challenges of life that we do so that we could know that we have a God who has compassion for His people and so that we could wholly believe that He wants to be in relationship with us and rescue us from death.
This is the beauty of Immanuel: God with us. Jesus is both the King of the Universe and the Friend who knows what it’s like to walk in our shoes. In His divinity and humanity, He shows us that God is not a concept or an ideal, but a Savior who has come near to know, serve, and save each one of us because of His great love for us.
Make it Personal: In what areas of your life have you seen God as distant, impersonal, and one dimensional? Recalling that Immanuel means “God with us,” how can you make room for the very real, very personal presence of God this season?
Pray: Jesus, thank You for coming to earth to walk alongside us, to understand our struggles, and to show us Your deep love and compassion. Help me to see You not only as my Savior but also as a Friend who truly understands me. Teach me to live with a heart of humility and service, reflecting Your example in my daily life. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.
Read: John 1:14; Luke 4:18; Romans 8:3
Weekly Memory Verse: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14, ESV