In this week’s reading (Philippians 3:4-14), Paul asserts that, above all else, he “wants to know Christ” by “becoming like him.” Then, and only then, will he truly know the power of resurrection.” So far, so good, right? But then Paul says something odd. He says he wants to know Christ to the point of sharing the same kind of suffering that Jesus suffered by becoming like him in his death.
First of all, do you agree with the above summary of this week’s reading?
Secondly, what does it mean to share in Christ’s suffering? Which raises the question, why did Jesus suffer?
Below are two movie clips. The first one is intended to be more or less for fun. In the movie “Love Actually,” Jamie and the person who takes care of the home he temporarily resides in fall in love despite a language barrier that prevents them from communicating verbally. On their final day together, she kisses him goodbye, which is both beautiful and tragic. She will go back to a world that does not include him, and he will go back to a world that does not include her. Or so it seems. Jamie begins taking courses to learn how to speak Portuguese. Later, he goes in search of Aurelia in order to, well. . . for those of you who have not seen the movie, I will not spoil the outcome . . .
The second clip is from the movie “Soul Man.” In it, Watson, who is Caucasian, pretends to be an African American so he can obtain a scholarship to offset the costs of attending Harvard Law School. Being Black in the United States is not something he was prepared for, however. In the scene below, there is an illuminating discussion that takes place between Watson and his law professor (play by James Earl Jones). What was the most valuable insight Watson obtained from his experience?
In preparation for tomorrow’s dialogue, I encourage you to consider the following:
1) Can you imagine you could ever discover something or someone that is so valuable that you would be willing to walk away from that which you currently hold most dear?
2) What, if any, are the parallels between a white person suffering the treatment that black persons often experience and the suffering Jesus willingly accepted by identifying as one among the enslaved (Philippians 2:7-8)?
3) What relevance does any of this have for you and me? For Community Church?
4) Do you find the above questions off-putting? If so, why? If not, why not?
I hope to see you in person of via Zoom for what has the potential to be life-changing dialogue.
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