CARMEN CHRISTI
 
Who being in very nature God?
Would not grasp equality with Him
But made Himself nothing
And took up a servant's nature.
 
Made in human likeness,
Found in appearance as man.
He humbled Himself, wa obedient,
Even to death on a cross.
 
At Jesus' name every knee shall bow
In heaven and in all the earth.
To the Father's glory each tongue cry,
"Jesus is Lord!"
 
And so He has been exalted
By Godto the highest place,
And given a name as exalted
Above every other name.
 
At Jesus' name every knee shall bow
In heaven and in all the earth.
To the Father's glory each tongue cry,
"Jesus is Lord!"
 
The Emperor Trajan had been waiting for a report
about the troublesome sect called Christian from one of
his spies named Pliny the Younger. When the report finally
did come, the emperor was disappointed by its brevity  
and lack of accusations: "They worship one Christ, whom  
they revere as God."
 
Pliny's brief report also claimed  that the Christians
"gather early in the morning and sing a hymn," to this
Christ whom they worship. Many scholars believe that this
is the hymn found in Philippians 2:6-11, which has come
to be known as the "Carmen Christs," or "Hymn to Christ."
 
Earlier Roman reports had confused the name "Christos,"  
or Christ, for "Chrestus," which was a common personal  
name given to a slave. It  was an honest mistake and an
understandable one, considering the reputation of the  
Galilean carpenter who acted more like a slave than an
annointed king.
 
It's rather touching that before this passage was ever made  
the topic of thrologial debate, it was a smple hymn.
Before it was ever preached, it was sung. Without reasoning
and argumentation the early believers embraced these complex
incarnational truths by means of a simple melody.
 
"When the soul hears music it lets down its best guard.",
so said Socrates. And o with muic those early sints sang their  
way to a belief in the unbelieveable. With their hearts as well  
as their minds, they embraced the mystery of the Incarnation  
of Jesus. It was a simple song, with only one verse and a chorus.  
 
Let's look at the verse first:
 
    6Who, being in very nature God,  
     did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,  
    7but made himself nothing,  
     taking the very nature of a servant,  
     being made in human likeness.  
    8And being found in appearance as a man,  
     he humbled himself  
     and became obedient to death—  
        even death on a cross!  
 
 
In the verse 2 things were contral in the life of Jesus were  
presented: humility and servanthood. Jesus "made himself nothing"  
and "humbled Himself," the early Chrisitan sang.  He took the form  
of a servant, though He might have grasped equality with God. This
was the puzzling nature of the appearance of "God with us." In
humiliation and as a servant, He came to live and die for us. God
held up Jesus to us and said, "This i what it means to be created
in MY image!" Who would  have ever dreamed the image would  
be that of a servant.
 
The verse closed with a focal theme, the concept of obedieance:  
"He humbled Himself and became obedieant to death - even death  
on a cross."  Thi characteristic beccomes a lens through which the  
traits of humility and servanthood become focused in a surprising way.
 
It was the "twist" to the lyric that every good writer hopes for. "He  
became obedient," the verse says as it comes to a close. Not just
obedience as an abstract concept but vividely and radically por-
trayed in flesh and blood. Death on a cross! It is no longer
appropriate to refer to simple obedience. From this point on we  
are talking about "radical" obedience, which will transform everything,  
both  for Jesus and for us.
 
After the single verse ccomes the chorus:
    9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place  
     and gave him the name that is above every name,  
    10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  
     in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  
    11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,  
     to the glory of God the Father.
 
 
The chorus of this early hymn must have resolved from a minor to  
a major key. I hear the sopranos screeching and baritones giving it  
all they've got. The song begins to take off!
 
In the chcorus the concepts of the verse are transformed from
humility to exaltation and from servanthood to Lordship. It is
called "radical reversal."  The chorus opens with a telling,  
"therefore, which points  to the connection between the two pairs  
of concepts.  
 
Observe the radical reversal from the One  who refused glory  and  
"made Himsellf nothing" to One who is exalted to the highest place!  
 
Remember the One who took upon Himself the form of a servant?
 
Now every tongue confesses that same person as Lord. Every
knee is bowed before Him as well. Jesus Christ is Lord!
 
This old old song paints a wonderful picture of the Incarnation of
Christ and of a powerful process that is at work in the world. With  
one dark verse and one brilliant chorus, we see Jesus and ourselves
in a new light. The apostle Paul was giving the Philippian Christians
more than a picture of Christ. He was suggesting servanthood and  
radical obedience as a pattern for their lives - and for ours.
 
Paul made his point clear by one simple introductory phrase inverse 5:
 
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."
 
Jesus' life demonstrated what it meant for us to be created in  
God's image, (or rather re-created, since re-creating is what  we
needed).
 
As we sing to the glory of Christ  we are changed into His image.
Humble servants who through our obedience will someday be  
glorified and exalted, for Jesus promised, "He who humbles himself
will be exalted." And, "Whosoever desires to become great among
 you, let him/her be your servant." That process, which was so  
powerfully seen in the life of Jesus, is at work in our own lives
as well! The way is humlity, servanthood and radical obedience;  
people like the Emperor Trajan and Pliny and so many in our own day
can ever understand.
 
 
    9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place  
     and gave him the name that is above every name,  
    10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  
     in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  
    11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,  
     to the glory of God the Father.