Ascent and Descent

‘For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’

True humility is found not making ourselves small but in making God big.

The theologian Marianne Williamson writes: ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.’

It’s important to note, the glory that shines from us is not a light that comes from within – it is the light of the glory of God reflected off us. It’s a little bit like the relationship the sun has with the moon. If you had never seen the sun and were shown the moon, you would marvel at its beauty and its power, with little knowledge that the greatness of the moon is entirely dependent on the power and greatness of the sun. The moon has no light in and of itself. It simply reflects the sun.

So too, the implication of Jesus’ teaching is that those who think they are like the sun (or want to be the sun like Adam and Eve) misunderstand their true identity and purpose and hence settle for less than they were made for. Instead it is those who recognise they are more like the moon and therefore point people to the sun – it’s those image bearers (or image reflectors) that discover their true identity and purpose. And their reward is in knowing and becoming more like the God they worship.

So how do we pursue this humility?

The answer is that we model our lives on the life of Jesus – who gave up everything in coming to earth, dying the death of a criminal, only to experience the exaltation of the resurrection 3 days later, followed by his ascension. Spiritual writers throughout history have spoken of this journey that is clearly outlined in the Christ Hymn of Philippians 2 as the journey of descent followed by the journey of ascent. The journey of descent, found in service and sacrifice always precedes the journey of ascent. As Jesus said, ‘For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.’

John the Baptist hit the nail on the head in declaring ‘You must increase and I must decrease Lord.’ For it is in our descent that Christ is lifted up. And here comes the great news of the gospel – Christ’s ascent provides the sure sign and hope of our future exaltation. The resurrection of Christ points towards the future resurrection of all of God’s people.

So with the incredible hope of new life that we taste in part today but shall taste in full when Christ returns and we receive our resurrection bodies – with that hope we find strength for today in building God’s kingdom and making his name great in all the earth.