It is believed that this passage from Philippians was a hymn that was known to the ancient church. What song or hymn do you go to most in your own life of faith to provide grounding and assurance?
The central act in the drama of Philippians 2 is the humble self-emptying of Jesus. What do you think might have been going on in Philippi to make Paul bring this image up to them as an example? What might self-emptying look like for us today?
Palms and Donkeys had symbolic meaning in the Palm Sunday story. Palms were signs of political victory and national hopes, while donkeys were ridden by leaders to indicate peace. In John, Jesus finds a donkey to ride only after the people wave their palm branches, combatting their triumphalism with his way of peace. What might be ways today that we can combat rampant nationalism with Jesus’ way?
Whenever we read Scripture, we should start with asking the question, “What is God like in this story?” After hearing the Palm Sunday account and the ancient hymn from Philippians, what does Jesus show us and tell us that God is like?