Kenosis

Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Philippians 2:6-8:

Who, being in very nature God
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death --
even death on a cross!

What happens when our words cannot express the complete truth?  What do we do when our attempts to formulate an answer end in contradictions?  What do we say when our every attempt to put the experience on paper fails?  What are we then left with?

How can we understand the kenosis of Christ, the self-emptying of God, for our sakes?  What nouns and verbs can do justice to this most profound of mysteries, that God made himself nothing?

Is there any way to sum up the deep wisdom of God in suffering?  Why does his creativity seem to overflow through us when we are at our weakest and most wordless?  Where may we go to better know that Christ suffered for us?  How can we adequately express our thanks for such a complete overflow of himself to us?

How do we endure the silence of our literature when it falters in its attempts to name what is there, when it loses its moorings and contradicts itself, when it seems so full of holes and spaces?  How can we explain what needs to be said once the words end?  Is there any clear way to suggest that God was broken because we in word and deed are broken?

Why has God chosen to leave some things silent and unsaid?

Central Insight: Christ's kenosis reminds us that God was willing to be with us in our doubts and limits, including the limits of language and literature.

Suggestions for Application: Examine a particular passage that shows the limits, contradictions, or unanswered questions of a text.  Draw an analogy between this and Christ's kenosis.