Sermon – Self-Emptying: Becoming Available to God
Philippians 2: 1–13
Sermon preached by The Rev’d Tracey Gracey on Sunday 27 September, 2026
Today’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians includes a passage often called the Christ hymn.
Many scholars believe Paul is drawing on an early Christian hymn or confession of faith. We cannot be certain whether it was sung, or whether Paul composed or adapted it.
What we can be certain of is that these words invite us to contemplate Jesus’ life.
Listen to the movement of the hymn.
Jesus was in the form of God, yet did not use his equality with God for his own advantage.
He emptied himself.
He entered human life.
He took the place of a servant.
He humbled himself and remained obedient, even through death on a cross.
Then God exalted him, giving him the name above every name.
At the heart of this hymn are the words:
“He emptied himself.”
The theological word is kenosis, which simply means self-emptying.
In this hymn, Jesus’ emptying takes shape through his willingness to enter human life, serve and offer himself in love.
He embraces our humanity and shares our vulnerability.
He gives himself fully to God’s loving purpose.
His whole life is offered to God.
Anglican priest and writer Cynthia Bourgeault writes:
“Everything he did, he did by self-emptying.”
His teaching, his encounters with people, his willingness to serve, his faithfulness to God.
Paul’s invitation to the Philippians, and to us, is to let this same mind be in us.
To offer ourselves to God as Jesus did.
This hymn helps us explore what that offering involves.
Jesus does not use his equality with God for his own advantage.
He does not make his position something to exploit. He gives himself freely.
So often we come to God with our own desires, understandings and expectations. We come with our own ideas about who God is, how God works, and where God might lead us.
We can become so attached to these ideas that we leave little room to learn more about God and ourselves.
We may long to draw closer to God while still wanting to determine the shape of our relationship with God.
At other times, we may simply be unsure how to connect with God.
We may believe in God, yet find it difficult to recognise God’s presence in our own lives.
Self-emptying invites us to bring both our expectations and our uncertainty to God, and to become open to what we may discover.
We see this willingness in this hymn, when Jesus takes the place of a servant.
He offers his whole self, making himself available in love.
This gives our own self-emptying a purpose: to become more available to God and to the love that shapes Jesus’ life.
We can begin with the simple desire to draw closer.
We do not have to know what that will feel like or where it will take us.
We can come as we are, with whatever faith, doubt or longing we bring.
This hymn also speaks of Jesus’ humility and obedience.
His willingness to offer himself continues throughout his life.
For us, that willingness can grow gradually, as we learn to entrust more of ourselves to God.
Paul invites us to learn from Jesus and let his way become our way.
Prayer is one way that we can do this by practising self-emptying.
One practice I have found helpful comes from the Night Prayers on the Lectio 365 app.
The introduction invites us to approach God in the assurance of God’s presence, praying the name Yahweh gently with the rhythm of breathing.
The name is associated with God’s self-disclosure, “I am.”
In this practice, “Yah” accompanies the breath in, and “weh” accompanies the breath out.
The rhythm becomes a quiet reminder of God’s presence with us, here and now.
For a moment, we can allow the work of explaining, anticipating and deciding to settle.
We can be present with God.
This can become a small practice of self-emptying.
We gently release our effort to put everything into words, to find an answer, or to create a particular experience of God.
With each breath, we offer our attention and our willingness to receive.
In this hymn, Jesus offers his whole life to God.
In prayer, we begin to offer our own.
With each breath, we open ourselves to God.
Self-emptying.
Self-offering.
Allowing God’s love to shape our lives.
Amen.