In reflecting on our vision for 2025, we are called to embody the values of humility and hunger for God, as exemplified by Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul, writing from prison to the church in Philippi, presents a profound image of Christ as both a humble servant and an exalted king. This paradox challenges the worldly values of power, success, and attractiveness, which are often celebrated in places like New York City. Instead, we are invited to embrace a different kind of greatness, one that is rooted in humility and service.

The early Christians were captivated by a God who chose to empty Himself, taking the form of a servant and dying on a cross. This kenosis, or self-emptying, is a radical departure from the pursuit of self-advancement and power. It is a call to value others above ourselves and to seek unity and love within our community. This subversive way of Jesus is beautifully captured in the Christ hymn, which speaks of a God who is both high and holy, yet meek and lowly.

David Brooks, in his journey of faith, highlights the inverse logic of the Christian message: the way down is the way up, and the meek shall be exalted. This revolutionary moral logic offers a vision of joy that transcends the self, inviting us to find our deepest fulfillment in the presence of God. As a church community, we are called to embody this humility and hunger, seeking God above all else.

Our journey as a church has taken us from serving the marginalized in Queens to establishing a presence in Manhattan. This transition has challenged us to remain true to our values, resisting the temptation to conform to the city's standards of success and influence. Instead, we are reminded that our greatest source of spiritual power comes from following a Savior who hangs on a cross, a symbol of humility and sacrificial love.

As we begin this new year, we are invited to participate in 21 days of fasting and prayer, seeking to cultivate a deeper hunger for God. Our vision is to be a community that is grounded in humility and passionately pursuing Jesus together. May we find our identity and joy not in worldly achievements, but in our relationship with Christ, as we strive to be a humble, hungry people.

**Key Takeaways:**

1. **The Paradox of Christ's Humility and Exaltation:** Jesus exemplifies a profound paradox as both a humble servant and an exalted king. This challenges us to embrace humility, valuing others above ourselves, and seeking unity and love within our community. [04:57]

2. **The Subversive Way of Jesus:** The Christian message offers a revolutionary moral logic where the meek are exalted, and the way down is the way up. This invites us to find joy in God's presence, transcending the self and worldly values. [10:53]

3. **Identifying with the Marginalized:** Jesus' life and ministry demonstrate a total identification with the marginalized, offering hope and dignity to those considered outcasts. This challenges us to serve and identify with the marginalized in our own communities. [16:45]

4. **Resisting Worldly Values:** As a church, we are called to resist conforming to the city's standards of success and influence. Instead, we find our spiritual power in following a Savior who embodies humility and sacrificial love. [24:28]

5. **Cultivating Humility and Hunger for God:** Our vision is to be a community grounded in humility and passionately pursuing Jesus. Through practices like fasting and prayer, we seek to cultivate a deeper hunger for God, finding our identity and joy in Him. [31:57]

**Youtube Chapters:**

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [04:57] - The Paradox of Christ's Humility
- [07:54] - New York's Values vs. Jesus' Way
- [09:04] - David Brooks' Journey of Faith
- [10:53] - The Inverse Logic of the Gospel
- [11:50] - The Subversive Way of Jesus
- [13:28] - Jesus and the Marginalized
- [15:01] - Dalit Christians and Jesus
- [16:45] - Personal Reflections on Marginalization
- [19:14] - Starting Churches in Queens
- [21:02] - Transition to Manhattan
- [22:23] - Wrestling with Identity and Values
- [24:28] - Spiritual Power in Humility
- [25:22] - The Image of a Humble Savior
- [27:55] - Embracing Humility and Hunger

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Philippians 2:1-11

#### Observation Questions
1. What does the Apostle Paul encourage the Philippians to do in their relationships with one another? [04:57]
2. How does the Christ hymn describe Jesus' approach to power and status? [04:57]
3. What is the significance of the term "kenosis" as used in the sermon? [04:57]
4. How does the sermon describe the values of New York City in contrast to the values exemplified by Jesus? [07:54]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the paradox of Christ being both a humble servant and an exalted king challenge our understanding of greatness? [04:57]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the Christian message offers a revolutionary moral logic? [10:53]
3. How does the identification of Jesus with the marginalized, as discussed in the sermon, impact our view of serving others? [16:45]
4. What does the sermon imply about the source of spiritual power and how it contrasts with worldly values? [24:28]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you prioritized your own interests over others. How can you apply the mindset of Christ in similar situations in the future? [04:57]
2. The sermon mentions the inverse logic of the Gospel, where the meek are exalted. How can you practice this logic in your daily life, especially in a competitive environment like New York City? [10:53]
3. Consider how you can identify with and serve the marginalized in your community. What practical steps can you take this week to reach out to someone who feels like an outsider? [16:45]
4. The sermon challenges us to resist conforming to worldly standards of success. What are some specific ways you can focus on spiritual growth rather than societal achievements? [24:28]
5. As the church embarks on 21 days of fasting and prayer, how can you cultivate a deeper hunger for God in your personal life? What specific practices will you commit to during this period? [31:57]
6. How can you embody humility in your workplace or community, and what impact do you think this could have on those around you? [27:55]
7. Reflect on the values that currently shape your life. Are there any that you feel need to be realigned with the values of humility and service as exemplified by Jesus? [27:55]

I'm ready to provide the 5-day devotional based on the steps outlined. Here it is:

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Day 1: Embracing the Paradox of Humility and Exaltation
In a world that often celebrates power and success, the life of Jesus presents a profound paradox. He is both a humble servant and an exalted king, challenging us to redefine greatness. This paradox invites us to value others above ourselves, seeking unity and love within our community. By embodying humility, we align ourselves with the true nature of Christ, who emptied Himself for the sake of others. This self-emptying, or kenosis, is a radical departure from the pursuit of self-advancement and power. It calls us to a life of service and humility, where true greatness is found in lifting others up. [04:57]

Philippians 2:5-7 (ESV): "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

Reflection: Think of a situation where you can choose to serve someone else today. How can you embody the humility of Christ in this situation?


Day 2: The Subversive Way of Jesus
The Christian message offers a revolutionary moral logic that turns worldly values upside down. In this subversive way, the meek are exalted, and the way down is the way up. This invites us to find joy in God's presence, transcending the self and the pursuit of worldly success. By embracing this inverse logic, we are called to live a life that prioritizes humility, service, and love. This path leads to a deeper fulfillment and joy that can only be found in the presence of God. [10:53]

Matthew 23:11-12 (ESV): "The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you are striving for worldly success. How can you shift your focus to seek joy in God's presence instead?


Day 3: Identifying with the Marginalized
Jesus' life and ministry demonstrate a total identification with the marginalized, offering hope and dignity to those considered outcasts. This challenges us to serve and identify with the marginalized in our own communities. By following Jesus' example, we are called to extend love and compassion to those who are often overlooked or forgotten. This act of service not only uplifts others but also transforms our own hearts, aligning us with the heart of Christ. [16:45]

Isaiah 58:6-7 (ESV): "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

Reflection: Who in your community is marginalized or overlooked? What is one practical step you can take this week to serve and uplift them?


Day 4: Resisting Worldly Values
As a church, we are called to resist conforming to the city's standards of success and influence. Instead, we find our spiritual power in following a Savior who embodies humility and sacrificial love. This resistance to worldly values requires intentionality and a commitment to living out the values of the Kingdom of God. By focusing on humility and service, we can remain true to our calling and find strength in the example of Christ. [24:28]

Romans 12:2 (ESV): "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Reflection: What is one area where you feel pressure to conform to worldly values? How can you intentionally choose to follow the way of Jesus instead?


Day 5: Cultivating Humility and Hunger for God
Our vision is to be a community grounded in humility and passionately pursuing Jesus. Through practices like fasting and prayer, we seek to cultivate a deeper hunger for God, finding our identity and joy in Him. This pursuit requires a commitment to spiritual disciplines that draw us closer to God and align our hearts with His. By prioritizing our relationship with Christ, we can experience the fullness of joy and fulfillment that comes from knowing Him. [31:57]

Psalm 42:1-2 (ESV): "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?"

Reflection: What is one spiritual discipline you can commit to this week to cultivate a deeper hunger for God? How will this practice help you find your identity and joy in Him?

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, can I hear you say humility? That's right. Value others above yourselves, not looking for your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus." [00:03:19] (22 seconds)


"Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." [00:06:02] (17 seconds)


"Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is a rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul." [00:10:03] (23 seconds)


"Where there is humility, there is majesty. Where there is weakness, there is might. This logic struck me as both startling, revolutionary, and astonishingly beautiful. I had the feeling I had glimpsed a goodness more radical than anything I had ever imagined." [00:11:04] (16 seconds)


"Now, what would it look like? Here's what Jesus comes into the world as. People experience Jesus not as this strong and mighty, muscle-bound, thunder-throwing, lightning-throwing kind of God. With all the richness and power of the world, world and all the attractiveness of Hollywood and celebrity. But instead, Jesus comes as this human, humble Savior hanging on a cross." [00:12:54] (29 seconds)


"Now, what is he observing here? He's observing there's something so profound about how Dalit Christians, they identify so deeply with Jesus that though the world might see them as untouchable, the dregs of society, they find in Jesus someone who identifies with them. Jesus, a Dalit himself." [00:16:22] (21 seconds)


"And honestly, there's a part of me that would love to say our spiritual comes from how dynamic we are, how influential, how rich, how powerful we are. And you know what the earliest Christians always knew? Is that the greatest source of spiritual power? Is that the greatest source of spiritual strength?" [00:24:55] (20 seconds)


"Each year, we actually begin the year with 21 days of fasting and prayer. It's an invitation for our church community to individually and corporately to say, Jesus, I want a hunger for you. That however the ups, and downs of my life might be, that however my career is going or my love life or the life of my kids or my parents or whatever else, that I would be someone so desperately hungry for you." [00:31:09] (29 seconds)


"And so here's our vision, not only individually, but corporately as a community. What does it look like for us to be a community so centered around Jesus that we humbly and with great hunger, we pursue Jesus as a community together." [00:31:59] (16 seconds)

Hey, good morning and welcome to Hope Church. My name is Jerome, one of the pastors here.

Next week, we actually start this new message series as we begin 2025 on the newness that God brings to our lives. Whether you're someone who's new to the church or someone who's been here with us for a while, we're just so glad you're here, and we hope that you can join us next week.

Now, here's the thing. Today, we are doing a standalone message, and I've never done something like this before, but it's actually my kind of own personal reflections on what it looks like for us—our vision for 2025.

Now, I realize that title even sounds so grandiose to myself, and I just thought, what would I want to share with our church community as we seek to follow Jesus in the city, especially a city like New York? What does it look like?

So, before we begin, why don't you go ahead and high-five your neighbor and say, "Happy New Year." That's right.

Now, with this new year, what does it look like? What are the values that I pray and hope would shape not only me and you, but all of us as a church community right here in the middle of Manhattan?

So, let's look at this passage in this letter to the church in Philippi that's written, likely from the Apostle Paul, from prison. He's writing this letter to the early church.

Now, one of the most astounding things about this letter—of course, if you know the history of the early church—Paul is writing this letter from prison because Christians are persecuted. It's not like Christians are the cool kids, the ones with social clout, the ones that have all sorts of financial capital and social capital in the world. They are the losers. They are the dregs of society.

And so here, Paul is writing this letter, and check out what he writes to the church in Philippi. He says, "Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility—can I hear you say humility?—that's right. Value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus."

Now, as he writes this, he's writing what historians actually call the Christ hymn. In other words, this was a song or a hymn that the early church commonly knew and referenced about the God that they served, about Jesus, God the Son.

Now, notice what it says. It says, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage."

Now, what's this early Christ hymn talking about? It's talking about how the triune God—God is one God, and yet there are three persons. It's this mysterious doctrine of belief that Christians call the Trinity, that God the Father and God the Son and God the Spirit, that Jesus, when he comes into the world, he does not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. He's not self-ambitious or leveraging stuff for himself, but instead, he made himself nothing.

Now, the word that's used here is the word "kenosis." It's this word for emptying oneself. Now, scholars have debated what this means—that God the Son, that Jesus would actually, instead of using power, leveraging it for his own advantage, would instead empty himself, it says, by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself. There's that word again—to actually humble oneself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

Now, this is stunning. This is the God they serve. Like, Paul is writing this letter. He's saying, "Hey, do you realize, like, the God we serve is a God who hangs on a cross?"

Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

I mean, it's this beautiful hymn, and it's full of all these contradictory kind of points about, wait a minute, Jesus is this humble servant, but he's also the exalted king.

Now, this conundrum of how in the world do these two things work together, and yet this is the way that Jesus is presented to the world—that the early Christians, when they talk about, "You want to know what God is like?" God is like a God who actually is exalted, but the way that he's exalted is he dies on a cross. Like a criminal, he's lowly, he's humble, he's a servant.

Now, this is so stunning because honestly, if I were God—and thank God that I'm not—I mean, my agenda of showing up in the world and trying to show everyone why you should follow me, it would basically be like, let me use the riches. I mean, could you imagine God who has every richness and power at God's disposal? You don't even have to be a Christian, but if you could imagine that there was a God who had all of these resources at God's own disposal.

And I mean, I would leverage richness. I would leverage fame, power, success, coolness, and attractiveness. I mean, I would use every single marketing strategy available to me and basically say, "Use this to show everyone who God is like."

It's all these things. And as I was reviewing this list of rich and powerful and cool and successful and attractive, I thought, I mean, aren't these the values of New York? I mean, this is the values of New York, and it's the values of the world as well, the world around us.

Because I mean, even there's a part of me—my wife is from Houston, Texas, so she grew up there.

So wow, we got a cheer from Houston, Texas. And I grew up in Los Angeles, California.

Wow. Yeah. Okay, we got one Laker fan here.

Now here's the thing, like whenever I show up—like whenever we go back to our hometowns or something, I make sure I'm packing my Yankee hat as well as my Knicks hat. I've stopped packing my Jets hat, but nonetheless, I basically bring these hats.

And part of me, I get so excited because I get to show up, you know, I wear my cap. And, you know, I come and people are like, "Oh, like, oh, so you're a Yankee fan?" And I'm like, "Yeah, I live in New York."

You know? And then there's a part of me, honestly, I swell a little bit with pride. I'm like, "Yeah, I'm from New York." They're like, "Really? You live there?" I'm like, "There's no big deal, really. I mean, yeah, I'm a New Yorker."

People are like, "Wow, I love New York." And I'm like, "Well, yeah, I mean, I love it too. I mean, best city in the world. Where do you live? Midtown? Like just blocks from the Empire State Building?"

Wow.

Now I realize there's a part of me that swells with pride because of the things that our city is known for.

Yes, now, of course, anyone who lives here though, we're like, "I don't know if that's what I would, you know, equate with the city." You know, it can be kind of dirty sometimes, very expensive. But I mean, for the most part to the world around us, it's the city of influence and power and richness and coolness and attractiveness.

And there's a part of me that swells with it.

And yet what's so stunning, in many ways, you would think that the way that God would work is, yes, it comes through these kinds of values.

And yet the earliest hymn about the God that the early Christians believed in, that compelled them to follow this God, were values that were so utterly different than the ways of the world.

Now, David Brooks, who's a New York Times columnist, recently wrote an article on his own journey of faith from his own Jewish background to actually his own foray into the Christian journey.

And in mid-December, he wrote this personal op-ed that I thought was so beautifully written about his own circuitous journey towards faith and Christianity.

Now, what's so fascinating, he writes this autobiographical account about how he actually took this hike up in Colorado and he happened to bring this little book of Puritan prayers with him.

And this is the Puritan prayer that, as he's on this hike and he sits down and he opens this book, this is what he reads from this prayer.

He wrote, "Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, thou hast brought me to the valley of vision where I live in the depths, but see thee in the heights,