Everloving God, help us to lose ourselves so that we might be found by your grace. Amen.
“Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” St. Paul wrote that to the Philippian church and we’ve struggled with it ever since. I’ll speak for myself, but I know that I’m not alone in this, I don’t like losing things. Last week, I was looking for a particular pair of socks and couldn’t find them, it drove me crazy. I keep a planner so that I don’t lose track of appointments or tasks. My favorite sports teams are the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Miami Marlins, so though I’m very familiar with losing, I don’t like it. And while I know the value of humility, like all of us, I really appreciate accolades and recognition. Losing, whether it’s a pair of socks, an election, or an opportunity isn’t fun. And yet, the path of following Jesus is about exactly this – denying ourselves, losing ourselves, and taking up the Cross.
