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The Life He Lived, Laid and Lifted
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he lyrics to this song, “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High,” written by Rick Founds, have a simple, yet powerful way of explaining the Gospel of Jesus: “You came from heaven to earth, to show the way” identifies God the Son who left His heavenly privilege to come to earth, in human form.

“He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else” (John 3:31, NLT).

Jesus was born into a poor family, to a single mother, and a stepfather, and they lived a life of humility not luxury.

Later on, to save Jesus from being murdered under an executive order issued by King Herod, they fled Bethlehem becoming refugees in Egypt.

“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise me men,” (Matthew 2:16, RSV). Throughout Jesus’ earthly life and ministry:

  1. He modeled self-care by taking daily rests and recharging with His Father through prayer and communion in solitude because much like us, He experienced the joy, disgust, sadness, anger, and fear of human life. Luke 4:1-2, 14-15, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12-13.
  2. He empathized with us living in a sinful world, by enduring all kinds of injustice leading to His death on the cross, but conquering death that resurrection morning. God’s love was on display when Jesus provided the greatest debt forgiveness ever known to mankind. He laid down His life, freeing us from death, the penalty of sin. Hebrews 4:15
  3. He taught how to love God and each other through Jewish religious cultural narratives in parables. Matthew 13:10-17
  4. Through miracles, He served and helped the people selflessly regardless of race, gender, economic status, age, ability, or affiliation. Matthew 4:23-25
  5. He empowered, advocated, defended, and partnered with those who, reflecting the mission and image of God, fell into the category of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) of His time: children, immigrants, the marginalized, the oppressed, the discriminated against, the disenfranchised, the poor, the widows, and women. Matthew 15:29 – 31, John 4, Matthew 9:10-17, Matthew 19:14, John 8, John 4:43-54.
We serve a Savior who took on the role of a big brother to fight for us, rescuing us from the bondage of sin. We serve a Savior who has given death a definite expiration date when He resurrected. We serve a Savior whose resurrection gives us the victory over sin and death. We serve a Savior whose resurrection gives us the hope of overcoming our challenges in this rental place we call Earth.
Darnisha Thomas, MDiv
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