In the season of the Incarnation we speak of God becoming human. As if that wasn't a cosmic enough leap for the human mind, we also speak of God becoming the weakest kind of human - a little child. But, then there is more. We speak of God being manifested to the world in this fragile form. That is what the season of Epiphany is all about. The God who dared to become human is made known to all people. Reflecting on this mystery, St. Paul writes these words: "being in the form of God, (Christ) thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant." This is who God is - a servant of all people. One who dares to become empty for the sake of love.

So little of our self desires to be emptied out. Even less of us would dare to become emptied of our own free will. What kind of God is this that not only becomes empty for us, but does it freely for our sake? Who is this God? This is the God who dared to become human; who dared to be formed by human flesh and be touched by human hands. This is the God who passed through the waters of birth; who suffered hunger and cold and loneliness and desire. This is the God we name Jesus.

And even as we name him, we shrink back a little. We want to cover the more human parts of this God who became empty and became human. We want him different from us, not so tempted, not so hurting. We want to keep him clean and separate and holy. Which is precisely what we cannot do, not if we want to take this God becoming empty stuff seriously. It must be in our flesh, with our pain, and our temptation that God must become. For if it is not so, then we make God a liar and the desire of God to become one of us a shameful thing.

Augustine of Hippo said, "God become mortal that mortals might become God." The God who became empty did so for a reason. Not just to take our burden of sin, though that he undoubtedly accomplished. But God became empty so that we might be filled with Divine life. God became empty that we might come to know ourselves more and more according to the Divine image. God became empty that we might learn more and more deeply the truth that who we are is wrapped up in the mystery of becoming one with this self-emptying God.

One of the Greek words for worship is best translated into English as "that to which one bows down." When our knees bow down at the name of Jesus, then we become more enthralled to his Truth. We become more driven by his desire. We learn to be bearers of his Name. We even dare to know that it is in being emptied ourselves that we may hope for divinity.