The St. Andrew’s book club is studying Mark Buchanan’s inspiring devotional God Walk. Mark, a Canadian who lived right here on Vancouver Island, in one of his earlier books, The Rest of God, describes a riverside park in Guelph Ontario landmarked with large intricate sculptures: a dinosaur, a man riding a bicycle, a child and his mother.

But these are no ordinary sculptures. Each is made from the debris collected from the riverbed. Every year, the city drains the river, then invites peoples from the community to scour the river’s muddy floor and clean up the garbage scattered along it. A welter of refuse is dredged up: shopping carts, tires and rims, baby strollers, bikes and trikes, engine blocks, rakes and shovels, urinals, wine bottles, shoes and pop cans. Mountains and mountains of rubbish, slick with algae.

Rather than truck all this garbage off to a landfill, the city invites local sculptors together. Each artist is given a mound of junk and commissioned to create something unique and beautiful from it. The created works are then showcased along the very river from which the raw materials have come. “God does that” Buchanan says.

Writing the hymn Amazing Grace John Newton described God’s reclamation of his own life: “Amazing grace… that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost… but now I’m found!” The sculptures along the Guelph riverbed create a vivid visual image of our post-Easter faith. We are all blended into the Body of Christ – a living showcase of his love and mercy placed within the very world in which Christ was crucified.

1 Peter 2:10 says it this way: ‘You are a people belonging to God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.’

Perhaps like some of you, I came to a personal faith in God because of the profound impact of one small, humble, out of the mainstream church that was clearly a place where everyday people were welcomed, loved and united together in Christ.

In our epistle, Paul is writing to such a church in Philippi: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion… then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being of One in spirit and purpose (Philippians 2:1-2).

It is hard to overestimate the far-reaching impact of that small Philippian church, believers united Christ, sculpted by His love and One with God in Spirit and purpose.

In present time, when there are so much division and disunity within the Christian church – a disunity that reflects the hatred and divisions within our world – there is no more compelling witness to the gospel of Jesus than a church that is united in love.

Last week, we heard about an apology our premier made to the legislature for muttering an obscenity during question period about doctor shortages in BC. The discourse that prompted the outburst was what we’ve come to expect on display in politics at every level: (childishness writ wide) with no listening/all talking… no give, all take. Classic partisan politics… where each party’s priorities are defined in opposition to the other.

In the gospel this morning we see the same dynamic: the Pharisees using ‘the question period’ with Jesus, not to learn about His messianic nature, but to get him to say something that will allow them to have him killed … so that they will maintain the power position in the temple, in Jerusalem and all Israel.

In contrast, Paul urges the church to be followers of Jesus, living with humility and unity both within the church and within their community. “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus… who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. He humbled himself… and became obedient …. even to death on a Cross.”

Our attitudes and our actions in God’s Kingdom are based on those of our King … Jesus. It not a call to constrained piety, to belief without doubts, or to life in a ‘Leave it to Beaver’ worldview. Instead, exchange pride for humility, allow ourselves to being open – in heart and mind- to receive faith to believe and to follow in Christ’s footsteps.

The outcome of such humility and the unity that humbling ourselves produces, the compassionate perspective that looking down gives us, the uplift that others receive, the love that results, the connection and belonging we experience is a stairway to heaven.

When the strong bend low in humility, both the lowly and the strong are lifted up.

Just a few years ago, Victoria had the honour of hosting Prince William, Duchess Catherine and their children George and Charlotte. I was a volunteer when the royal visitors went to the Cridge Centre for the Family. From the beginning of their visit to the end, the single most compelling impression that I have of them is that of two humble people, interested in and privileged to be in the company of everyday folks. As Kate and William were walking toward the vehicle at the end of the visit, I was standing a few feet away as one little boy in the crowd talked with the prince for several minutes. As Will knelt down to the listen, the boy shared his love of hockey … and also put in a few good words for Jesus! Despite the pressure of his bodyguards urging him to keep moving, the prince listened intently as the young boy told him that if George would come to Victoria, the little boy would teach him how to play hockey. Then, without pausing to catch his breath, the little boy told William that God loved all the kids at the Cridge, and that he was sure that God loved George too. Leaning forward with a huge smile, Will told the young boy that George would love to learn to play hockey… and, also, that knowing how much God loved George was very important to him and to Kate.

I’ve since wondered who was the more blessed in that conversation? The little boy who will be reminded of it all his life long. Or Will, whose face shone with pure delight at every word the boy spoke?!

The impression of the royal prince, on his knees enjoying a small child share his love of hockey and his love of God, is one that will stick with me. It is an example of royalty in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus, the King of all kings – in the greatest kneeling down in history- had to borrow a place to be born, a boat to preach from, a donkey to ride upon, a tomb in which to be buried. He loved the world but was insulted, humiliated, despised and killed by those he loved.

It is not easy to be imitators of Christ, to model our life after Christ. We sing the hymn “Come thou fount of every blessing…tune my heart to sing your praise’ because we know our hearts are easily tuned to sing our own praise and to hear others sing our praises.

Instead, letting God tune our hearts, imitating Christ, is a one-step-at-a-time journey, making small deposits for the sake of gospel each day: listening to the neighbour boy tell us about his hockey game, contributing to a church committee meeting, helping pack mercy supplies to the Ukraine, teaching an ESL class, or studying together- learning how to GOD WALK more closely.

Being united in Christ makes our lives a gift, a treasure to others. And the greatest blessing is ours, in the living of it. Jesus said it: “You are even more blessed to give than to receive.”

It is how we become imitators of Christ: Losing our life ….and gaining Heaven.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.