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REFLECTION
Called into upside-down power is the theme for our reflection. Upside-down means a state of affairs which is unusual or departs from the norm. Usually, power or authority flows from top to bottom or an up-down approach according to the standard of the world, however, in God’s economy, power is seen from an upside-down approach. Being called into an upside-down power means we have been invited to experience and share the power of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Usually, power is exerted by a superior upon his subordinates. Slaves are accustomed to domineering power or authority from above. We are used to receiving order or power from above but Paul reveals God’s unusual manifestation of His power when He raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him power or dominion over everything. “That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:19-23) The world is confused about the power and dominion Jesus has. How can Jesus who was dead be raised from the dead to become head over everything? This does not make sense to the world! It is for this reason that Paul wrote, “… the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18). We who are being saved have been called into the upside-down or unusual power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul further paints the picture of the manifestation of the upside-down power of Jesus when he wrote, ” Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11). Beloved in the Lord, it takes faith and the power of the Holy Spirit to understand and share in the salvation work God has done through Jesus Christ. The upside-down power we have been called into has liberated us from sin and renders us children of God. It is this upside-down power that has taught us the meaning of God’s love. It is this love that must permeate our relationship with one another. Paul expressed his joy and thanksgiving when he heard the manifestation of the unusual or upside-down power of Christ at work in the Church of Ephesus and prayed for them “…ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe (Ephesians 1:15-19). When we come to understand the power our Lord Jesus has over our lives and His love for us, we are compelled to eschew all manner of barriers and division among us so that our faith will be made manifest through the love we have for God and fellow human beings. We are called into the upside-down power through our salvation in Jesus, and it is for this reason that we must also demonstrate this unusual power through faith and Jesus’ examples of humility and love for one another.

Dear friend, the world understands power in terms of oppression and economic exploitation or manipulation of the masses by those in positions of power, however, Jesus’ power is upside-down in that it is rooted in love and liberation from all manner of abuse of power. We desire a world filled with the love of Christ where power will be used to serve rather than to oppress and impoverish the masses. We desire a world free from racial, ethnic and economic discrimination and human rights abuses. In the season of Advent, we are reminded of the unusual or upside-down power we have been called into by God. Christians or believers must stand for justice, love and respect for human dignity as a manifestation of the upside-down power we have been called to share through Jesus Christ. Through faith and love Jesus continues to sustain us through this power until His second coming. We are required to also share our faith and love by preaching the Gospel or the message of the upside-down power of God through Jesus so that the world will be saved even as we await the second Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. Shalom.

In summary, we have deliberated on the theme “Called into upside-down power” We have discovered that the power demonstrated through Christ is unusual and radically different from the power of oppression or suppression at work in the world. We have been called into an upside-down power of Jesus to share a common faith and love in our churches and societies. Our faith and love through Christ must permeate our relationship with one another so that the world will be saved and transformed by the upside-down power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER
Holy Spirit, strengthen us to demonstrate the upside-down power of faith and love of our Lord Jesus in a world filled with hate, division, war, and oppression. May our faith and love turn upside-down the world’s understanding of power through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.