New Testament Poems and Proclamations: 1. The Christ Poem in Philippians

Dinah Livingstone

Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not count being equal with God
as something to cling to,
but emptied himself
taking the form of a servant,
born like a human being;
he was found in human shape
and lowered himself,
became obedient till death – death on a cross.
Therefore God raised him high
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven, on earth and in the underworld,
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God the Father.
The Divine Vision still was seen,
Still was the Human Form Divine,
Weeping in weak and mortal clay,
O Jesus, still the Form was thine.

And thine the Human Face and thine
The Human Hands and Feet and Breath,
Entering through the Gates of Birth
And passing through the Gates of Death.
You are rising now
each time we raise an arm
to defend the people
from profiteering dominion,
because you're living on the farm,
in the factory and in school;
your struggle carries on.
I trust in your resurrection.