[J-CURVE: Descent of Love] 2. The Shape of the Story

"The first two steps of Jesus’ descent in Philippians 2:1-8 match the first two steps of love in our lives. The incarnation is kind of like falling in love and dating and getting married and the honeymoon. That’s what we rightly associate with love -- we call it falling in love – but then after that comes the work of love. So first, there’s the commitment to love, and then the work of love." "Christianity has lots of lists. They’re all through the Bible, and they aren’t bad! In fact, it’s really helpful to have a track to run on. But at the heart of our faith is a story." "The story doesn't end in death. The father responds to the beauty of his son's love and raises him from the dead, first in his resurrection, and then in his enthronement. So it's not stoicism. The Christian life is not about hanging in there because it's good for you. We have a hope that is both a future hope of resurrection of our bodies and a restoring of all things. But even in this life now, we can look forward to ongoing many resurrections as we walk with Christ.”