“Kenosis” is not a term I’ve ever heard in a Unity church or center.

I’ve heard many people at Unity on the Adkins and South Beach diets mention the term “ketosis” as a part of the two week induction phase of both food plans, but that’s a totally unrelated word.  One letter makes all the difference.

On Sunday, May 16 I delivered a message at First Unity of St. Petersburg entitled “No Complaints, Part 2.”  Rev. Temple delivered the first part on May 9.    My talk is found by clicking “Videos” on the main menu of this blog, and both our talks are available by clicking the First Unity link in this paragraph.  We drew our inspiration from the book Complaint Free Relationships by Unity minister Will Bowen, the originator the Complaint Free World movement whose mission is “to help people affect positive change in their lives by living Complaint Free.”

And really, who wants to listen to whining, griping and complaining?  I don’t – not even my own, which I endeavor to keep to a minimum.

How does this relate to the as-yet undefined term “kenosis”?  Kenosis is a Greek word that means emptiness.  Theologically speaking, its usage is more likely to be found in Eastern, or Orthodox Christianity.  The Orthodox churches, generally known by the country from which they come such as Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, etc., tend to be more mystical than their Western (Roman Catholic and Prostestant) cousins.

In the Bible, a prime example of kenosis is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  (BTW, this letter was written by Paul during one of the times he was jailed – most likely in Rome just prior to his death – to the first “Christian” congregation in Europe at Philippi in Greece.  I’ve put quotes around the word Christian because Christianity per se had not been created yet.  Paul was a practicing Jew who had an experience of the risen Christ and wanted to share with the world what that meant to him.)

In Philippians chapter 2:5-8 we read, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.”

Whether or not you agree with Paul’s understanding of the Jesus experience – a subject on which you could write a PhD dissertation – there is something about the notion of “emptying” oneself that stands out to me as a valuable concept.

In Unity, we have key teachings about releasing negativity and limited thinking.  To be brief, we are best able to be of service to God and one another when we are free of limiting, false and error beliefs.  We’re also in a better position to serve when we are not complaining; so in my mind, it is not a much of a stretch to take this mystical concept of kenosis and ask myself (and yourself!) as we live our day-to-day lives, “What needs to be released or eliminated so that I can affect positive change in my life and my world?  Can I empty myself of  griping, whining and limiting beliefs?”  Certainly Jesus did, and the rest, as they say, is history (well, history and faith…)

Let’s go a little further east, because there are parallels (well, at least in my mind) to this concept in other sacred writings.  In the Tao Te Ching, the sacred text of Taoism believed to have been written by a sage named Lao Tzu in the 6th Century b.c.e, the 16th chapter says:

Empty your mind of all thoughts.

Let your heart be at peace.

Watch the turmoil of beings,

but contemplate their return.

Each separate being in the universe

returns to the common source.

Returning to the source is serenity.

If you don’t realize the source,

you stumble in confusion and sorrow.

When you realize where you come from,

you naturally become tolerant,

disinterested, amused,

kindhearted as a grandmother,

dignified as a king.

Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,

you can deal with whatever life brings you,

and when death comes, you are ready.

As we empty ourselves of  fears and foreboding, we truly experience “the same mind that was in Christ Jesus” and/or “let our hearts be at peace.”   Meister Eckhardt, the 13th century German mystic said, “God is not found in the soul by adding anything, but by a process of subtraction.”

Sometimes emptiness is the greatest fullness and in subtracting we are added to.