Worship and the Empty Glass

“Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me” (Philippians 2:17-18).

Most of the time, an empty glass is not a good thing. It usually means the fun is just about over. The last sad slurp from the straw in the milkshake. An evening with friends at the local watering hole has come to a close. The end of a flight after testing craft beers. The last sip of a wine tasting. The final swig of coffee before heading to work. We normally see the empty glass as a sign that the party is over. Forrest Gump and his momma think life is like a box of chocolates. Not Paul. For the apostle, life is like a glass filled to the brim, and an empty glass is an act of worship. The sight of a mug poured out in service to Jesus a joy to behold. The party is just getting started when the glass is empty. 

The apostle’s joy drips down the pages of this epistle. You might read this little letter from Paul to his friends back in Philippi as some sort of “wish you were here” kind of postcard. There’s just one little problem with that. He’s in jail. And he’s been behind bars for several years. After firing off a few other notes to put out fires among other followers of Jesus (Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon), the man from Tarsus writes a letter to a funky little church he planted back in Macedonia. No crisis to deal with. No problem to solve. He’s just catching up with some of his favorite people on the planet. They stoke his fire for Jesus and vice versa. His relationship with the Philippian followers of Jesus are a big reason he has joy in the joint.

From his cell in Rome, Paul sees his life as an empty glass. “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering” (v17). He uses a Greek verb (Gr. spendo) which describes letting liquid flow. The apostle paints a picture of emptying himself like a frosty beverage. He’s not sipping. He’s chugging. But a closer look lets us know he’s not drinking but pouring himself “upon the sacrificial offering of your faith” (v17). What in the world is this dude talking about? Why would he waste a perfectly good drink by dumping it out? This image goes right over our heads. But his first century readers would know exactly what Paul’s talking about. In just about every form of worship at that time, you would pour wine on or in front of a burning animal sacrifice, wine would be vaporized. The writers of the OT describe drink offerings several different times (Ex 29:38-41; Num 15:10; 27:8; 2Ki 16:13; Jer 7:18; Hos 9:4). For worshipers Yahweh, the steam rose symbolizing the offering to God. But the Philippians come out of a pagan religion which bowed down to a boatload of minor league deities. While they didn’t have a clue of ancient Hebrew worship, they know all about pouring drinks like wine as something done at their temples.

So Paul sees the Philippians living a life of sacrificial worship to Jesus. It’s the same kind of “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable” he wrote to the Roman church about (Rom 12:1). These believers are giving themselves as “a sacrificial offering” for their trust in Christ. This “offering” is the Greek term leitourgia, which means an act of worship. It’s used to describe the service of a priest in the temple. It’s the source of our word liturgy. The big idea here is we’re all priests. Paul’s buddy Rocky goes out of his way to let us know that the followers of Jesus are a “royal priesthood” (1Pet 2:9). It’s not just folks wearing one of those weird collars. It’s not limited to dudes in pointy hats. Once Christ comes to our rescue, we’re all priests. We don’t need any sort of religious middle man to make it happen. That’s why Jesus personally ripped the drapes in the temple from top to bottom at His crucifixion (Mt 27:51). There’s no longer any separation between us and God. We’re all worshipers. As a result, my life is as an act of worship. The only problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps wiggling off the altar. 

So here’s the picture Paul wants us to see. The Philippians offer themselves as an act of worship to Jesus. The apostle joins in to complement their sacrifice. He pours himself onto the altar of their surrender to our Savior. Paul’s point isn’t about Paul. It’s not a “hey, look at me” moment. He’s so stoked about what Jesus is doing in and through the lives of the Philippian followers that he wants to enhance their offering. Who is pouring into your life? Who is spending a tremendous amount of their energy to enhance your worship of Jesus? Who is spilling into your life and giving of themselves on your behalf? But the pour doesn’t just stop in your glass. It doesn’t just end with my mug begin full. Who am I spilling into? Who am I emptying myself to intensify and amplify their relationship with Jesus? This is about sacrifice. It’s about pouring ourselves out for others. We’re simply doing for others what Jesus did for us (Mt 26:27-28; Lk 22:19). Worshiping is about being an empty glass.

Paul tells us that an empty glass is actually a thing of joy. When he’s poured out, “I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me” (v17-18). Don’t be sad when your glass is empty. This is a time to celebrate. This is a time to rejoice. It means we’ve poured out our lives for the Gospel in the lives of others. The party is just getting started when the glass is empty.