"Down The Ladder" - David McGaw - Philippians 2:1–13

The Palace of Versailles was built to keep everyone asking one question: where do I stand? We may laugh at blue coats and red heels, but Silicon Valley has its own ladder. It just has closer rungs.

In this sermon, David McGaw looks at Paul's letter to the church in Philippi, a Roman colony of army veterans where life was organized around rank and privilege. Paul calls the church to regard one another as better than themselves and to take on the mind of Christ, who emptied himself (kenosis) and came down to serve.

Drawing on N.T. Wright's translation and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together, this message asks what humility looks like when something feels scarce, especially our time. Bonhoeffer's answer starts with listening and with letting God interrupt our plans through the people around us. Christ stepped down from the ladder, and he invites us to step off it too.

In this episode:

Why status-seeking survives even in "egalitarian" cultures like ours

Humility in abundance versus humility in scarcity

Listening as the first service we owe one another

The hymn of Philippians 2 as a model to follow, not just a theological artifact

Scripture (Proper 21, Year A): Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32; Philippians 2:1–13; Matthew 21:23–32Preached Sunday, September 27, 2026

Holy Trinity Silicon Valley is an Anglican church in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO). We serve Palo Alto, Mountain View, and the wider Stanford and Silicon Valley community. We're rooted in ancient liturgy and practice, and we gather to worship, listen, and serve together. Learn more at holytrinitysv.org.