New Philadelphia Sermons
Humility: The Ability to Reflect Reality
(Reprise)
This morning I want to talk to you about humility. Our text declares, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you." I want to ask two questions of this text. First, "What did the original writer mean to say to the original reader?" Scholars think that the 1st Epistle of Peter was written either during (or perhaps between) the reign of Nero (54-68AD), and the reign of Trajan (98-117 AD). Under either emperor Christians throughout the Roman Empire were persecuted for their faith. In the context of the epistle the author exhorts Christians to patiently endure the fiery ordeal that will certainly come upon them as it has upon all their brothers and sisters around the world. (4:12) He asks them to imitate Christ himself, saying, "When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly." (2:23) No doubt many of those who first received this letter paid for their faith with their lives. The epistle to the Hebrews was written during or near the time of Trajan. It describes the suffering of the Old Testament heroes of faith, but the description of their suffering was equally apt for the Christians who being persecuted by Rome when the letter was written. In Hebrews 11:35-39 we read:
Over the last two thousand years many Christians who have treasured our text have faced a similar fate. When I read 1st Peter I often think of the great Neo-Orthodox theologian and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoffer. Bonhoeffer was a German. When Hitler came to power, he was safe in America. He returned to Germany to suffer with the church there. He wanted to win the right to be a part of the rebuilding he knew would take place after the war. At the beginning of the war Bonhoeffer was a pacifist, but like many pacifists of his day, he backslid under Adolph Hitler. He participated in a very minor way in a plot to assassinate Hitler and end the war. For this and for his role in the underground church he was put into a concentration camp. An allied victory was near when the Nazi’s finally decided to hang him. Just before his execution Bonhoeffer wrote, "This is the end, but for me the beginning of life." Only a Christian can stare death in the face, and look squarely at the end of his or her own life on this earth and say, "this is the end, but for me the beginning of life." In July of 1804 Alexander Hamilton lay dying from the wound he received in a duel with the Vice President of the United States, Aaron Burr. His wife Elizabeth came to his bedside with their surviving children. She had already lost her eldest son in a duel. She was sobbing with grief for her husband. Hamilton, in great pain, said to her, "Eliza, remember you are a Christian." Even though dying, Hamilton knew that a Christian rejoices even in the face of death because we have been "born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." A Christian rejoices to know that we have receive an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading." We know that our inheritance is "kept in heaven for (us), who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." All this otherworldly hope is found in the first chapter of 1st Peter. It is against the backdrop of this hope that the apostle exhorts a persecuted and dying people to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God that in due time, God might exalt them. He believes that not even death can thwart the goodness of God. That is what the original writer was saying to the original reader. There is a second question I want to ask of this text: Does this text mean anything for us who are challenged by life, but not crushed by it? Does it mean anything for those who are not persecuted for our faith? Does it mean anything for a high school student who struggles between his commitment to Christ and his desire to be popular? Does it mean anything for the young woman who has just graduated college and is seeking a position in business? Does it mean anything for the man who has just lost his job to outsourcing? Does it mean anything to a politician who really wants to serve his or her city, state and country but has been unjustly torn apart by the press? I think it does. To be humble, to practice humility, is always an asset. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, of all the virtues, only faith is more important in the life of a Christian than humility. According to St. Bernard humility is the "the virtue by which a man knows himself as he truly is." This is a new sermon, but I have used the title before. Several years ago I preached on a similar text. As part of my preparation I called my friend Ron Seeber who was then our City Attorney. Ron is a lay Franciscan in the Catholic Church, and one of the best Christian thinkers I know. I asked him for a definition of humility. Without a moment’s hesitation Ron replied, "Humility is the ability to reflect reality." That is precisely what I hope to say in this sermon. "Humility is the ability to reflect reality." Humility enables a person to move in any and all situations and make the very best of those situations. Humility enables a woman to master through life, while those around her merely muddle through. Humility enables a man to stumble, and fall, and then pick himself to climb higher than he was before. Next to faith, humility is the best asset we have in becoming all that we can be, the man or woman that God has always intended that we should be. Some think that humble people are like Casper Milquetoast. They think that humble people are not just meek and mild, but patsies, the easy target of bullies and thugs. That is wrong thinking. Let me illustrate by calling to your attention just two heroes of humility, one from our Old Testament, one from the New Testament. The first is Moses. Moses was living in a desert when God called him and sent him to pharaoh to say, "Let my people go." Moses protested he was not a good speaker. God allowed him to speak through Aaron. He stood up to Pharaoh. He commanded the ten plagues. He gave the command and a mighty wind blew all night, and the waters of the Yom Suph stood in a heap, and the people passed over as on dry land. Then Moses watched as the sea swallowed up the Egyptian army that pursued the Hebrew children. Moses led the nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and to borders of the Promised Land. Casper Milquetoast? In Numbers 12:3 the New International Version of the Bible says, "Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth" The second hero of humility is Jesus himself. Jesus was born to humble parents. He lived in a small town. He worked as a carpenter. Naturally, he did more. He preached the kingdom of God. He acted with authority, like the prophets of old, but more so. He cleansed the temple. He dared even to forgive sins, something reserved for God alone. Yet he remained humble. According to the gospel of Matthew, when Jesus finally laid public claim to his vocation as Messiah he rode into Jerusalem "humble, and mounted on an ass, the foal of an ass." (Matthew 21). The supreme example of the Master’s humility is found in Philippians 2. In that passage St. Paul exhorts the members of the church at Philippi to "Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than (themselves)." (v. 3) He says to them, "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (v.4) Then he gives the great example. He says:
In preparation for this sermon I used Google to search the internet. I searched twice. First, I entered two words: "humility" and "example." I got 1,810,000 hits. Then I entered a third word with the first two. I added the word "Jesus." I don’t know how, but I got 1,970,000 hits. At the very least I think it is safe to say that there is no better example of humility than Jesus and lots of people agree with that statement. What are some of the advantages of humility? 1. First, humility implies teach-ability. The humble person never stops learning. Let me give two examples. John Calvin said that the mature Christian continued to grow by maintaining a state of "perpetual adolescence." The adolescent does not pretend to know everything. He or she is a student of life, not a master. Even young Christians can have this attribute. That leads to my second example, my hero, my daughter Edyth Beery. Edyth is a 2nd Grade teacher at Valley Crucis Elementary. In case you power shoppers out there are wondering, her classroom looks out on the original Mass General Store. When Edyth was just a teenager she shocked me with a piece of wisdom that I will not soon forget. She said, "Daddy, I am never afraid to admit a mistake. When I do, I am also saying that I am smarter now than when I made it!" 2. That leads me to a second advantage of humility. Humility can apologize and ask forgiveness. Proud people constantly risk loosing friends and creating enemies. Humble people endear themselves to their friends and make allies of their enemies. There are three sides to every question: My way, your way, and God’s way. A vain man says, "My way or the highway." A humble person seeks God’s way, even if God’s way is closer to "your way," than "my way." 3. Humility enables teamwork. As Paul writes in Philippians 2, "Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than (themselves)." The humble person recognizes her own limitation, and the giftedness of others. She creates a space where other people can use their gifts. A team is always stronger. A team can always do more. 4. Humility is a great asset among those who wish to be leaders. Jesus said, "The son of man came not to be served, but to serve." (Mark 10:45) He washed the feet of his disciples, and said, "I have given you an example. If I, your teacher and lord have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet." (John 12) He said, "he who would be first of all must be the servant of all." (Mark 10:44) In January 2001 Jim Collins published an article on leadership in The Harvard Business Review. Collins and his team studied 1,345 companies that appeared in the Fortune 500 from 1965 to 1995. They discovered only 11 companies that emerged as "good companies" and later became "great companies." In every case the leaders of these companies exhibited "Level 5 Leadership" which Collins described as leadership determined by "humility and fierce resolve." One leader was Darwin E. Smith was the CEO of Kimberly-Clark for twenty years. His peers as described Smith as, "Shy, unpretentious, even awkward." When asked the secret of his success, Smith replied, "I never stopped trying to become qualified for the job (that I held)." We know that humility is "the ability to reflect reality." What is fierce resolve? Resolve says, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can." Fierce resolve says, "I know we can. I know we can. I know we can." Fierce resolve depends not just upon itself, but upon all those who rally to the cause. The fierce resolve of the person of faith always leaves room for God to work, sometimes in unexpected ways. My friend Doug Peacock tells a story a conversation Moses had with God. Doug heard it from an old Scottish Presbyterian preacher, and at a key point, he allows his voice to speak. It seems that Moses found himself up against the Red Sea, and he could not go forward. He looked back. The Armies of Egypt were in fierce pursuit. He could not go back. He protested to God, saying, "See what a fix I am in. There is the sea, and I can’ na go forward, and there are the Armies of Egypt and I can’ na go back." And God said, "I di’ na bring ye heaer to go back. And I di’ na bring ye heare to be halted. I brought you hear for my own purpose." In the garden Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done." (Matt. 26:39) Jesus then humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, but God raised him from death, and gave him a name above every name. (Phil. 2) Life may challenge us, but if we believe that God has brought us to the place where we are for God’s own purpose, then we will find the patience and strength to go one. As we go, we humble ourselves under his mighty hand, that in due time, God may exalt us for God’s own purpose. Finis Worth Green, Th.M., D.Min. |