Rethinking Humility
This is the manuscript copy of the sermon I gave at the First Presbyterian Church of Lee's Summit, MO on Sunday, October 30th, 2011. The readings for the day were Micah 3:5-12 and Matthew 23:1-12. Please note that these were my speaking notes, not a word-for-word transcript (although it was quite close!).
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I’m a high school debate coach, and I love my job. There are few things more fun than traveling with my team across the state. In a school bus. In December.
Ok, so maybe there are a FEW things I would change, but all things considered, it really is a great job that is quite rewarding. I would LIKE to say that the most rewarding part of coaching is watching a student overcome their fears and become a stronger, better person - regardless of his or her competitive success. I tell my students that true honor isn’t found in awards, but in the gains we have made as people.
But, to be honest, I really like winning. I like watching my students win, I like watching them get off the bus with armloads of trophies and plaques. And I REALLY like the ritual we have on the Monday after a successful tournament where we display (on my desk of course) all of our newly earned hardware before moving it that afternoon to our trophy case for all the school to see. My classroom is a testament to the competitive success of my team throughout the years, with prior championships immortalized in wood and plastic on the wall and a team leader-board where students can see how they compare with each other and team members of the past. My hope is that the celebration of past success will inspire future desire for excellence.
After all, it is that passion that we look for, right? That desire to be the best - to rise above the average and reach for excellence. It is praised in schools, sought after in the business world, and has become a corner-stone of social experience. And for good reason, it is through that desire that our society can flourish.
We live in a society where we are in constant competition with each other. We are always looking for the next way to feel validated and successful. From the little league field to the sales office, either you are a winner or you’re not - there is no middle ground. But - you know this. You also know how we react to the person who shows a lack of confidence, strength, and success. Those wishing to avoid harsher language might call them “humble” - but we all know what they mean - someone who just doesn’t quite meet the standard. Someone who doesn’t measure up.
Into this world of competition and comparison come today’s scripture readings, and to be honest they make me nervous. Not in a “I’m afraid of heights” kind of nervous, but in a “I think he’s talking to me” kind of nervous.
First of all, Micah is not what you would call a subtle prophet. After spending a good deal of time reminding any prophet who “would lead my people astray” that they will be basically blinded and their understanding of God will be taken away from them, he then goes on to discuss the evils of those who “teach for a price.” According to one commentator, this refers to those who preach what people want to hear - not what God wants them to hear.
Now, we come to the first moment of nerves when preparing this sermon. See, one of the key lessons I teach my students is to consider their audience and to avoid saying things that might upset them. For a debater this usually means avoiding highly charged religious, social, and political topics. For a member of the congregation who has been asked to preach, this usually means avoiding controversy and confrontation.
Unfortunately, Micah very clearly states that repeating the same calming, comfortable phrases that will leave us feeling warm and fuzzy, but without any real change just won’t cut it. I have to speak the word of God and nothing less. No pressure there.
Now we come to point two of “Chris getting nervous about his sermon.” Normally if I make a mistake while teaching my class, my kids might lose a debate round or not do well on the next test - things I take very seriously - but this is a whole new level of pressure! Micah makes it clear that the result of this false teaching is the downfall of Jerusalem and the decimation of Zion - from verse 12: Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins...
The impact of what I was working on was starting to sink in. After my first read of the Micah passage, I was seriously considering asking Sandra if I could take a rain-check on this whole “preaching the word” thing. But, I decided to take a look at the Matthew passage before passing judgement, and as is often the case, the teachings of Christ put the warnings of the Old Testament into a new and life-giving context.
This is not to say that the Matthew passage is full of easy answers or quick comfort. By the twenty-third chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has had multiple encounters with the religious elite of the day, and in this passage we see his response to their leadership. In an interesting contrast with the concerns of Micah, Christ focuses not on the message of the religious leaders, but on their personal actions. Jesus in fact encourages those listening to him to “do whatever they teach and follow it” for those teaching “sit on the throne of Moses.” In the very same breath, however, he warns his followers to “not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach.”
Christ then goes on to list out, in some detail, the various ways in which the religious leaders of the day had fallen short. From expecting honor and praise wherever they go, to their “broad phylacteries,” to the familiar discussion from the Sermon on the Mount about not making worship and prayer a way to be seen - Jesus does not hold back his criticism.
It would be easy to look at today’s message as a warning against hypocrisy, especially in those outside our walls who may have the right message but the wrong lifestyle, and move on feeling justified by Jesus’ criticism of the elites of the day. Because surely he isn’t talking to us...is he?
And this brings us to another “nervous Chris” moment. Number three for those keeping score. See, I’m a hypocrite. When I listen to the warnings that Jesus gives his followers, it’s like he is looking right at me. I like a lot of the things he mentions in his warnings to the Pharisees. For starters, I like being called “teacher” - it makes me feel important, and for that matter I like being treated with honor and respect. Having the best seat at a banquet or during worship is quite nice, and I REALLY like broad phylacteries - no matter what anyone says. Ok, maybe not so much that last one, but the concept still rings true. Phylacteries were scrolls of parchment with sections of the Torah written on them that devout Jews would wear on their head and arms during morning worship - some of the religious elite during Jesus’ time would forgo the small scrolls used by most and had broad scrolls to show their devotion to the law.
I don’t have to spend much time reading the words of Christ to figure out that this “faith through bragging” won’t get me anywhere, but I do it all the same. While I may not staple the book of Matthew to my forehead, making sure I casually mention in conversation that I sing in my church choir and volunteer at summer camp isn’t much better.
Jesus doesn’t use the “hypocrite” word in our passage today, but it is not unfamiliar territory for anyone who has explored much of the text of Matthew. I think that the reason the word hits home for me is I know just how true it is. Earlier, I mentioned my love of winning. Just yesterday my debate kids were at a tournament, and as happens more often than any coach would like, we were eliminated from competition early in the day. I know from my discussions with my students they felt like the learned a lot and several set new personal highs for scores - but I still felt disappointed. I was frustrated with several students who I expected to do better, even though I knew they had done their best. I realized that I was more upset that we weren’t going to have any trophies to show off on Monday than I was happy about the great experience some younger team members had. I tell my kids that wins don’t matter, it’s about being the best we can be in the moment - but then my inner hypocrite rears his ugly head.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t end with my quest for trophies. Every week we come here to worship God - the creator of the universe. We come here and talk about Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the miracle of the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. We share the bread and wine as a family. I know the majesty that is our God. And yet, in the last few months the only time I have invited anyone outside of my family and close friends to come to join me in worship is today - so they can hear me preach.
So, yes, as much as it pains me to admit it - as much as it hurts - I am a hypocrite. I am the one Jesus was talking to. Maybe I’m the only one here today - but somehow I doubt it.
However, there is good news. Such good news that it has overcome all of the “nervous Chris” moments to bring me in front of you today. See, the thing is we can’t fool God. From my favorite Psalm, number 139, starting in verse 7:
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in the depths, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me.
We are faced with a God who knows us better than we know ourselves. No amount of polish will keep him from seeing the true “us.” It doesn’t matter how many trophies are on our shelf, how many plaques are on our wall, or how much we convince other people we are important - God knows the truth. God knows that we are people who make mistakes, who get it wrong, and who just want to be told WE ARE LOVED.
To some people, an all-knowing god is a terrifying thought, and it would be without the Grace of Christ. For we are living in an amazing world - where the creator of the universe cares deeply about us, even in our brokenness - and where that creator doesn’t care about the awards we have won or things we own, but where our heart lies instead.
This brings us back full-circle to the title of our conversation: Rethinking Humility.
As I mentioned earlier, we typically think of “humble” as someone who is lacking something. In some dictionaries the bulk of the definition of the word is about the various negative connotations. I think it is time we reclaimed humility as what it truly is: a sign of strength.
Humility is recognizing that no matter how hard we try, nothing we can do will ever satisfy our hunger for being told we are good enough. There is no amount of money, no trophy case large enough, no number of friends high enough to quench our thirst for validation. Humility is the realization that the only way to be truly accepted is by the one who knows us at our deepest level - God. It is the freeing and life-giving moment when we realize that we DON’T have to keep proving our selves, because Christ has already shown us Grace in our weakest of moments. It is quite simply allowing God to be our source of validation and love - not other people.
This realization allows us to move past the constant search for the next compliment to what our lives should truly be about - living out the promise of the Gospel. We can honestly and openly share the love of Christ with others, not because it will make us more popular with the evangelism committee, but because we truly desire that others will know the peace of Christ. We are freed to serve others without wondering if they will say “thank you” or give us a service award. What an amazing gift.
God knows that we are constantly searching for someone to tell us WE ARE LOVED, and the amazing thing is that we don’t have to convince anyone we are good enough to hear that glorious message - we just have to listen for His voice.