The Importance Of Humility
Sermon
Over recent years there have been some appalling bomb outrages. There are the suicide bombers in the Middle East, causing horrific injuries and loss of life. And closer to home, there have been bombs in our country and in Northern Ireland causing needless destruction of property and leaving many people with immense emotional and physical trauma which they may well carry for the rest of their lives.
Why does all this happen? Because small groups of terrorists don't like the political settlements which might result in peace between their country and their "enemies". These are usually groups which apparently enjoy random violence. And they're groups which somehow think they are so important that they can do exactly what they like.
They're not alone. Many groups and individuals think their views are so important they must be expressed at any cost. Remember the bomb outrage in Oklahoma? Or the schoolboys who gunned down their classmates in Arkansas? Or the lone gunman who destroyed a class of five-year-olds at Dunblane? Or the Animal Rights activists who released thousands of mink into the Hampshire countryside, with never a thought as to the ecological and domestic damage which the mink would cause?
It may be that all these people were fanatics about their particular cause. But one thing all fanatics have in common, whether they're religious fanatics or any other kind of fanatic, is their arrogance. People who are so convinced they're right that they must get their point of view across at any cost, all succumb to the sin of pride, of self-importance, of arrogance. They all have a huge ego, because "I" is at the very centre of their lives, to the exclusion of all other considerations.
The ugliness of this sin of pride is very clear when the sin is seen in its extreme form, such as in Omagh or Oklahoma or Dunblane. But it's no less ugly when the pride is hidden in some way. It's just less noticeable.
In Jesus' day the Pharisees, the religious elite, were full of pride. They were at the top of the religious tree, they were intelligent and earnest and determined to worship God in the right way. Only the "right" way was invariably their way. So it was a kind of hidden pride.
Jesus told a humorous story about a Pharisee who prayed in the temple, thanking God that he was not sinful or wicked like other men, and especially not like the poor sinner who was standing next to him in tears of remorse! (Luke 18:11) And on another occasion he said, "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honour in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it." (Luke 11:43-44)
Ample pride is displayed in our own day by religious people who refuse to listen to any point of view other than their own, because they're so certain they're right. And they appeal to Scripture or to Tradition to support their claims.
Pride is a terrible sin because it's a terrible block. It forms a suit of armour around the wearer and therefore prevents anyone from getting near. It's so terrified of pain or hurt that it prevents vulnerability. And it prevents God from drawing near, for God can only work through openness and vulnerability.
And pride distorts the true picture. It gives a false impression of the way things are, because with pride I'm only prepared to see through my eyes. I'm not really concerned with what it feels like to other people. I'm only concerned that my way should be followed at all costs. And if that doesn't happen, my pride is hurt. And by my behaviour I make it so uncomfortable for other people that very soon they begin to do what I want because there's a lot less hassle that way.
But if things are like that, there's no growth for any of us. All of us are blocked. I'm blocked because I refuse to seriously consider anyone else's point of view. Because I'm so absolutely certain I'm the only one who really sees the whole picture, and therefore I'm right. And other people are blocked because they lose the energy to fight, to stand up for what they believe in. They become weary and disillusioned and unable to face the constant hassle. This, perhaps, has been part of the problem in Northern Ireland over so many years. Ordinary people have grown weary of the constant need to fight for peace. Pride is a very effective barrier. It keeps God out as well as other people.
Jesus told today's story of the dinner party because he noticed how the guests at the dinner party chose the places of honour. "Don't try and make yourselves out to be better than you are," Jesus said, "because you'll come a cropper in the end. You'll find yourself humiliated." And this sentiment has come into our English heritage in the saying, 'Pride comes before a fall'.
But not everybody has that sort of pride, for pride has many disguises. Sometimes those disguises are twisted and inverted into a kind of false humility. In the kind of humility which is so terrified of appearing arrogant that it denies any good gifts which are there. Perhaps in a refusal to step forward and volunteer for anything in case I'm seen as blowing my own trumpet. Or in a refusal to take any kind of risk in case I make a fool of myself. Or in a refusal to accept what's offered, saying, like Peter at the Last Supper, when Jesus wanted to wash his feet: "I'm not good enough for that." (John 13:8)
This false humility is just as much a block to God and to other people as open arrogance, for again it acts like a suit of armour. If I constantly deprecate myself and my gifts, I'll never have to face any challenge, I'll never have to stretch myself or be stretched. It's the sort of false humility Uriah Heep practised in Dickens' "Great Expectations", when he folded his hands together and announced greasily, "I'm ever so 'umble."
I suspect true humility is a rare gift, for it accepts and acknowledges its own talents without the need for deprecation, but doesn't go beyond that point of acceptance. It doesn't boast. Perhaps true humility can only be found through the experience of humiliation. Perhaps true humility can be found through recognising my innate pride or arrogance and then allowing it to be deflated in humiliation.
Humiliation is hard to bear, but those who can face their own humiliation without being defeated by it, perhaps discover true humility. For as Jesus said, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
So perhaps as well as praying for peace in the world, we should begin to pray for true humility, for we know that God blesses the poor in spirit, and that theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
Why does all this happen? Because small groups of terrorists don't like the political settlements which might result in peace between their country and their "enemies". These are usually groups which apparently enjoy random violence. And they're groups which somehow think they are so important that they can do exactly what they like.
They're not alone. Many groups and individuals think their views are so important they must be expressed at any cost. Remember the bomb outrage in Oklahoma? Or the schoolboys who gunned down their classmates in Arkansas? Or the lone gunman who destroyed a class of five-year-olds at Dunblane? Or the Animal Rights activists who released thousands of mink into the Hampshire countryside, with never a thought as to the ecological and domestic damage which the mink would cause?
It may be that all these people were fanatics about their particular cause. But one thing all fanatics have in common, whether they're religious fanatics or any other kind of fanatic, is their arrogance. People who are so convinced they're right that they must get their point of view across at any cost, all succumb to the sin of pride, of self-importance, of arrogance. They all have a huge ego, because "I" is at the very centre of their lives, to the exclusion of all other considerations.
The ugliness of this sin of pride is very clear when the sin is seen in its extreme form, such as in Omagh or Oklahoma or Dunblane. But it's no less ugly when the pride is hidden in some way. It's just less noticeable.
In Jesus' day the Pharisees, the religious elite, were full of pride. They were at the top of the religious tree, they were intelligent and earnest and determined to worship God in the right way. Only the "right" way was invariably their way. So it was a kind of hidden pride.
Jesus told a humorous story about a Pharisee who prayed in the temple, thanking God that he was not sinful or wicked like other men, and especially not like the poor sinner who was standing next to him in tears of remorse! (Luke 18:11) And on another occasion he said, "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honour in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it." (Luke 11:43-44)
Ample pride is displayed in our own day by religious people who refuse to listen to any point of view other than their own, because they're so certain they're right. And they appeal to Scripture or to Tradition to support their claims.
Pride is a terrible sin because it's a terrible block. It forms a suit of armour around the wearer and therefore prevents anyone from getting near. It's so terrified of pain or hurt that it prevents vulnerability. And it prevents God from drawing near, for God can only work through openness and vulnerability.
And pride distorts the true picture. It gives a false impression of the way things are, because with pride I'm only prepared to see through my eyes. I'm not really concerned with what it feels like to other people. I'm only concerned that my way should be followed at all costs. And if that doesn't happen, my pride is hurt. And by my behaviour I make it so uncomfortable for other people that very soon they begin to do what I want because there's a lot less hassle that way.
But if things are like that, there's no growth for any of us. All of us are blocked. I'm blocked because I refuse to seriously consider anyone else's point of view. Because I'm so absolutely certain I'm the only one who really sees the whole picture, and therefore I'm right. And other people are blocked because they lose the energy to fight, to stand up for what they believe in. They become weary and disillusioned and unable to face the constant hassle. This, perhaps, has been part of the problem in Northern Ireland over so many years. Ordinary people have grown weary of the constant need to fight for peace. Pride is a very effective barrier. It keeps God out as well as other people.
Jesus told today's story of the dinner party because he noticed how the guests at the dinner party chose the places of honour. "Don't try and make yourselves out to be better than you are," Jesus said, "because you'll come a cropper in the end. You'll find yourself humiliated." And this sentiment has come into our English heritage in the saying, 'Pride comes before a fall'.
But not everybody has that sort of pride, for pride has many disguises. Sometimes those disguises are twisted and inverted into a kind of false humility. In the kind of humility which is so terrified of appearing arrogant that it denies any good gifts which are there. Perhaps in a refusal to step forward and volunteer for anything in case I'm seen as blowing my own trumpet. Or in a refusal to take any kind of risk in case I make a fool of myself. Or in a refusal to accept what's offered, saying, like Peter at the Last Supper, when Jesus wanted to wash his feet: "I'm not good enough for that." (John 13:8)
This false humility is just as much a block to God and to other people as open arrogance, for again it acts like a suit of armour. If I constantly deprecate myself and my gifts, I'll never have to face any challenge, I'll never have to stretch myself or be stretched. It's the sort of false humility Uriah Heep practised in Dickens' "Great Expectations", when he folded his hands together and announced greasily, "I'm ever so 'umble."
I suspect true humility is a rare gift, for it accepts and acknowledges its own talents without the need for deprecation, but doesn't go beyond that point of acceptance. It doesn't boast. Perhaps true humility can only be found through the experience of humiliation. Perhaps true humility can be found through recognising my innate pride or arrogance and then allowing it to be deflated in humiliation.
Humiliation is hard to bear, but those who can face their own humiliation without being defeated by it, perhaps discover true humility. For as Jesus said, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
So perhaps as well as praying for peace in the world, we should begin to pray for true humility, for we know that God blesses the poor in spirit, and that theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
