The Humble Will Be Exalted – Luke 14:11
Rev. Sonja Dalglish, First Presbyterian Church Kingsville
August 28, 2016 - 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Prov 25: 6-7; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14;
Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1, 10-16
Focus - What does the text say?: Our only strength is in God.
Function - How does the text influence us today?: When we turn away from God we are turning away from life. It is better to be humble in God’s presence than to pretend to be proud and exalted, an attitude that tends to take us to failure.
Introduction – Humility
Today’s Gospel reading is about the benefit of being humble. In an NPR interview a while back, I heard a singer/songwriter talk about the three themes of Country music: God, Love, and Death. However, some songs just don’t follow the pattern. Have you noticed that Country Music has some amusing songs that are mirrors of the world in one sense or another? There is a song that was popular quite a few years back about humility – or perhaps the lack of it. That song is “Lord, It’s hard to be Humble” by Mac Davis. Perhaps you remember some of the words.
Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble
when you're perfect in every way.
I can't wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better looking each day.
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man.
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
but I'm doing the best that I can.
Humility comes from the same root as humus – or dirt. It is the basic stuff of which we are made. Of course, humility is not thinking too highly of yourself, but it is also not thinking too lowly of yourself. Christians can have an amazing humility and kindness even in the most trying of times, reaching out and not striking back, not letting themselves be derailed from doing the ministry they feel called to do. There is a strength in humility, knowing who you are.
Humility – Taking Direction, Continuing to Learn
Today’s readings from Luke and Hebrews instruct us to be humble. Be humble, do what you think is right, and God will give you what you need. Our best strength is from God.
How do we practice humility? Our reading from Hebrews says to give aid to aliens, visit those who are in prison, honor the institution of marriage, and stay free from the love of money.
It is God’s will that all people be treated well, even if they are from a foreign land. The writer of Hebrews is voicing a theme that the Hebrew Scriptures use repeatedly, to be kind and just to the alien residing in your land. That is an important message here in Texas with our immigration issues and illegal border crossings. I think that what the author of Hebrews is saying is that we should uphold the law, and, in doing so, treat all aliens well, with kindness.
And for those people, citizen or not, who are in prison? Visit them. Even if the person deserves to be in prison, they still are God’s children and are loved by God.
Uphold marriage by remaining faithful to your spouse, by supporting others who are married with encouragement and love. Do not try to disrupt a marriage. It means guiding those who are thinking about marriage. Upholding marriage may mean finding ways to support families. When families cannot afford health care or child-care, that puts stress on the marriage. To uphold marriage is not just to talk about it, it is to do the practical things that can keep families together.
And then we come to warning against greed. Stay free from the love of money because loving it can make it impossible to love other people.
Then, the writer of Hebrews turns to communities of faith and gives three more indications of God’s will for congregations as we grow and become the front porch of the kingdom of God.*[Gray Temple, Feasting on the Word] All week, I have been thinking about the church being the front porch of the Kingdom, welcoming people in, inviting them home to a place where they belong and are loved and valued.
There are three vital elements for our congregations: worship, fellowship, and ministry. Our worship should be full of joy and praise for the awesome God we worship. As we praise God, we are transformed into new people. We become like those we love and admire. If we admire and praise Jesus Christ, we will grow to be more and more like him, loving others and welcoming them into communion with God.
As we fellowship together, we find joy in being with other people who also love and admire Christ. We find encouragement for our lives. And, we find things we love to do together, things we value that can impact the world around us, making it a better place. And, then, we can go into the world ministering to others, bringing the good news of Jesus Christ and the love of God. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to stay around people of faith so that we can encourage each other.
The most exciting ministries grow from the fellowship of people who are enlivened by worship. They find powerful ways of taking the things they value, for instance, a love of education, children, and music, and find ways of using those enthusiasms to enrich the world around them.
God can work through us if we allow it. The world values loud and boastful people. You can see them on TV, shouting, “We’re Number One!” You can see them bragging about their wealth or strength. But, we can afford to be humble and gentle and quiet, and still be a part of the greatness of God’s work in the world.
Think about the difference between Chihuahuas and Great Danes. The Chihuahuas of the world are loud, because they have to be. The great Danes don’t bark nearly as much. But when a Great Dane barks one time, you’ll listen much more than you will to the thousand barks an hour from a Chihuahua. Be humble, Jesus says. Accept the lower place; be ready to serve. That will get God’s attention.
We do not tend to like humility. We don’t like to admit that we don’t know all the answers. We don’t like to admit that we all make mistakes. And beyond that, sometimes, we all can do what we know is wrong. Sometimes, we do wrong by not standing up for what is right. We look to people like Martin Luther King, Jr and Gandhi, as models for how to be humble as we demand justice.
God calls us to be honest and courageous even as we are humble. We confess that we miss the mark every Sunday because we know that with God’s help, we can face the truth about ourselves, even when it is not good news. God loves us in spite of our mistakes. And God can change us to be better followers. God’s love is stronger than our weakness.
Be Humble
All of this leads up to our Gospel reading from Luke. Jesus says to be humble. Be humble and true to yourself. Do not be ashamed of who you are.
Jesus tells a story about a banquet where some people sat in places of honor and had to move because someone more important came. Today, most banquets have place cards so we would not make that mistake. However, there are not place cards and reserved spots on pews in the church. I never had thought that someone could be asked to move out of a pew because of honor but it has happened.
I knew a rancher out in Blanco. He told me about his grandmother’s funeral. The people came into the small church in Blanco and sat down. His grandmother was well known. The local dignitaries came and sat on the front rows, judges, commissioners, councilmen, the mayor, and even a state representative or two. They seemed to be comfortable in their importance among the people. Just before the service began, some men in dark suits came in and cleared those rows. They made the ‘important people’ sit farther back. Then, they brought in Lady Bird Johnson and sat her down, surrounded her with her family and with Secret Service agents.
Even though we are not perfect, even though we have weaknesses, we also have strengths and gifts. We are enough. You are enough for God to use you. You have worth because you are a child of God. This church is enough for God to use to bring good news to this community.
Conclusion
The good news is that God works with each of us. When we turn to God we are turning to life. It is better to be humble in God’s presence than to turn inward and live only by our own wisdom. We don’t have to know everything about the future or even about today. We can trust God with our lives and with the lives of our children. We can trust God with the present and the future of the Church, this church, and our denomination. This does not lead us into complacency but instills us with strength and courage. We can be brave enough to see our weaknesses and our strengths. God is with us now and will be with us through all our tomorrows. Our strength is in God. Our message is God’s love for this world.
Amen.
** the analogy of the Great Dane and the Chihuahua come from Rev. Dr. Doug Dalglish
Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Sunday, August 28, 2016,
the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Proverbs 25:6-7
Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presenceor stand in the place of the great; for it is better to be told, ‘Come uphere’,than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
First Reading Jeremiah 2:4-13
4Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5Thus says the LORD: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves? 6They did not say, "Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through, where no one lives?" 7I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. 8The priests did not say, "Where is the LORD?" Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after things that do not profit.
9Therefore once more I accuse you, says the LORD, and I accuse your children's children. 10Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing. 11Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit. 12Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the LORD, 13for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.
Psalm 81:1, 10-16
1Sing aloud to God our strength;
shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
10 I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
11 "But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
13 O that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,
and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him,
and their doom would last forever.
16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
Second Reading Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
1Let mutual love continue. 2Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. 4Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. 5Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." 6So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"
7Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
15Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Gospel Luke 14:1, 7-14
1On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.
7When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable.
8"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, 'Give this person your place', and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
12He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
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