A Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
The Rev. Theo Park

Ecclesiasticus 10:12-18
Psalm 112
Hebrews 13:1-8
Luke 14:1, 7-14

"The beginning of pride is sin." What on earth does the writer of Ecclesiasticus mean by this? It certainly seems alien to our ears, in this age of self-help guides, all promoting a healthy sense of self-esteem. We are supposed to be proud of our selves, aren't we? Proud of our bodies, proud of our accomplishments, proud of who we are. Yet in classical Judeo-Christian teaching, pride tops the list of the seven deadly sins. Seems to be a little cognitive dissonance here.

Of course, I'm really setting you up. Scripture is really very clear on this point, and there's not nearly the confusion I'm suggesting. Pride, as the ancients used the term, means self-conceit, not self-esteem; what the Greeks would call hubris, and which they saw as the source of all human tragic action. It is arrogance, as opposed to humility, which the early Christians considered to be the first and the source of all the virtues, just as pride was first among sin. And so we read in Proverbs,"A person's pride will bring humiliation, but one who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. Or in the version of the Beatitudes found in Matthew, "Blessed are the poor in spirit [the humble], for theirs is the kingdom of God. Or in James, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Or in today's Gospel, "All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Why is this, do you suppose? What is it about pride--understood in this way--that was so offensive? And what is so great about humility? Again, the answer is pretty clearly before us: the sort of pride referred to here--pride that is arrogant and puffed up with a sense of one's own self-importance before all else, the sort of pride that "goeth before a fail"--to pride oneself in this way (to use another term) is to forsake God. And separation from God is above all else defined as sin. Thus pride is the very root of Adam and Eve's first rebellious act. Pride is what leads rulers and those in authority to abuse those whom they should protect, to lord it over them. Pride foments injustice. Rightly does Ecclesiasticus say that those who cling to this sort of pride pour out abominations. And he goes on to say that God will rise against them, wiping even their memory from the earth.

So much for pride. What about humility? Did you know that its root is the Latin word humus, meaning "fertile ground"? It suggests that when we are not full of ourselves, we have room for other things to grow. When we are not filled with our own pride, we have room to recognize God and God's place in our lives, which should come first. No wonder our ancestors considered humility the source of all the other virtues. When we are proud, we tend to forget God; when we are humble, we tend to forget ourselves, which is not to say we neglect ourselves. To humble oneself is not to cultivate low selfesteem, but simply to order one's life according to heaven's priorities. It is to realize that the capacity for love and all of its inclusiveness--sharing, encouragement, patience, forgiveness, even suffering and self-sacrifice--is the true measure of a person. Isn't this what Jesus is saying in today's Gospel? Don't puff yourself up; God, who is the host at the kingdom banquet, will not fooled by self-promotion. Rather, put others' needs before your own. You will be richly rewarded in the end.

This is the message of the Letter to the Hebrews as well: be humble, love each other in a mutual way and open yourselves to everything that flows from such a fundamental stance. Above all, trust in God and do not fear. And here, I think, is the key: it is fear that drives human pride. We do not trust God's radical promise of care and protection and so we attempt to rely on our own strengths until they are all we believe in. Ultimately this will turn out to be a hollow strategy: if we believe only in ourselves then we really believe in nothing.

At this point I want to shift gears a little. Each of our authors today offers his listeners instruction on how to lead a better, more productive life, a life organized around real and lasting priorities rather than illusory and transient ones. The Bible is full of such instruction and so is our Christian tradition. Monastic orders, for example, have long associated themselves with what is called a "rule of life", guidelines connecting the practices and ideals of a particular community with the gospel and the Christian mystery. Our own baptismal covenant and the Catechism attempt to do the same thing for us as Episcopalians. They lay down the general outline of what we profess to believe and how we are to live out that faith.

Following in this tradition, I'm going to risk proposing some instructions of my own, gleaned equally from personal experience and the writings of many far wiser than I. I offer them to you as a means of avoiding self-conceit while still promoting self-esteem and of fostering a life-long attitude of humility in service to God. I have ten suggestions to make:

I) Love God, love yourself, and love everyone else. Make loving the purpose and primary expression in your life.

2) See your life as a gift from God. you are a marvelous creature with unlimited potential to make whatever you want to of that life; strive to make it a positive one. Do things that bring you a sense of fulfillment, joy and purpose, that validate your worth as a being created in the image of God. Never be afraid to take risks or make changes that would bring you greater satisfaction and joy.

3) Take time to nourish, support and encourage yourself--you're worth it. Above all, don't get stressed-out and rushed trying to accomplish things; live each day to the fullest, one day at a time, and all to the glory of God. Don't push the river, let it flow by itself. Don't worry so much about what you're going to do in life as who you're going to be as a child of God and sister or brother of Christ.

4) Pay close and loving attention to the Spirit working within you, tuning in to your needs on all levels. Make a commitment to health and well-being--physical , emotional, spiritual and intellectual. Develop a rule of life that seems authentic to you: a way of prayer, a way of exercise and nutrition, a way of study, a way of the heart. There is a divine spark within each of us that yearns to be tended and brought to a blaze.

5) Hold positive images and goals in your mind, pictures of what you truly want in your life. When fearful images arise, remember that God is always with you. Trust in God's faithfulness and refocus on images that evoke the feelings of peace and joy of being held in the palm of God's hand. Most importantly, seek to learn where the things that really motivate you connect with what the world really needs; chances are that's where you will find God working in your life. Then strive to live out your God-given calling.

6) Be in touch with your emotions; express your feelings and views openly, honestly, and appropriately. Never be afraid to laugh, to cry, to say, "This is what I believe." Allow others their emotions and listen respectfully to their opinions even when you disagree. Whenever so-called negative emotions arise--resentment, envy, fear, sadness, anger--listen to what they have to tell you but then release them; don't hold on to them. Let go and let God.

7) Cultivate community. Seek relationships that are fun, loving, and honest, that allow for the expression and fulfillment of needs for intimacy and security, both yours and those of others. Be true to your preferences, but always respect differences; when you disagree, focus on principles, not personalities. When relationships are wounded or broken, take responsibility for your part and ask and offer forgiveness as freely as you can. Healing comes only when you invite it to and only when you work at it.

8) Give thanks to God at all times for the marvelous things God has done for us, for the many blessings of this life. Give this thanks concrete expression by placing God and God's kingdom first and making your life a "sacrifice" of praise and thanksgiving. Make a positive contribution to your community, through some sort of work or service that you value and enjoy. (If you're only doing it because you feel you have to, stop doing it and find something else.)

9) Accept yourself and everything in your life as an opportunity for growth and learning. Be grateful for what is given you. When you slip up, remember that God forgives you and forgive yourself, learn what you can from the experience, and then move on. You may make a mistake, but you can never be a mistake. Remember that God made you and God doesn't make junk.

10) Finally, learn how to play and keep a sense of humor at all times. Above all, be ready to laugh at yourself; nothing is so serious that a smile won't help.

In closing, remember that we are all called to be disciples: if we are to be proud at all, if we are to boast, it is, as Paul says, not on our own account, but on account of Christ at work in us. We are not called to tell our own story, but to tell the story of what God has done for us from the beginning, to proclaim the fulfillment of God's promise in Jesus, and to turn our life upside down in true humility and follow him, calling others to join us. I believe that these ten suggestions will help us to live every minute as willing witnesses to Christ, and that with God's help we will succeed more often than we fail.

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