Pride and Humility

            Pride and humility are opposites and we can have great difficulty when pride takes over.  It is important in our lives to be humble and not to trumpet what we do and are too strongly.   Humility is a necessary part of being Christian.  It is certainly essential if we are going to attract others into our family.  Jesus told a wonderful parable about humility when he went to the Pharisee’s house for dinner.  He told them:

           

                                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; and 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. But 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. For all who

                              exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble

                              themselves will be exalted.

            Part of our problem is that we are afraid if we “sit in the lowest place” that no host will come to tell us to “come up higher”; but that is a product of our pride.  When we are living in humility, we won’t even think about where it is that we are sitting.  When we are able to put ourselves in the place of the poor, the outcast, the lame and the blind, who Jesus tells us to invite to our dinners, sitting in the lowest place is the best thing that we can do. 

            This is a story that Jesus tells his followers to give them a style of living that will be attractive to everyone who watches.  Unfortunately, it isn’t the style that Christianity has often adopted.  Instead, we have become sometimes overly prideful and want to compete with each other to attract people to our churches.  That is certainly a human characteristic, but it isn’t a very attractive one.   

            I have been in worship services, where I felt very much out of place because the behavior of the people in the congregation made it clear that their way of worship was the only approved method.  My lack of comfort would have driven me away if it hadn’t been necessary for me to be present in those places because of my work.  I don’t feel that way anymore because our worship services have been made more comfortable and I don’t feel anymore that I am not welcome.  That is probably the most important thing that we are doing in our worship services.  It reflects the way that we live with each other.  Humility needs to be paramount if we are going to make people comfortable and attract them to our communities. 

            The essence of the Gospel is to bring it to those who have nothing.  That is why we are here.  The poor and the outcast are our place of mission and when we focus on their needs, we are doing everything that God wants us to do.  How we worship is less important than who we minister to; what hope we bring to those who have none.  That is what this church of ours was created to do.  We bless our Lord when we do it, and that is the only possible source of our pride.