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Sermon
Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – September 1, 2019
Centenary United Methodist Church
Micah 6:6-8; Luke 14:1,
7-14
This morning we are going to discuss what it is like to live in a
spirit of humility. Carrying ourselves with this attitude may be harder
than we realize. Most of us
want to be at our best and being humble may not be that appealing to us
since most of us need validation and appreciation.
How did Jesus stay with a spirit
of humility while being well-known as a healer everywhere he went?
He was a celebrity!
Our Gospel lesson begins with these words: "One
Sabbath, Jesus went to eat a meal at the home of one of the leading
Pharisees; and people were watching Jesus closely."
Perhaps many of them had come to watch Jesus perform a miracle or
two. For many people, Jesus
was a curiosity. There may have been times when his ability seemed like
a curse. (Mark 3:20f) Jesus knew that people were attracted to him
because of his miracles and not because of the lessons he was
teaching. (John 4:48) He often tried to give credit for these healings
to the person. He would say, "Your faith has made you well," even
during moments when Jesus actually experienced his energy leaving his
body. (Luke 8:46) There were
occasions when Jesus asked, "Do you believe that I can heal you?"
(Matthew 9:28)
In any event, Jesus was clearly a marked man by the
public as one who could give physical health back to people.
It is amazing that he also found time for preaching and teaching.
Having such celebrity status could have easily swelled his ego
but strangely enough that never happened. How did Jesus overcome such
a natural tendency that can dominate people with a sense of
self-importance? Jesus could draw teaching illustrations from
almost any experience that was taking place at the moment.
During this episode in our lesson, Jesus noticed that many people
attending the gathering at the home of this Pharisee were attempting to
get the front row seats to watch and listen to Jesus.
Using the illustration of a wedding feast, Jesus
warned his listeners that they could be humiliated if the host had to
ask them to move because he had their seats reserved for some of his
closer friends. He told them to
choose other seats until the host would see them and invite them to come
closer. Jesus concluded with these words:
"For those who make themselves great will be humbled and those
who humble themselves will be made great." In 1980, Mac Davis released a record that soared to
the top of the charts of popularity.
His song began with the chorus that captures a human tendency
that we just take for granted as being a natural part of living.
Here are the lyrics to that chorus: 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 lookin' 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 doin' the best that I
can.
His song has such a catchy tune that when I found it on Google
search and listened to it, it played in my head for the rest of the
day. It is a fascinating
song that makes visible in English a quality that is alive and well in
most of us. There is a
streak of vanity that inspires us to want to be noticed in the crowd of
others.
Gifted people want to be known by what they do. Beautiful people want to be
noticed and complimented. Professional athletes, that are one-of-a-kind,
hire attorneys to negotiate the highest salary they can get.
They also know that because of their status as being among the
greats, they can receive more wealth from their endorsements of
products from various companies.
In 2016, the golfer Tiger Woods earned 45 million dollars just
from such endorsements.
And yet, Tiger cannot go to a restaurant for a peaceful meal with
friends without people approaching his table and asking for a selfie
with him. Like Jesus, all
eyes of the public follow Tiger wherever he goes.
People appear to want to be noticed by the world but once they
are, their freedom is gone.
Jesus found the same experience. Sometimes the number of needy
people was so overwhelming that they prevented Jesus from eating his
lunch. He often sought
solitude just to get away from all the attention. There are many people who would never attend a social occasion
without bringing to life the lyrics of the Mac Davis' chorus.
Before attending any public function, we have to pass a test of
pausing in front of the mirror. How do I look?
Is anything out of place.
Do I have both of my ear rings?
Is my tie completely under my collar in the back. When we examine the array of products that affect our appearance,
it may not surprise us to learn that current projections for the sale of
self-enhancing products in 2023 in the U.S. will be 805.6 billion
dollars. This includes everything from teeth and hair implants, to
plastic surgery and designer babies. This year, the budget for
the U.S. Department of Defense is only 686.1 billion.
We would not be spending this kind of money if we did not want to
look our best, to be recognized, and to look like we are 28 on our 48th
birthday. A product called plexaderm actually shrinks wrinkles and
dissolves bags under the eyes. Many
are saddened to learn that the result of this product only lasts a few
hours. But the more scientists learn how to perfect the quality of our
skin, the more such products may one day bring a permanent result.
There is a race among Pharmaceutical companies to see which one
will stop the aging process through genetic engineering.
Just imagine a day when graduation from this life will happen
hundreds of years after our birth. Most of us understand the emotional logic of why people
spend this amount of money on the veneer of their aging cocoon.
However, what is really going on in our lives from Jesus'
perspective? What comes to mind is Jesus' admonition, "Where your
treasure is there will your hearts be also."
(Matthew 6:21)
What is the remedy that will allow humility to become a
preferred choice for our lifestyle? What would help us to get
the concerns of self-interest off the stage of our lives?
What would help us to remain at peace with who we are and to
surrender with grace and dignity the things of youth? Some friends of ours are musicians who have shared their message in
music with hundreds of audiences through the years.
The group is called Dust and Ashes. They have sold scores
of CDs at their concerts.
The lyrics of one of their songs really captures the essence of why
humility can be achieved by people who truly desire to display this gift
of spirit.
The lyrics of this song tells a story:
A dusty old Coyote was busy drinking from a
cool, roaming river and when he had enough, he said, 'I thank you river.
I swear I was so dry, if it were not for you, I do believe I
would have died.' But the river whispered softly as it leaned against
the bank, 'I'm glad that I could help but I'm not the one to thank. You
see, I'm only a river. I'm not the one to praise. I am only a
channel of the good and gentle rain. And I can only carry what I have
received, love's living water anyone can drink for free.' That grateful old Coyote is a lot like me and
you. Sometimes we don't get
credit where it's really due, so if today someone should find that
something good has come from something that we said or did, or some old
song we sung, you can rest assured that any quenching of this thirsty
soul is all because of something much greater than us all, cause we are
only a river, we're not the one to praise.
We are only a channel of the good and gentle rain. And we can
only carry what we have received, love's living water anyone can drink
for free. Most of us enter this world with talents and abilities that can
percolate to the surface of our lives once we begin to appreciate who we
are. When we develop them, we can become like that river.
We are only a channel for what we have received.
This is a wholesome way to understand who we are.
This is a way to help us keep our perspective.
This is an attitude that helps to prevent us from becoming
self-absorbed by confusing our abilities with our identity.
We are all expendable. Our
lives are designed to give us a temporary experience while living in
these physical forms. It is our task to sow our seeds and quietly
leave the stage of our personal drama.
For some people, it is difficult to let go of the desire to
stay around for as long as possible.
However, if our treasure is a well-preserved form, that is
where our lives will remain focused. Jesus did not take seriously anything in this material
world. His mission was not to
heal others, it was to teach people how to live in this world.
(John 18:37) He wanted to help others but he did not want the
fame that came along with doing so.
Jesus knew how flawed and imperfect we are. This condition is a
part of life. We remain
students until we reach a level of being a master teacher. Most of us
set out on our journey remaining blind to our entire potential.
He tried to teach us how to avoid
the pitfalls.
Once Jesus saved a woman's life by reminding the gathering of men,
"He who is without sin, cast the first stone." (John 8:7) Eventually he
asked the woman, "Where are they?"
She said, "They have gone."
Jesus said, "I do not condemn you either. Go and find a more
wholesome way to give meaning to your life."
Not everyone found meaning in Jesus' message and his abilities.
In fact, the religious saints of his day despised him so
much that they arranged with the Roman power brokers to have him
killed. They thought that
getting rid of Jesus would end his influence.
Even in his death, he was still teaching love and forgiveness.
Jesus understood his identity as being a channel from which
he could give away for free what he had received.
Just think of how Jesus has influenced the
world by dedicating the last three years of his life to showing and
teaching people how to live in a world of constantly changing material
forms. A question for us
this morning is what are we teaching others with the time we have
left?
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Loving God, on this weekend when we celebrate our labors, we thank you for
giving us the capacity, for insight, for giving us the ability to
respond with creativity, and for giving us the opportunity to make our
world a more wholesome place for men and women to live.
Help us to remember how millions of people changed their lives
because a humble carpenter influenced people two thousand years ago.
Help us to remember that you create through what we produce.
Inspire us to begin each day with the thought, "This is my moment
to help others see that God’s Kingdom is already here because I am
living in it now." Amen.
PASTORAL PRAYER
Loving and ever
patient God, how can we ever thank you enough for loving us with
sunlight and rain, for life-challenges that prevent us from staying as
we are, for the aging process that always encourages us to surrender
gracefully the things of youth, for the moments that make us laugh, to
encourage others, and to pass on the wisdom we have learned from every
source from which our life-lessons have come. September has come when so many children, young people,
principals, and teachers return to their schools.
We are reminded that Jesus was a teacher who literally influenced
billions of people during the thousands of years his timeless lessons
have been circulating. We
are reminded of the men and women who taught us when perhaps we were
more keenly tuned into relationships, dress codes, or whether or not
anyone noticed us and, hopefully, liked us just as we showed up in their
lives. During the years of
education for many of us, we experienced the light of understanding that
prepared our minds to explore the vocational fields into which we
settled, the authors who fueled our imaginations with thoughts we might
never have considered, and the risk taking that gave us experiences that
helped us to stretch and mature in spirit and character. This Labor Day is a marvelous remembrance. What job does not have its sacred value? When everyone serves one another through what they do, in spite of how humble or great their tasks are, most of us experience that sense of community and freedom that allows us to live in peace. This lesson, given to us by Jesus, may be our gift to the world. We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, the Christ, who taught us to say when we pray . . . |