Humility: The Gift of God’s Fullness
November 5, 2017
Rev. Stephanie Ryder
Matthew 23:1-12:
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat;therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues,and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi.But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven.Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant.All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
I had scheduled a vacation a couple of weeks ago, and my plans for leaving town early in the week fell through. My spiritual advisor suggested that perhaps I use the time to go help somebody. “I bet the people in Sonoma could use your help,” she said.
I was furious. It was my vacation! What on earth was she talking about? And anyways, I had been told that there was plenty of help and the inundation of volunteers were somewhat “in the way.” Well, just hours later, an email popped up from the Marin Interfaith Council requesting clergy and counselors at the sites of the fires to assist people who were being let back in to their burned-out neighborhoods to go through the ashes in search of what may be left of their belongings.
There were four dates, and the one day I was available was the first day of my vacation. I reluctantly added my name. As the date approached, I filled my mind with alternatives, like perhaps I should redeem the gift certificate I was given to a spa that day instead. I took my name off the list. Phew, I thought. I spent the day relaxing instead. Kind of…
In the gospel reading today, Jesus is telling the crowds to listen to what the religious leaders teach, they have knowledge of the law of Moses to be imparted. Just don’t do as they do. They don’t practice what they preach. They put the burden of the law on others, using it as a form of exclusion, and don’t lift a finger doing the work themselves.
They want status and public recognition for their piety. They wear phylacteries-- a parchment capsule containing Scripture, affixed to the left upper arm or the forehead regarded as a protection against evil spirits; and fringe, which were attached to their cloaks to remind them of the law. They cherish the best seats in the synagogue, and being greeted with the respect of being called rabbi.
Rabbi means teacher. Jesus tells the crowds that they have only one teacher. The religious leaders were also called “father” as symbol of their authority, and Jesus says the only religious authority worthy of being called father is the one in heaven. Furthermore, the greatest are not the ones in the best seats or wearing the longest fringe on their garments or who receive public acclaim but the ones who truly serve. Faith is about action not appearances.
Similarly in the Old Testament reading, Micah speaks out against the false prophets of his day who only proclaim what is good for them and in their best interests, but disregard God’s word. They take bribes and believe that God is with them always because of their religious status but they have forgotten the poor and think only of themselves. They cannot see the destruction coming. They live in a false reality. They do not live with integrity. They will be humbled.
This is the conclusion of Jesus’ message today as well. The exalted will be humbled, and the humbled will be exalted.
In the headlines today, we read about clergy accused of abhorrent behavior. Leaders in Hollywood, producers and actors, those in high prestige and power, are also being brought low with the revealing of their indiscretions around inappropriate treatment of others. Power corrupts. Jesus is warning the crowds of this fact that was prevalent in his day and still in ours today, 2000 years later. Vanity, hypocrisy, arrogance and entitlement were as alive and well in his era as in ours. Absolute power for selfish gain is a trap. It leads to abuse and oppression of others.
This abuse from power can occur both individually and systemically. It can become a standard and habitual pattern that becomes merely “the way things are.” Priests abuse children, Hollywood producers are womanizers. If we go back just a couple hundred years ago, Christian slave owners justified their complicity in an evil system by declaring that slavery was good for the slaves. Those who benefit from immorality and corruption are unlikely to challenge it. Until it was recognized as evil, named and resisted, the corruption of slavery continued. As long as the slave owners, priests, and producers were receiving personal benefits, they could believe the Lord was with them.
We humans tend to confuse our interests with God’s interests. When we are filled up with the excitement of power and prestige, perhaps it appears as that intoxicating power that feels godlike. When we seek the praise of people instead of the praise of God, it is ultimately hollow, and can have unfortunate consequences when we take it to the extreme.
In a passage 3 chapters after our Old Testament reading today, Micah lays out what the Lord require of us: to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with the Lord. These are the identifying markers of the people of God. Many of you continually serve others with justice and kindness, whether on a day off or not, giving, supporting and loving fellow congregants and neighbors in need. The faithfulness of this congregation is extraordinary.
Jesus calls us to be a community of equals, where all are valued and have equal worth, where there is no hierarchy and no subordination. The only true power is God’s power, not our own prideful selfish and self-seeking power that has the potential to hurt and destroy others. Religion is meant to free, not oppress.
The exalted will be humbled, and the humbled will be exalted, Jesus says. The timing of this passage is Monday of Holy Week. Jesus is preparing for the ultimate in humility – to be arrested, betrayed by those he thought were his friends, and hung on a cross; he is preparing to give up his life. He emptied himself in humility and was in the end exalted – filled with God’s fullness.
On the first day of my vacation that I spent relaxing, another email arrived announcing that there was an extension of the dates available for clergy to serve those most greatly affected by the fires. I couldn’t run or hide any longer. It was clear to me what God was calling me to do. I signed up to go to Santa Rosa the next day. That’s not to say I still didn’t try to avoid going. I reread the instructions and we were supposed to come in teams. I emailed the director that I didn’t have a team. “Oh, that’s okay! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow, at 7am!”
The Greek word for showing humility, and true lowliness, tapeinóō, is defined as being fully dependent on the Lord and dismissing reliance upon self. This exalts the Lord, rather than self, and prompts the gift of God’s fullness in us.
I arrived at the Salvation Army headquarters in Santa Rosa and it was still dark outside. I met my cohort for the day, Joy from 19th Avenue Baptist Church in San Francisco. She was coming to volunteer for the second time. We were both stationed at Fountain Grove, and so we drove there together. As we drove by Land’s End, formerly a mobile home park, Joy pointed and said, “That’s where I was on Friday.” It was an entirely decimated neighborhood, just a large plot of ashes. My heart trembled as we drove up the hill.
We wound around curvy streets, the smell of smoke becoming more and more apparent, and hills of desolation. Long driveways with just the pavement and stone pillars at the entrance still standing. We reached Rincon Park, where the Salvation Army truck was parked, and we helped to set up the tables and put up the awning for shade. We set out trays and trays and trays of all kinds of power bars, granola bars, clif bars, and filled the cooler with ice and bottled water and gatorades. We set out the coffee dispenser and cups. We set out boxes of N-95 masks and gloves. This was all under the guidance of Major Jerry Esqueda, a Salvation Army director from San Diego, who had arrived the evening before.
People were grateful for the water and snacks; it was a hot day. At one point, another volunteer arrived and so Joy and I drove around the neighborhood, where the homes, or sites of ash, were spread out. We drove and drove and drove, stopping each time we saw people with their shovels and rakes, some in white hazmat suits and others in plain clothes. Many of the people were accompanied by their insurance agents. Some were going back, just one more time, perhaps, to find the wedding rings.
Some parts of the day were slow, with not many people coming by. “We are here to be a presence,” Major Jerry said. “When people drive back into what was once their neighborhood, we want them to know that someone cares, that someone is there for them. And that’s us.”
Across the street from the Salvation Army truck was what used to be a house with what used to be 2 cars, the model and make of which were unrecognizable. They were shells of black metal resting on hubcaps. I heard the college age daughter say to her mother, “Look, Mom! This is the shower, I think! And look, I found the bread maker!... My diploma is somewhere in this ash, but we can replace it for a small fee!” she said with a laugh. A laugh.
And what happened to me as I observed, as I listened, is that I felt the fullness of God. Tapeinóō: humility: being fully dependent on the Lord and dismissing reliance upon self. This exalts the Lord, rather than self, and prompts the gift of God’s fullness in us. I was humbled, and the fullness of God in me was exalted. humility: the gift of God’s fullness in us.
Sometimes it’s that silent, that small, that simple, feeling God’s presence. And sometimes it’s more pronounced, like Wednesday night, watching the Houston Astros win their first World Series. Houston was humbled by Hurricane Harvey two months ago, and those players gave it their all, all of their strength and heart and love, to win the title for an otherwise devastated Houston. The players wore Houston Strong patches on their jerseys. Signs all over Santa Rosa read, “Sonoma Strong.” The exalted will be humbled and the humbled will be exalted. This is the promise Jesus gives us today. Humility is a gift. A gift of the fullness of God.
I’m not recommending that we don’t take a vacation or time off or time away. Jesus did this frequently; it’s necessary for our health and well-being. However, we must listen to God, and pay attention to the signs around us. God made clear what God’s will was for me through constant prompting that I was meant to be in Santa Rosa.
When I arrived home from Santa Rosa, it was as dark as when I had left. But my heart was full of light from the people I had met and the hope that I had witnessed.
The stories of hope keep coming. I heard that day in Santa Rosa about a paraplegic who was able to make his way to the large grassy area in the middle of Coffey Park, which likely had just been watered prior to the outbreak of the fire. He stayed on this patch of grass as his neighborhood burned around him and his life was spared.
Another story is of a family who returned to the site of their former home and called for their dog, who had been inadvertently left when they fled the flames. The dog came bounding our from behind a bush. I would like to offer an opportunity for you to share stories you have heard recently of courage, faith and hope, stories of the humbled being exalted. Please share your stories with one another at Fellowship after the service.
Please join me in prayer: God, we thank you for your incessant care and pouring out of blessings upon us, even in the midst of tremendous darkness. We thank you for always loving us, for teaching us how to love, and teaching us how to live.
In Jesus, name, Amen.
1