SERMON
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
Humility is a tricky thing – and yet it is a trait that is called upon and revered in all religions and spiritual teachings.
So let me start with a little story about how difficult it is to be humble.
A rabbi, a Hindu, and a lawyer are in a car that breaks down in the countryside one evening.
They walk to a nearby farm, and the farmer tells them it is too late for a tow truck, but he has only two extra beds and one of them will have to sleep in the barn.
The Hindu says, “I’m humble, I’ll sleep in the barn.” But minutes later he returns and knocks on the door and says, “There is a cow in the barn. It is against my beliefs to sleep in the same building as a cow.”
So, the rabbi says, “It’s okay, I’ll sleep in the barn.” But soon, he is back knocking on the door as well, saying, “There is a pig in the barn, and I cannot shelter in a building with a pig.”
So, the lawyer is forced to sleep in the barn. Shortly, there is another knock on the door and the farmer sighs and answers it. It is the pig and the cow.
Humility is one of those things you cannot really brag about having.
If there is one thing, I am better at it than everyone else... It is humility.
Humility is a virtue. Humility is central to the Christian teachings and especially to how Christ lived, healed, cared and died. Again and again, Jesus encouraged us to be humble, to be generous, to be kind. Humility is a source of faith and compassion that comes from deep within it is not superficial, it is not self-taught, it is not self-righteous. It is anything from self-centered – it is a deep recognition of our shared humanity and the frailty of our own nature. The wise Desmond Tutu said:
Like humility, generosity comes from seeing that everything we have and everything we accomplish comes from God's grace and God's love for us . . . Certainly it is from experiencing this generosity of God and the generosity of those in our life that we learn gratitude and to be generous to others. Desmond Tutu.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. This phrase if attributed the author C.S. Lewis, and through time many others have used it as a way of defining Humility.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
It means that humility does not mean having a low opinion of oneself, but rather a self-forgetfulness that allows one to focus more on others. Humble people have the same thing in common: they are more engaged in serving and being there for others than dwelling on their own importance. This perspective encourages a more balanced and nuanced understanding of humility. It is not self-deprecation but a genuine concern for others.
So, think about when you last encounter a humble person, a humble moment, a humble encounter that reminded you about the generosity of God and others in your life.
Humility was found in the gentle humming of the night nurse that came to check on my mom in her last days at the nursing home this summer. Quitly entering the room, humming a beloved evening song, gently laying her hands on my mom to check her vitals, her breath, her being. The nurse was thinking less about herself, her hours, her tiredness, and more about others.
Humility was found in the simple joy of taking my grieving dad out for lunch – at a beautiful inn with views of the ocean enjoying stjerneskud – and watching how the waitress made every effort to make my dad comfortable with his walker, his difficulty getting around.
Humility is found so many places in our daily lives, and we thank God for every humble encounter.
Welcome to church and welcome to the Danish Lutheran church – a place of humanity, humor and humility, as we often tend to choose the back seats before the prominent front!
It is so fitting and right that when we celebrate Baptism of a Child of God, we do give the front seat to him or her. We welcome the young, the small, the ones who need our care and who might teach us something about humility.
Humility is at the center of Christinanity.
Humility is at the center today through the reading from Proverb and the Gospel where humility is praised and exalted.
Humility is at the table when we gather for communion as we gather as equals, as humans, as people of faults and frails, doubts and despair, as God’s children who are asking for mercy and foregivness with a humble heart.
Humility is at the baptismal font celebrating the baptism of a young child with gratitude and humble prayers.
Humility is at the ushers’ hands, when we humbly ask for any support for this church and community with gratitude.
Humility is at the Potluck table after church, where we bring to the table with compassion and the attitude of sharing and caring – and where we enjoy the humble gift of food and fellowship.
Humility is at the center of this church, and it should be.
The wonderful author Maya Angelou once said:
We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude toward it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate - thereby, making the present comfortable and the future promising. Maya Angelou
The church should be a place to plant forgiveness and seed humility.
In Matthew 18:4, Jesus says: “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Humility is a virtue and yet, we tend to spend most of our lives working to achieve the opposite of humility—we strive for recognition, privilege, power, and positions.
There is a remarkable conflict between the call for humility by Christ and the societal value system that rewards materialism, competitiveness, and prominence. General wisdom is that it is harder to advance our career when we humbly stand back instead of promoting ourselves. Humility is frequently perceived as a weakness.
Which we sadly experienced when episcopalian bishop Mariann Budde earlier this year preached on the message of the good Samaritan – which is the story about compassion, humility and humanity despite everything that might devide us or might drive us to want more or look away.
Bishop Budde spoke and prayed at the service after the presidential inauguration on the need to show mercy in our world: to the weak, vulnerable, stranger, alien and smallest. And many replied with holy anger that compassion was weak, and this was political propaganda. Infact, it was preaching the gospel of hopsititailiy, humility and compassion.
They forgot that:
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
Desmond Tuto reflected on humility all his life. He emphasizes the importance of humility in our interactions with others and the world.
Tuto said that the following were intertwined with humility.
Generosity and humility: our generosity comes from the recognition that everything comes from God and his mercy.
Forgiveness and humility: humility allows us to recognize our share humanity and fragility and from that grows compassion.
Joy and Humility: finding a deep joy in our interconnectedness.
Desmond Tutos teaching on humility were deeply rooted in Christianity and in African wisdom Ubuntu – which focuses on interconnectedness of all human beings. Tuto believed that true humility involved recognizing and valuing the humanity of others to build strong meaningful relationships. It was to foster a sense of community and cooperation. The same thought and sentiment we find in Grundtvig’s teachings, sermons, hymns and songs.
As Grundtvig wrote in his beloved Song Et jævnt og muntert virkesomt liv på jord
Simplicity of Life
Give me a simple life. A merry heart.
And kings may keep their pomp and garments splendid.
Let me in hut or mansion live the part of one from worthy ancestors descended.
With eye for thins above as God ordained, awake to greatness, goodness, truth and beauty.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
With eyes wide open for things above, like Grundtvig so poetically put it. With eve wide open for greatness, goodness, truth and beauty – with eyes like that we foster humility and humanity.
Humility and love are intricately connected. Love requires humility. It is no coincidence that our savior and teacher and masters of love, Jesus exemplified humility.
Love and humility go hand in hand.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
Micah 6,8:
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Amen.