Monday February 11, 2008
John
19:17:The Crucifixion
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.
Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic
is called
When I think of “humility” or
being “humble”, God and Jesus are not intellectually the first to come to
mind. Why? They are great and powerful deities. My perception is that they could do whatever
they want to, however, biblical history has painted a different picture of
Jesus. Heaven, as it often is
artistically depicted, is a magnificent, beautiful, and breathtaking place. Yet, Jesus was born on earth as a carpenter’s
son. He did not seek political or
monetary power. He ate with and shared
stories with women and children, the poor, prostitutes, and those ravaged with
disease.
As Jesus’ life neared its end,
he resigned himself to the soldiers without a fight. He bore a heavy wooden cross on a death march
to an ugly place. He did this freely,
for you and for me! Is there any greater
humility than placing love for others above one’s self? Can I do the same?
Often we engage in light
lunchtime banter, when taking a break from work. A few days ago we discussed the alleged
existence of “Bigfoot”. My four
colleagues pooh-poohed the notion, while I argued that there are many things
not understood or easily explained by reason or science. Why do so many people believe that we are the
only intelligent life in the universe, or laugh at the idea of flying saucers,
or the existence of other parallel worlds?
Do we humans know all, control all?
I think not. Perhaps we should
step back and be more humble.
Am I humble enough to carry my
own cross? What does that mean to
me? Well, I do know one thing for sure;
whatever the burden, I will not carry it alone.
God has been very good to me. I
feel his blessings every day. I pray
that I never am haughty, or think that I am better than someone else in less
fortunate circumstances than me. When I
do feel overwhelmed, I humbly pray for guidance. I have the constant support of the Holy
Trinity. With that combined strength to
support me, I can be confident in my own accountability for all I do.
Dear
Lord, Please stay by my side and provide me with the strength to overcome
adversities. Help me to become more
Christ-like. Thank you for your daily blessings. Let me always remember that all goodness,
peace, and happiness comes to me as a direct result of
your unconditional love for me.
Amen
Tuesday February 12, 2008
Matthew 11:29:
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
When I first consider the
agricultural image included in this text, I think about a scene from some
distant land with a scantily clad man behind a team of oxen yoked into
service. My image doesn’t seem to
coincide with a scene of humility. I
think of whips thrashing and animals bleating and sweating in order to complete
the seemingly cruel task of working the earth in order to produce food. Take this yoke and get to work. Do my bidding or else you get a beating. I suspect this initial focus results from
hardness gained through experience in a world that often greets those who
struggle with cruelty and domination.
What a contrast this is to the
actual image presented. In this text we
hear Matthew invite us to take upon ourselves the yoke of Jesus. Jesus, in his turn, promises to be our master
as one not with whips and screams, but with gentleness and humility, prompting
us to continue in the journey in order to find rest for our souls.
Jesus is the example from whom
we learn how to be gentle and humble.
What we learn from Jesus is how to be in the world with others the Jesus
way. Throughout the Gospels we learn the
teachings of Jesus in this matter.
Humble people are those who put the needs of others first. Humble people seek to lift the burdens of others
before lifting their own. Humble people
provide rest for others before finding rest for themselves.
Perhaps the choice of words in
this text is intended to shock us into paying close attention. This yoke is different because this Master is
different. We learn to be gentle and
humble in heart in order to sharpen our ability to be care-givers as well as
care-receivers. Jesus has helped us to
see that life can become richer when our concern for others supersedes our
concern for ourselves. The work in this
Lord’s field is focused on producing something different, something
extra-ordinary, and something remarkable.
In that humble service of others, our tiredness is relieved and our
lives enriched, our hearts lightened and heaven draws just a little closer.
PRAYER
Your
gentleness and humility, O Lord, teach us so much about how we should act
toward one another. Help us to be as
gentle and humble toward others as you have been to us. Amen
Wednesday February 13, 2008
Luke 18:11,13
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other
men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
"But the tax collector stood at a
distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said,
'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
"It
doesn't matter if you win or lose; it's how you play the game that
counts!" We've all heard that old
line – and laughed that it is usually said by a non-winner. How un-American to think that winning doesn't
matter. Our society is built upon
competition. Most people struggle daily
to get ahead; we are a "me-first" people. We strive not to be perfect, just to be
better than our competitors. Our world
is quite relative; we affirm our own importance by comparing our deeds and accomplishments
to those of others. It is the American
way.
In
today's scripture Jesus teaches us another way, the way of humility. The Pharisee boasts of his good deeds and
thanks God for making him so "good."
In doing so, he is not only affirming his status of worthiness before
God, he is also comparing his worth with the tax collector. "God, I thank you that I am not like …
this tax collector." Standing
nearby is that very tax collector. But
unlike the Pharisee, he does not plead his case by declaring his good works;
rather, he models humility and trusts in the mercy of a gracious God -
"…have mercy on me, a sinner."
Humility
does not preclude success. And wealth,
power, or status gained at the expense of others cannot come with peace and
love. Acting with humility does not in
any way deny our own self worth. Rather, it affirms the inherent worth of all
persons.
Prayer: Gracious and merciful God, as your children
yet as sinners, may we act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you. Amen.
Thursday February 14, 2008
Matthew
5:5:
Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth.
This
passage is part of a larger context of the Beatitudes. All of them suggest a discipline of faith
that is contrary to “the ways of the world”.
The whole of the message of Jesus is counter cultural. This is hard for us to accept since we are
part of a culture that elevates greed, first strike warfare, idolatry
and win at all costs.
Who
are the meek in this passage? Not those
who are submissive and passive. Rather
the meek are those who creatively practice a humility that demonstrates a
different journey of life. Those who seek God’s realm and presence live by a
different standard. God’s realm is
present and future. We are able to be
citizens of a new way of living. We
offer love when self-righteous anger seems justified. We seek peace when striking out in anger
seems to meet our needs. We opt for
justice when revenge seems to fuel our passion.
In
our world of competition, insecurity and anger we often live our lives with
clenched fists ready to strike out.
Henri Nouwen suggests that to live with
clenched fists takes an enormous hostile energy . The whole body stiffens up. But, if we open
our fists and reach out in hospitality we are relaxed with meekness.
The
land we inherit is not obtained by harshness (as Joshua taking control of
W H
Auden has suggested that there is a great city that we are able to inhabit in our
meekness:
He is the Truth.
Seek Him in the
You will come to a great city that has
expected your return for years.
BLESSED ARE THE MEEK.
Friday February 15, 2008
Philippians
2:5-7:
Your attitude should be the same as that of
Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider
equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the
very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness.
This praise of humility carries a special weight, being written from a prison, by someone who had humbled himself in the following of his teacher. For one, the words’; strong call for obedience, for subordinating one’s own selfish desires in a way that would resemble the life of Jesus, is an absolute demand. But then, it is followed by the notion that humbleness was what the Lord chose to manifest through his Son, a servant. It is presented, in last consequence, as the way to free oneself from the trappings of the world. It implies an absolute authority that we are expected to subordinate our lives to. But, wait, - is humility not a dangerous path, if we simply expect that someone will be telling us the way, don’t we betray our gift of reason if we just look for the outside voices with their own agendas to make us into tools to advance their causes. - The call would have to be for an obedience that is nurtured from within ourselves, a humbleness we arrive at with our own devices of reason, an authority that we accept for ourselves, but for which we make no claim for universal acceptance by others. Humbleness - as the basis for the new covenant - it appears so far removed from the understanding of man as the ruler of the earth, as it was proposed at the onset of the scriptures. Humbleness as a universal principle of the world - it should cause us pause especially today as we are so much more likely to feel justified in the role of the masters, and also so much more inclined to elevate our own insights to a universal answer.
Saturday February
16, 2008
Luke 22:25-26:
Jesus said to them, "The kings of the
Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call
themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest
among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who
serves.
The scene is set just after the Last Supper when Jesus made
it known that one of the Disciples would betray Him. This prompted discussion among them as to who
could possibly do this, and they argued over who among them was the greatest.
You may know of people in influential positions who seem to
be at the top of their game. It has been
my experience that there is a pretty clear distinction between those whose
power goes to their head and those who are unpretentious. Isn't it more productive and isn't the
atmosphere more pleasant in the presence of a leader figure who works as a
member of the team rather than the captain and acknowledges everyone on an
equal basis (and even gets his/her own coffee!!) ?
Jesus calls us to be humble – the most important shall be
the least important, and the leader like a servant.
This brings to mind a favorite old hymn of mine:
Have Thine own way, Lord. Have Thine own way.
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mould me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
A. Pollard, G. Stebbins
Lord, guide us to ward off prideful thoughts, and to be
mindful always that we are followers of the Lord Jesus and strive to be true
disciples in our every-day lives. Amen.
Sunday February
17, 2009
Mark 6:34
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion
on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So, he began teaching
them many things.
