St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church
3800 East Third Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47401
(812) 332-5252
Sermon for All Saints Sunday (November 4, 2007)
Liturgical Color: White
Reverend Doctor Lyle E. McKee
"A Beatitude Attitude"
Grace to you and peace from our loving God, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Then [Jesus] looked up at his disciples and said:
"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
"Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh...
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.
Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you."
Matthew records the account of the beatitudes that we remember best—in chapter five. And as I read over Luke's version of the beatitudes, a word came to mind that is never mentioned in either, but that resonates with each and every phrase. It is a word that summarizes the attitude of the one who follows in the way of Jesus. And it characterizes the saints that we remember today. It is a word that we almost never hear in public or in politics.
That word is humility.
It is the humble person who has the mind of Christ. The humble inherit the kingdom of God. The humble are filled. The humble know how to love and pray for the enemy, to turn the other cheek, and not to return evil for evil.
Humility. It is a word and a feature of Christian character that is well worth our consideration on this All Saints Sunday. We might even find a connection to our re-dedicated church.
Humility is a matter that is not well understood. It literally means the absence of pride or self-assertion. Here's another definition: "having or showing a consciousness of one's defects or shortcomings." And another: "low in condition, rank, or position; lowly; unimportant; unpretentious." These, if you will pardon me, are rubbish.
I hope that woke you up.
You see, we tend to get lazy when it comes to understanding things. We tend to take the way words are commonly interpreted and apply them to our faith. But, often, common meanings are in direct opposition to religious meanings.
Take "grace" as an example. The world uses the word and thinks of the social graces, for sure. And there might be a thought that it's a reference to offering thanks before a meal. Certainly a religious meaning. But it gets nowhere near the significance of "grace" for people of faith. It is, as we know well, the unmerited, unearned, freely bestowed love of God.
A similar thing is true of the word humility. From a biblical point of view, humility refers to a quality of character that is almost exactly the opposite of the dictionary definition. Rather than being a consciousness of ones defects or shortcomings, the humility of faith refers to an awareness of ones God—given gifts. Rather than alluding to a low condition, rank, or position-rather than making reference to one's lowliness or unimportance; the humility of Christ is a humility that is fully aware of one's place and importance in the community of faith.
Humility is, to put it simply, knowing where we fit.
Common associations with the word might suggest that it's about "knowing your place" in the pejorative sense-in the offensive sense. As in the sexist idea—the one that many of us grew up with—that a woman's "place" is in the home. Or "the help" knowing their place in the business world. There is an implication of lowliness, servitude, deference.
Not so with the humility of Christ. Knowing where we fit in the Body of Christ is an honest, truthful, accurate perception of the gifts that God has granted to us, and an equal willingness to use those gifts—not flaunt them or lord them over others, but use them, freely and fully—in the service of the church and the furtherance of the kingdom of God.
Humility brings us into right relationship, because we know where we fit and how we fit in. We are no longer trying to be what we aren't. We know what and who we were always meant to be.
Humility is not groveling or self-effacing or self-denial. It is, rather, self-affirming and self-respect in the context of who God made us to be in the world. And it is based not on an over-estimation, but on an honest owning of God's gifts, placed in the service of God.
Humility proclaims, "We need each other" and "You are not alone." And it comprehends the scriptural truth that we live and move and have our being in the heart of God, that we are an essential part of the body of Christ.
An example of how this works out came to me from a friend. It begins as a simple story:
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Tom. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.
I had never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Tom, the more I liked him; and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Tom with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you're gonna build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Tom and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Tom decided on Georgetown; I was going to Duke. I knew that we'd always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was planning to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.
Tom was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw him. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had. He was popular and sometimes I was jealous.
Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me gratefully and smiled. "Thanks," he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I'm here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I'm going to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.
This story helps us see that we shouldn't underestimate the small gifts that God gives us—even the gifts of making friends and being a friend. One small gesture can change a person's life. For better or for worse.
Humility is about knowing where we fit, about claiming those simple gifts of God that may seem common and paltry. But when they come into play, they bear fruit beyond our knowing, and sometimes beyond our imagining.
As Rabbi Hillel once put it: Good and evil are equally balanced in the world. Your next act will tip the scale.
Today we celebrate the saints of the church, living and dead. And we remember that all who have been graced by the love of God in Christ are saints. May we also remember that as saints, we are gifted, and that in humility we both know and apply well those gifts for the sake of God's world.
Countless simple gifts have been offered in humility by hundreds of members at St. Thomas—gifts of time, money, and expertise. Further gifts have been shared by dozens of professionals, workers, and volunteers who planned, renovated, and built changes and additions to this house of God. May all of these simple gifts be transformed by the power of God to be blessings beyond our imagining.
For even the smallest gifts can turn strangers into friends. With God, they may even restore hope, mend a broken spirit, or even save a life. Amen.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, unto eternal life. Amen.
