August 29, 2010
The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
In the Bible there is not a single good thing said about pride. Pride is always bad. It is bad because proud people think they are number one, to the detriment of other people. They think they are number one and everyone else are losers. Proud people think they have the right, and even the duty, to put other people down. They think it is necessary to put other people in their place. It may be from a sense of insecurity, or it may be from a sinful, distorted sense of social order. It is not what the Bible teaches; it is not "love your neighbor as yourself."
Worse than that, the problem with pride is that proud people think they are number one, when the Bible teaches that God is Number One. The proud person does not think God is necessary. And so pride is also against the Bible command to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and power." And so pride calls into question a person's salvation. Is a proud person saved?
Have you ever heard of the so-called "Seven Deadly Sins"? They are the following: 1. Pride, 2. Envy, 3. Anger, 4. Avarice (Greed), 5 Sadness (Sloth), 6. Gluttony, and 7. Lust. The top of the list is Pride. It is a deadly sin, a sin that leads to death and damnation because it does not think it needs God for salvation.
But in our society, pride is thought to be a virtue. To say "I am proud of you" is a complement. Humility is thought to be a weakness. Our society runs on pride as if it were a fuel like gasoline. For example, people buy brand names when they go shopping, school teams and companies instill pride in the students and workers in order that they study harder, play harder or work harder. Athletes train hard to win honor and pride for their team and for their country. People are proud of how many Olympic medals their country has won. Is that really so bad? It is bad if you do not "love your neighbor as yourself." It is bad if you cheat, taunt, and put down the opponent.
A few years ago there was a patriotic song in America that was very popular, "I Am Proud to Be an American." Is patriotic pride really so bad? It is bad if national pride leads to the detriment of other people in the world. It is bad if you think you have the right, even the duty, to put other people and other countries down, to keep them in their place. It is bad if you overlook the sin of America and Americans. It is bad if you overlook the sin of your own country and of its people.
Some people think pride is important to motivate people and to get them to do the right behavior. But pride is not what we need. We need repentance. We need to know who we really are and where we really stand in relationship to God, who is indeed Number One. This is called "humility." Humility really understands the truth about ourselves. It realizes that we cannot save ourselves, that we need Jesus as our Savior. It realizes the love of God. And this gives us the power to lover others. This love lifts others up. It builds others up. Jesus gives an example of this type of love in today's Gospel lesson. He says,
"When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors, if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
The best example of humility is Jesus Christ. Since he is God Almighty, he is Number One. He has the genuine right to be proud. And yet, Jesus humbled himself in order to save humans. He left heaven and came down to earth. He was born in a stable in Bethlehem. He lived a poor life. He taught, healed, and helped many people. He preached the Good News and gave people hope and faith in God. Then he humbled himself even more, becoming a servant to die on the cross for our salvation. Then he rose victorious on the third day. He had defeated the devil. But this did not create a new problem of pride, because Jesus continues to love us and invites us to the heavenly banquet.
In the Bible, pride is bad, but happiness is good. Rather than saying that I am proud of my country for winning a lot of Olympic medals, I can say that I am happy that my country won a lot of Olympic medals. What is the difference? Pride condemns others, but happiness is a feeling of thankfulness. I am not always proud of being an American, because America and Americans have done and often do some shameful things. But I am happy to be an American, I am happy to be living in Japan; it is something that I thank God for. Both are free countries, blessed by God, and usually they do the right thing. I am happy to be a Christian, but I do not want to say I am proud, because then my attitude towards others will be intolerant and unloving. And since God loves all people and wants all people to be saved, in all humility, I want to spread the Good News about that love.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church