September 1, 2013

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. They may actually be the best or the champion, but sinful pride is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches “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. Shopping for brand names. Boasting when your team wins. 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.

Some people think pride is important to motivate people and to get them to do a certain 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 love others. God’s 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.

Jesus said, “10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.”

When we come to the Sunday morning Church Worship Banquet, where do you like to sit? Some people enjoy the front row, some enjoy the back row. If we were to say to the people in the back like Jesus did, "Come up and sit in the front," they would probably refuse "the honor." Of course in Church, Jesus sits at the place of honor. He is at the Altar, at the Lectern when the Bible is read, and at the baptismal fount. As guests we want to be where we can see and hear Him the best.

The place of honor is next to the guest of honor. Jesus calls us to come up to where he is. He calls us to come to his Table. He is the Host and gives us the Holy Sacrament. He loves us and bestows on us the honor of being his friends, of being his brothers and sisters, and of being children of the Heavenly Father. Jesus is always with us where ever we are seated, and so we can be happy where ever we are. We are always honored that Christ shares his presence with us!

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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