December 2, 2007 A Conversation about Humility

Steve Johnson and Rev Deborah Roof

Steve: I am intrigued by the work you and the congregation did last year around gifts. There's something about accepting your own gift (or my own gifts) that just doesn't feel... I don't know: “humble.”

Deborah: Ah, humility is not a simple concept. Let's dig into it a little bit and we can start with – creation, maybe. Let's start with the universe. You know about the universe, right?

Steve: Well, yeah, but what does that have to do with humility?

Deborah: Stay with me. We'll get there. This universe is huge, right? There's the galaxy we're in with all of its stars and planets, and this galaxy is only one of countless galaxies, each containing billions of stars and planets.

Steve: Right, and when we think about it in those terms, we realize that individuals like you and I are actually quite insignificant. We are nothing more than a mere speck of dust in the grand scheme of things.

Deborah: Yes. Now, hold that thought for a minute. Let's now talk about God.

Steve: Okay, what about God?

Deborah: The very same God, who created all those stars and planets; who created all the galaxies, that very same God gives complete attention and love to you and to me and to each person we meet. And that very same God who made the galaxies in their countless variety chose to take human form and to live among us, and ultimately to die for us.

Steve: So, even though we're so insignificant, we're also extremely important…

Deborah: I think so. Each one of us is on the one hand nothing-- dust, insignificant, trivial in the vastness of the universe; and on the other hand we are everything to God.

Steve: Okay, in a way that makes sense…but don't those two thoughts, that we're both nothing and everything, seem contradictory to you?

Deborah: Yes, we humans are not very good at letting opposites abide together. To us, something is either classified as one thing or another thing. We have a real hard time with “both-and”. And that's the thing: when it comes to humility, we are called to understand ourselves in proper perspective.

Steve: And what do you think that proper perspective is?

Deborah: You remember, when I was talking about the countless stars and the hugeness of the universe, you said that it reduced you to the level of a speck of dust? Well, that's scripture, isn't it. Genesis tells us that human beings are dust and to dust we shall return.

If that's true, and in some sense it is, then we are actually dust, we are earth! That is what the root of the word humility means. It goes back to the Latin word “humus”, meaning 'ground' or 'earth.' And the root of the word "human" traces back to the same root. So to experience humility means ‘to experience your origins.’ It means ‘to know your place in the scheme of things.’

Steve: So, to be humble is not to have low self esteem or to think too little of yourself..

Deborah: Wait a minute: say that one again.

Steve: To be humble is not to have low self esteem or to think too little of yourself; it is, rather, having a proper perspective on our place in God's creation. It's to know what it means to be human.

Deborah: Yes, but I think there’s even more. The Bible also says that we are, as individuals and as a human family, the most wonderful, the most adorable, the most beloved of God's creatures. We're all familiar with John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life."

We are God's holy and beloved, we are God's chosen. We are the ones Jesus died for. Since we are loved by the ruler of the universe, we can afford to be humble. There is no greater status possible than to be a child of the Living God.

We are dust and we are children of God, and Jesus’ life and death are a testament to that. There's really no contradiction between the two; we are both.

Steve: So that's what the gifts come in. All of God's people are given spiritual gifts and other gifts, as well. God doesn't withhold from some people and give to others. God gives to everyone equally. God gives each person a unique combination of gifts to meet community needs.

Deborah: I think that's a good point. Sometimes we think our gifts are given for our own benefit. But they're really for the benefit of the whole Body, not just for ourselves.

Steve: Also, many people think they can live the Christian life without being part of a faith community and I think that's really hard. If we take the Gospel message seriously, we realize that we can't do it without each other.

Deborah: Oh, I agree. The love and grace of God are nurtured in the life of Christian community. We need each other's gifts to make it work.

Steve: Exactly. But there is one danger we should try to avoid when it comes to spiritual gifts: did you talk to them about the danger?

Deborah: Maybe... say a little bit more and we'll see if I've told them.

Steve: The danger is comparing our gifts with someone else's. That's an indication that we are concentrating on ourselves and our gifts and we're losing our focus on God and the common good.

Deborah: And when we start comparing, we either end up feeling inferior to others, or, maybe worse, we get the false impression that they are inferior to us. The truth is that no spiritual gift is more important than any other. And we need to remember that service, not status, is the chief purpose of spiritual gifts.

Steve: As I recall, even the disciples had trouble sorting that out.

Deborah: They sure did. James and John angled for positions of importance in Jesus' kingdom. All the disciples bickered among themselves about who was the greatest, an argument Jesus turned on its head by saying that the least was the greatest.

Steve: I remember. He used James and John's self-promotion as an opportunity to teach the same lesson--'not to be served, but to serve.'

Deborah: Right. To be a disciple of Jesus is to follow in the footsteps of God's Suffering Servant. All of us, as Christians, are called to serve others. Those with more visible gifts are not more spiritual or better Christians than those with less visible gifts.

Steve: Each person's gifts play a vital role in living out the gospel and ministering to the needs of the suffering world. The more visible gifts--such as proclamation or teaching the faith--couldn't function if the less visible gifts weren't working too, making them possible.

Deborah: Right. But here's the thing: it's not wrong to think positively of yourself or to appreciate yourself for who you are. After all, God created you! The point is to think equally highly of others, recognizing the importance and worth of each person. We need to see the Christ in others – as well as seeing the Christ in ourselves.

Steve: So true! But in all of this, where is the balance between thinking too much of oneself, and thinking too little?

Deborah: That's a good question. And I think we're back to where we started: we're back to humility. 'We are nothing' and we are 'everything'.

Steve: It seems to me that genuine humility is not self-conscious. Genuine humility is knowing you are God's gifted child and being committed to serving the needs of others. It that case, it is not self-created; it flows from a relationship with Jesus Christ, like what we heard in the scripture reading today: “it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for God's good pleasure”.

Deborah: That's it. The life of Jesus is our prime example of true humility. Jesus was true God, yet he chose to become human as well so that he could save us from our sin and to demonstrate God's love for us.

Steve: You know, it's a good thing we don’t have to generate humility on our own. Sometimes I think that's what I have to do, and it seems impossible.

Deborah: It is impossible. But all things are possible with God. When we nurture our relationship with Jesus, then God empowers us with the gift of humility. Maturing in faith means becoming more like Christ. St. Augustine said: 'It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that make us as angels.'

Steve: So we are nothing and we are everything to God.

Deborah: That's it. We are nothing and we are everything to God.

Amen.