Delivered
by Rev. Ellen Brantley
Sunday,
May 4, 2008
SERMON:
Humility, Discipline, Alertness
TEXT: 1
Peter 5:6-11
There’s a legend that is told in many seminaries about a preaching contest for
students. The announcement goes out that any student may enter the
contest, but each must preach on the same passage: the story of the Good
Samaritan. Sermons must be video taped at the chapel on campus and the
video tapes turned in for judging. As students come to the chapel to preach
and have their sermon taped, there is a homeless person sitting outside the
door of the building, obviously cold, hungry, and in need of a bath. What
the students don’t know is that this person is keeping track, counting how many
students hurry past, eager to preach eloquently about the Good Samaritan.
When I first heard this story, my first year in seminary, it was both shocking
and convicting. I could see myself as one of those more interested in
preaching an inspiring word than in putting my words into action. Since
then, I’ve tried to live by these words from St. Francis of
Unfortunately, most ministers are not known for their humility even though
God’s written word – and the Word incarnate – teaches us otherwise.
“Humble yourselves,” Peter wrote, “under the mighty hand of God, so that he may
exalt you in due time.” Furthermore, Paul wrote of Christ: “Being
found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of
death – even death on a cross.”
This kind of humility is not just false modesty, and it is not just for church
leaders. Every Christian is called to be humble as Christ was humble, to
be obedient to God as Christ was obedient, even to the point of death. As
we humble ourselves, we are acknowledging that God is in control and we are
not. As we humble ourselves, we show a willingness to do whatever God
calls us to do, whether that means washing other people’s feet or helping
someone in need, even if it will make you late for an appointment. But we
don’t humble ourselves with any thought of reward or future
exaltation. We are called to show humility because we are human and God
is God, we are creature and God is Creator, we are servant and God is
Master.
The audience to which First Peter is addressed is a group of Christians living
in a largely non-Christian society. And because they are in the minority,
they are abused, harassed, and persecuted. They are treated as outsiders
and aliens; they don’t belong and they don’t fit in.
While most of us may not know what it feels like to be an
outsider, we do understand suffering, and these people certainly were
suffering. So these words of First Peter were meant to encourage and
comfort them. “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for
you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert.”
“Cast all your anxiety on him.” Yes, those are
comforting words. But, “discipline yourselves” and “keep alert”?
Well, first a little comfort, then a little
advice. We learn that both are necessary as the writer goes on to
describe their situation: “Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil
prowls around, looking for someone to devour.”
I don’t think I know anyone that I would describe as an
“enemy,” and I don’t usually think of the devil as a person. But evil
certainly exists – we hear about it or read about it every day, and there are
those who want to hurt others. There are lions prowling around looking
for someone to devour. And in order to resist evil, we need to discipline
ourselves, we need to keep alert, AND we need to be steadfast in our faith.
It’s easy to give up on God when we’re suffering, when it
seems that evil is roaring like a lion and God is silent. But self-discipline
requires that we devote ourselves to constant prayer, to worship with a
community of faith, to reading God’s word and singing God’s praises even in our
suffering. Keeping alert requires that we open our eyes and ears
to see where God is leading us and to hear when God is speaking to us. Humility
requires that we remember that we are under the mighty hand of God, that God
cares for us, and that we are not alone in our suffering.
It reminds me of the woman who told the story about her
mother’s embroidery. “When I was little,” she wrote, “my mother used to
embroider a great deal. I would sit at her feet and look up from the
floor to see what she was doing. From the underside I watched her work
within the boundaries of the little round hoop that she held in her hand.
I complained to her that it sure looked messy from where I sat. She would
smile and gently say, “When I am finished embroidering, I will put you on my
knee and let you see it from my side.” When she finally was finished I
was surprised and thrilled to see a beautiful flower or sunset in her
hoop. I could not believe it because from underneath it looked so
messy. Mother would explain, “Child from underneath it did look messy and
jumbled, but you did not realize that there was a plan on the top. It was
a design and I was only following it.”
As an adult this woman admitted, many times through the
years I have looked up to heaven and said, “Father, what are you doing?”
I imagine him answering, “I am embroidering your life.” I would say, “But
it looks like a mess to me. It seems so jumbled. The Father seems
to answer, “My child, one day I will bring you to heaven and put you on my knee
and you will see the plan from my side.”
Humility, discipline, and alertness are valuable not only
when we are suffering and surrounded by evil, but also as we seek to remain
steadfast in our faith from day to day.
It occurred to me recently that we spend a great deal of
time trying to impress and please others when we should really be trying to
please God. We’re not a very humble nor a very
disciplined people. We want to glorify ourselves when we should be
glorifying God. We want to call attention to ourselves rather than
pointing people to God. We want to do what works best for us rather than
doing as God commands. We’re willing to make time for everything else and
willing to sacrifice time with God.
And if we were alert we would see the opportunities God
gives us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick. If we
were alert we would recognize the signs God sends to direct us. If we
were alert we would know that God speaks and we would listen.
By our presence here this morning, we demonstrate our
desire to be disciples of Christ. And the Good
News is that we can attain HUMILITY, DISCIPLINE, AND
ALERTNESS not through our own power, but by the power of God. Before
Jesus ascended into heaven, he told the disciples, “You will receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in
Whether we are suffering, searching, or striving to be
better disciples, may we receive the power of the Holy Spirit, may we be
steadfast in our faith, and may the God of all grace restore, support, and strengthen
us as we grow in humility, discipline, and alertness.
To the glory of
God!
AMEN.