Sunday's Message - Thankful People Are...Humble

As we approach Thanksgiving, we’re going to look at some of the characteristics of thankful people. During four of our November worship services, we’ll focus on the following topics:

• Sunday, October 31 – Thankful People Are...Humble
• Sunday, November 6 – Thankful People Are...Open
• Sunday, November 13 – Thankful People Are...Relaxed
• Sunday, November 20 – Thankful People Are...Compassionate

During the first message, we focused on the statement: Thankful people are humble.

You can stream the service live by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube channel. If you miss one of these messages, you can find a copy and podcast on the Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community blog (https://thenettransform.blogspot.com/). 

For y’all who were here last week, do you remember that we talked about how, for a kid, we’re entering the very best time of year? And do you remember that, at the very beginning of the message, I said that we had only seven days before Halloween and thirty-two days before Thanksgiving and sixty-two days before Christmas, something that puts the fear of God in me? Now, do you remember that? Well, here we’re one week later, and there are fifty-five days before Christmas and twenty-five days before Thanksgiving and brothers and sisters, today is Halloween. I hope you have a costume. 

And you know, because we have just four Sundays before we binge on food, family and football, I thought it might be a good idea to sort of focus on what the day is really all about, you know, thanksgiving. And to do that, we going to talk about four characteristics I think we tend to see in thankful people. In other words, during the next four services, we’re going look at how thankful people are humble and open, relaxed and compassionate. And as we look at each of these characteristics, we’ll use to the Bible to consider why folks who are thankful seem to have these each of these traits and how we might develop them in our own lives. And since we looking at the “why” and “how” of these personal qualities, we won’t be working from one passage that I’ll read at the beginning. Instead, we’ll be looking at a lot of scripture throughout the message. Now that’s the plan.

And like I said just a minute ago, this morning we’re going to start by looking at the statement, Thankful people are humble. In other words, thankfulness and humility are sort of joined at the hip and that, frankly, it may be really difficult for a person to be grateful and appreciative if they’re not also humble. Of course, having said this, I understand that, as it relates to the top ten personal characteristics valued in our society, humility would probably be around fifty-five, somewhere just above being a good pickle baller. I mean, let’s be honest, humility is not really seen as important now-a-days. In fact, it’s generally viewed as a sign of weakness, isn’t it? And I seriously doubt that many humble people will get either our applause or vote. As a matter of fact, just a few weeks ago, Mike Greenberg, the host of a sports talk show I listen to every weekday morning on ESPN radio, he said that his lifetime, he’s seen this a shift in what people look for in their favorite athletes. You see, according to Greenie, we used to like our stars humble. But that’s not the case anymore. Instead, we like them to be petty, you know, to brag about themselves at the expense of others and to look for reasons to feel slighted or disrespected. Now, that’s what he said, and I’m not sure whether he’s right or wrong. But I think it’s pretty clear that the humble athlete or humble actor or humble politician, man, they’re few and fair between.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s a shame, especially as it relates to giving thanks, because I believe it may be virtually impossible for a person to be truly thankful without also being truly humble. And that’s what we’re going to talk about during the rest of our time this morning. You see, first, we’ll consider why I believe thankful people are humble. And then second, we’ll talk about how we might work a little more humility into our own lives. 

Of course, I think it’s fairly clear why humble people are able to be thankful people, especially when you compare them with folks on the oppose extreme, and I’m talking about people who are really arrogant. Now, I think we all know the kind of folks I’m talking about, men and women who never met a spotlight they didn’t seek out and who love to hear the sound of their own voice and who always and I mean always know a better way of doing everything, and certainly don’t mind telling you what it is. These are arrogant people, not unlike the teachers of the Law of Moses we talked about a few weeks ago. Remember, according to Jesus, “they love to walk around in long robes and be greeted in the market. They like the front seats in the meeting places and the best seats at banquets. But they cheat widows out of their homes and pray long prayers just to show off. They will be punished most of all.” [Mark 12:38b-40, CEV] Now that’s what he said, and I’ll tell you, I think that really points to why arrogant people have a hard time being thankful. I mean, since they are so self-centered, you know, so sure they’re number one, they tend to assume everything they get, they naturally deserve. But more than that, they’re also so self-absorbed and so focused on satisfying themselves, other people are there simply to be used or ignored. Now you tell me, how are these folks able to be thankful to anyone or anything that doesn’t have their initials? But that’s not the case with all those on the other end of the humility spectrum. I mean, although they certainly care about themselves, they’re not alone in the center of their universe. You see, they’re able to focus on both themselves and others. And instead of using people to get what they want, they’re willing to listen and even empathize with those around them. I’ll tell you, it’s like they took these words from the Apostle Paul to heart: I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you. ...When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. [Romans 12:3, 15-16, CEV] You see, that’s how humble people see themselves and others, and in my opinion, that’s why they can also be thankful. It’s simply who they are.

And how can it be done? In other words, how might we become more humble? Well, I think there are three things we can start doing today. And I’ll tell you, I think there’s an example of each right here in scripture. For example, if we’re serious about working a little more humility into our character, first, I believe it’s essential for us to reject the overwhelming message that we hear in our society now-a-days, namely that arrogance is shown by the strong and that humility is a sign of weakness. I’m telling you, I believe that’s a message we’ve got to reject in the strongest terms possible, because not only do I think it’s dead wrong, we see something very different presented in the Bible. You know, it’s amazing; according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, those who are self-centered are never heroes in any of his stories. Just listen to this from the Gospel of Luke: 

Jesus told a story to some people who thought they were better than others and who looked down on everyone else:

Two men went into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood over by himself and said, “God, I thank you that I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage like other people. And I am really glad that I am not like that tax collector over there. I go without eating for two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all I earn.”

The tax collector stood off at a distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, “God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner.”

Then Jesus said, “When the two men went home, it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.” [Luke 18:9-14, CEV]

And remember, for Jesus, it was no better for those who were absorbed by what they could get. He told this story, also in Luke:

A rich man’s farm produced a big crop, and he said to himself, “What can I do? I don’t have a place large enough to store everything.”

Later, he said, “Now I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods. Then I’ll say to myself, ‘You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’”

But God said to him, “You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?”

“This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.” [Luke 12:16b-21, CEV]

Man, if we want to be humble, we’ve got to reject the message coming from all those who preach the glories of arrogance. And that’s the first thing we can do.

And then second, if humility is our goal, we can recognize our both our strengths and weaknesses. As a matter of fact, we can approach our strengths with the same kind of perspective offered by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians: 

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.

The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God’s Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us. [1 Corinthians 12:4-11, CEV]

You see, this is how we can view our strengths. And as to our weakness, again listen to what Paul had to say, this time to the Romans: All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. [Romans 3:23-24, CEV] I’m telling you, we can recognize that our strengths, those things we’ve been given the ability to do, man, at their most basic level, they’re gifts from God. And at the same time, we can view our weaknesses and our mistakes and our failures as both real and important but definitely not stronger than God’s grace and love. You see, if we want to be humble, we can recognize that our strengths have been inspired and our weaknesses will be forgiven. And that’s the second thing we can do.

And third, we can realize that we really do need one another. We need our brothers and sisters to do the work we’ve been called to do. It’s like Paul wrote to the Romans: 

God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully. [Romans 12:6-8, CEV]

In other words, to be everything that God created us to be and to do, man, we need one another. But I’ll tell you, to come together as a community, a body, we need to do more than just recognize the gifts and talents we’ve been given. We also need to be willing to accept and to encourage others. And to do that, again listen to what Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace. All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God’s people. We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. There is one God who is the Father of all people. Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of us, and he lives in all of us. [Ephesians 4:1-6, CEV] 

I’m telling you, we can become more humble by realizing that God didn’t created us to be alone; we need one another. And that’s the third thing we can do.

You know, maybe our world will go back to a time when humility is valued and humble people are viewed as emotionally strong, because they’re so secure with themselves that they just don’t need to blow their own horns and to trumpet their own success. I mean, some times history seems like a pendulum, swinging back and forth, and today we exalt arrogance but tomorrow, who knows. But no matter what happens in the future, we can choose our own direction right now. You see, regardless of what the world says, we know the problem with arrogance and the power of humility. And because thankfulness is important to us, we can decide to reject the message coming from our world and we can recognize both our strengths and our weaknesses and we can realize that we need one another to become the people God created us to be. And why is this something we might be willing to do this time of year? Man, that’s easy. It’s because, thankful people are humble.