MPC
25th December 2011.December 25 - Luke 1:46-2:20 - "Humilitas"
MPC
25th December 2011.
Phil Campbell
Did you notice those words?
Not to the powerful But to the poor he came And humble hungry hearts Were satisfied again...
It's an interesting thing about western culture in the last two thousand years that we've come to appreciate humility.
Humility, we say, is a virtue. Maybe not one we're very good at from time to time, but by and large, we think it's a bad thing if someone blows their own trumpet. And a good thing... to be humble.
For us, and this is widely noted in western culture, we admire humility.
Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to climb Mount Everest. And in the nineteen fifties, was honoured all round the world for his achievement. Sir Edmund was a celebrity.
A few years after he was knighted, Hillary was back in the Himalayas for a photo shoot. He's dressed in his mountain gear, they've got him standing in a group of mountaineers, and they ask him to hold up an ice pick for the photo.
At which point a young climber was passing by, and not recognising Sir Edmund, comes over and says to him, "Excuse me, that's not how you hold an ice pick. Let me show you."
Now here's the humility coming.
Everyone is watching. As Sir Edmund smiles. And thanks him. And lets him adjust the icepick in his hands. And goes on with the photo.
When of course, he could have said, "Young man, do you know who I am?" And given him a lesson in icepicks and everything else. And left him hugely embarrassed.
Now the interesting thing is, in our Western Culture we actually love to hear stories like that. I mean, it might have been satisfying to see the young mountaineering upstart get what he deserved. But we sense in the humility demonstrated in a story like that, we recognise in that kind of response a quality, don't we, to be admired.
Now that's just one story from the book Humilitas, which I'm going to share with you this morning; a Christmas book review of the book I'm declaring to be my favourite read for 2011. A book about the history of humility.
It's written by John Dickson, a Sydney author who lectures in history at Macquarie University.
It's a nice easy read... but it stems from his research on the history of humility.
It's called Humilitas because that's the latin root our word humility comes from. A word that means low to the ground. It's also the word, of course, at the root of our word humiliation. Which is far less pleasant.
And the fascinating thing John Dickson has found in his historical research is that in the ancient world, there was really no distinction between humility and humiliation. In the ancient world, if you were humble, it could only mean one thing: that you'd been humiliated; that someone had brought you down.
To be humble was to be weak. To be humble was to be shamed. Far from being something you'd aspire to, to be humble... was a sign of failure.
In the ancient world, the bottom line was, everyone was seeking honour. It was all about honour and shame. And humilitas... to be humble... to be low to the ground... could only mean one thing. You were shamed.
And so in his book John Dickson gives the example of Caesar Augustus, the guy we just read about in the Christmas story who held the census of the whole Roman world... John Dickson gives the example of the eulogy Caesar Augustus wrote for himself to be displayed in bronze in front of his own tomb.
Now I don't know if it's ever occurred to you to do this. To write your own obituary. To write your own eulogy. I guess it gives you the chance to say all the nice things about yourself that other people should have noticed. Caesar Augustus wrote it himself, he got it cast in bronze, and he ordered that copies be send to every corner of the empire when he died. You could call it, thirty five things I love about me.
Now again, the point is, most of us these days would think that was kind of odd. I mean, secretly you might like the idea. But by and large, we prefer humility. But back then it was perfectly normal.
So here's a quote... Caesar Augustus. On the glories of Caesar Augustus.
And on it went. Thirty five things I love about me.
Now I guess sometimes our politicians do a little bit the same. And certainly, Kim Jong Il was a master at it. With the official claim that he was national golf champion of North Korea with 11 holes in one in a single round.
I noticed on The Project on TV the other night the West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle doesn't mind a bit of self promotion either. But by and large, in our Western Culture, we don't like it, do we.
Mostly, we prefer to be low key about our own achievements. Mostly, we resonate with humility.
Nicole Kidman, on 60 Minutes last Sunday; Karl says to Nicole, "You're such a great actress." And she says straight away, "No I'm not. I don't see myself as a great actress at all."
Apart from the fact I think she was actually right about that, it was a little glimpse. These days, we prefer to be seen to be humble. Unlike the ancient world, these days, humility is valued.
And the fascinating thing is, according to John Dickson's research, you can trace that reversal... to a single point in history. That started a trend. That's changed the world.
The birth... of humility. Not as shame. But as virtue.
Although I've got to say that even these days, even though love humility when we see it, we're still often confused about exactly what it is.
We can still confuse humility with being a doormat.
We can still confuse humility with weakness.
We can still confuse humility with low self esteem.
Which is not true humility at all.
One of the great strengths I think of John Dickson's book is that he gives a crystal clear definition.
Humility, he says, is not about being powerless.
Humility is the choice to direct your power... in the service of others.
Humility isn't about being weak.
It's the noble choice to forego your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for the good of others before yourself.
Humility is saying, I've got status. So I'll use it for others.
Humility is saying, I've got resources. So I'll deploy them so someone else can benefit.
Humility is saying, I've got influence. So I'll use it for the sake of others. And not me.
Humility, in other words, is not for the weak. But for the strong. Who are prepared to give service.
Which again is something that the ancient world just didn't understand. Power is good. Because it brings honour to me. Strength is good. Because I can boast about it in my self written eulogy.
And that's the way the ancient world worked. Until, according to John Dickson's research, until there was a humility revolution.
Brought about... and you can trace it through history... brought about by the events we're celebrating this morning. The birth and the life and death of Jesus Christ.
The ultimate example. Of power. Directed to the service of others.
The ultimate example. Of the noble choice to forego status for the good of others before yourself.
As the Lord of the universe who took on humanity. In the form of a human child.
Did you notice in the second reading this morning, under the heading Mary's Song, Mary understands. Right from the start. She's just heard from the angel the incredible news that she's going to give birth to the son of the most high. Whose Kingdom will never end. And here's her response.
From now on, the humble will be called blessed.
Look at her actual words.
46 "My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.
And keep reading, because she knows... there's about to be a dramatic reversal. A radical revaluing. From now on, humility is going to be seen to be valued by God. And right at his very heart. And he's going to demonstrate it. model it first hand. In an incredible way.
The proud will go running. The humble. Lifted up. In God's great revaluing. Down the page a little further, in the bold print.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
See the point? God values... God honours... not the proud like Caesar Augustus with his 35 point self eulogies and his decree of a census of the entire Roman World to measure his power. But the baby boy; who's born, we see just a few verses later, in a cowshed. And laid, in rags, we're told three times in a feed trough. A manger.
Because there's not even a room for this heavily pregnant mum at the local pub. And there's not even a cot. Not even a crib.
Can you sense the tingling tension in the way the story's unfolding?
Our daughter in law gave birth through the week. In a hospital. We felt sorry for her in Christmas week because all she was getting were hospital sandwiches and little tubs of jelly and watery custard. But it was airconditioned. There were nurses. There was TV. It was luxury.
Mary, the child you're carrying is the son of the most high God who'll rule forever.
But sorry. There's no hospital bed. have your baby in the cowshed. put the son of the most high God in the trough.
And you know, from God's point of view, it's all exactly the way he wants it. And it's all preordained. And it's all saying exactly what needs to be said ... about status. And honour. And power. And how it's to be used.
It's the birth of humility. Because in Jesus, the world's going to see a picture of exactly how power and authority is meant be used in humility. For the good of the rest of us.
It's this same Jesus who went on later to say things like this:
"The greatest among you is the one who serves"
"I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep"
"The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many."
It's not that he's a weakling.
It's not that he doesn't have power.
He shows it over and over again. He can heal the sick. He can raise the dead. He can calm a storm.
And yet he serves. And he gives. Ultimately to the point of giving his life on the cross; as he takes on himself, as he absorbs the cost and the consequences of every sin. So that you and I can be counted freely forgiven.
Want to see that definition again?
Humility is the noble choice to forego your status, deploy your resources or use your influence... for the good of others before yourself.
Which is exactly what Christmas is about.
And exactly what Jesus is about. From his birth in a cowshed, from his bed in a manger... right through to his death on a cross.
Foregoing the highest status in the universe. At the greatest conceivable cost. For our good.
Which is why of course whether you realise it or not, he started a trend. And people started catching on, right around the Roman empire, right around the world. That humility was in fact a beautiful thing. That if it's good enough for creator of the universe, it's maybe worth a try. And that humility actually works. Because it resonates with the way the universe was always meant to be.
Can I say at this point, Humilitas is a great book to read if you're in any kind of leadership position. In your work. If you're a manager. If you're a teacher. If you're a CEO. But also if you're in any kind of relationship. If you're a dad. Or a mum. Or a husband. Or wife.
The subtitle of the book is A lost key to life, love and leadership. And it really is. A humility that starts with recognising the rule of the servant king and bowing to him; just like the shepherds.
See, it's kind of obvious, isn't it? Don't come to God with your boasting. He doesn't like it. Don't come to God with how impressive you are. He prefers humble.
And then likewise in the way we treat each other. If humility is good enough for Jesus, then it's good enough for us. Which if you're anything like me is a lesson you need to keep learning every day.
Not making yourself a doormat. But about knowing your strengths. And using them. Not for you. But for the good of other people. With the humility that was born at the first Christmas.
Here at MPC we're unashamedly on about growing followers of Jesus. And because of that, if you're a guest with us today, if you're someone who's not persuaded by the impact Jesus has had on the world in a demonstrably historic way, if you're not persuaded that he's transformed humility... then I want to put the challenge to you. read the book. We've got a bunch of copies we want to give away. Our Christmas gift to you.
If you're a regular here and you'd like to buy a copy as a last minute Christmas gift, we've got a few available for sale too at the subsidised price of $10. Though I'd suggest you might read it yourself before you give it away. Giving away a book on humility can be a bit pointed!
Let me close by wishing you not so much a very prosperous Christmas. Or even a very merry Christmas. But a very humble Christmas. And a new year as well.