PROPER 21A - Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32 -

28 September 2008 - A sermon preached by The Rev. Peter A. Munson for St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Boulder, Colorado

 

Emptying Ourselves

 

INTRODUCTION - Too full of ourselves?

 

In a culture and an era where it seems that at times we are way too full of ourselves, we come to church today and hear Paul say this to the Christians in Philippi:

 

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in a human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8, emphasis added)

 

My Bible has a note that the word translated “exploited” is literally “seized”, as in robbery. (The Harper Collins Study Bible, note on Philippians 2:6) In other words, what Christ could have seized, namely - putting himself right up there with God and giving himself the name that is above every name - he did not seize. Instead, by virtue of emptying himself and becoming a human being... by virtue of humbling himself and going to the cross - God gave him what he could have seized. Paul continues, in this section that might have been an early Christian hymn:

 

“Therefore [that is, because of what Jesus did on this earth] God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

 

He was rewarded for his humility, for his “down-to-earthness”.

 

Does this ring any bells for you? Exalting yourself vs. humility?

 

Jesus denounced the scribes and Pharisees, saying they “sit on Moses’ seat” - that is, they were respected teachers in the synagogues - and yet, he said, they “do not practice what they teach... They do all their deeds to be seen by their others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.” (Matthew 23:2-7)

 

In other words, they were way too full of themselves. In other words, you could look up “narcissist” in the dictionary and find their pictures there. Religious narcissists are still narcissists.

Jesus was just getting started. He ended up calling them hypocrites, snakes, and a brood of vipers, and said to them, “How can you escape being sentenced to hell?” (Matthew 23:33)

 

And what was Jesus’ instruction to the crowds and his disciples? It was simple and clear. “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12)

 

And his life modeled this teaching for them. Unlike the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus did practice what he taught. Though he was in the form of God, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.

 

EMPTYING OURSELVES

 

You and I cannot claim what Jesus could claim - being in the form of God. We cannot claim equality with God. And yet sometimes we get too full of ourselves. Sometimes we think that our personal agenda is the most important agenda on the planet. Sometimes we think that the way we interpret scripture is the only way that it can be interpreted. Sometimes we act as if our views on social and political and moral issues are the only ones that can possibly be right.

 

We are so full of ourselves sometimes that we can’t possibly learn anything, because there is no space, no room for us to learn, no openness. Instead, we are poised to pounce on people, at the drop of a hat, and tell them who we are, what we do, and what we think. When we get in this “full of ourselves” place, we become lousy listeners, for we rarely listen at all - so ready are we to convince someone else of our brilliance and our exalted status.

 

The irony is that when you and I act in this “puffed up” way, it is usually a big smokescreen. It is usually an overcompensation for what we are really feeling on the inside, which is a sense of inadequacy. It is not our essence - our essential nature - that we are presenting to the world. It is some caricature of our essence - a persona, a mask. That is why Jesus could call the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites. Because the word hypocrite, at its root, means to be an actor - to wear a mask, to be a pretender. Hypocrites pretend to be good, pretend to be pious and holy, pretend to be upstanding and morally upright people, but they aren’t. It’s all an act.

 

THE CHALLENGE

 

We’re called to walk in Jesus’ steps. We’re called to empty ourselves. What does that look like?

 

To empty ourselves means to be open to giving up our agenda - however precious that agenda might seem to us - so that we can be open to embracing God’s agenda, which is something called the kingdom of God.

 

To empty ourselves does not mean disappearing or giving up the essence of who we are. On the contrary, if you and I are going to empty ourselves, we’re going to have to be even more present, so that we can hear God’s voice.

 

 

 

Emptying ourselves also means recognizing that I don’t have all the answers, that I don’t have everything I need to be successful in this world, that I’m going to need other people, and their gifts and contributions, if I’m going to find my way and grow and make progress in this world.

 

In other words, people who can empty ourselves are open to feedback, and even welcome feedback, because one of the core values that they have is a commitment to ongoing growth and learning, and they know that they can’t continue to grow and learn without being open to receiving feedback.

 

Folks who are full of themselves, on the other hand, don’t want any kind of feedback, and when it is given to them, they usually just get defensive, and can’t hear any of the truth in the feedback, because they are too busy defending and making excuses for their actions. It is called self-justification. The Bible is pretty clear that self-justification doesn’t work, that only God can justify us. Only God can make us right again. Only God can make all our relationships right, if we are open to God’s teaching, God’s guidance, God’s forgiveness. And yet, sometimes we keep trying to justify ourselves.

 

Emptying ourselves has to do with knowing when you are in over your head. I think, for example, that with respect to our country’s current economics crisis, the people I would trust the most at this point are the ones who might venture to say, “We are not exactly sure what to do in this crisis. But we are going to put our heads together - Republican and Democrat and Independent, Wall Street and the men and women from Main Street, business leaders and college professors and government leaders, management and common laborers, and listen to each other, and, with God’s help, find the deep wisdom that emerges from all of us talking and listening, a wisdom that will undoubtedly be greater than what any one of us has on our own.”

 

Emptying ourselves means putting ego aside. I know that much. Jesus made that quite clear. It’s not about being seen by others, he says. It’s not about rushing up to the place of honor at a banquet. (Luke 14:8) It’s about serving others. As Paul said to the Philippians, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

 

CONCLUSION

 

We get confused at times. We exalt ourselves even more than Jesus exalted himself. About the only time that Jesus was put up in a prominent place for all to see was when he was crucified. And because he was willing to be that obedient, because he was willing to put aside his own agenda and drink the cup that God had prepared for him, he has been given the name that is above every name, and when that name is sounded, our knees are supposed to hit the ground, and our tongues are supposed to confess him as Lord - because of his great humility.

 

Greatness comes to those who serve. Greatness comes to the humble. That was Jesus’ teaching - both in his words and in his deeds. We are called to empty ourselves. We are called to serve others.

 

And the moment that we find ourselves puffing our chests out and citing our credentials and thinking that our agenda is the most important thing around, we should pray that bells will start to go off. We should pray that someone who really cares about us will take us aside, and gently or not so gently say to us, “What has happened here? What is going on for you right now?” And we should pray - with all of our hearts - that in those moments, we will be open to the feedback that we are given.

 

Rescue us, O Lord, from our agendas, especially when those agendas take us far from you. Rescue us when we think we have all the answers. Rescue us when we tempted to rush to the seat of honor. Teach us how to empty ourselves, so that we can hear your voice, and do your will. Amen.