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SERMONS

The Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
September 28, 2003

The number seven is significant in Holy Scripture and for us in the Church. Seven signifies wholeness; it signifies completion. The Bible opens with the seven days of Creation. It closes with God's word to the seven churches in Asia.

There are the seven last words of Jesus from the cross. There are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit from Isaiah: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

In the Church we acknowledge seven sacraments: Holy Baptism, Eucharist, confirmation, holy matrimony, ordination, reconciliation, and unction. The church has also historically recognized seven virtues: faith, hope, charity, justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude; and seven major sins: pride, covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth.

It is interesting to consider how we might rank those sins according to their importance in our world today. Lust certainly receives the most attention. Everybody, it seems, is talking about sex. Our understanding of ourselves as sexual beings and appropriate ways of expressing that sexuality are hot topics in most church traditions these days.

Sloth is also big. Our justification for not helping those less fortunate than ourselves is that they are lazy. "If they would only get out and work," we say, "they would be all right."

Envy is still felt to be a sin, although we don't really mind if our accomplishments make others a little envious.

Gluttony and covetousness experienced a brief period of acceptance and popularity in the 1980's. But we seem largely to have turned against them once again.

Anger occupies a somewhat ambiguous place. We recognize its power and potential destructiveness. But we also recognize its ability to serve as a motivator for change or for the pursuit of justice. In scripture we find injunctions to "be angry but do not sin," and are told not to let the sun fall on our anger.

Last is pride. We seem almost to view pride more as a virtue than as a sin. "Take pride in yourself," we say; or "I'm proud to be an American; or "That should certainly make you feel proud."

Yet the church has always viewed pride as the chief and most dangerous of all sins. Scripture supports this view. In Proverbs it is written that "pride goes before destruction; and a haughty spirit before a fall." In today's psalm we read, "Above all keep your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not get dominion over me."

We see the working of pride in both today's Old Testament lesson and in today's Gospel. From the book of Numbers we heard the story of Eldad and Medad. They were two leaders of the people of Israel who received from God the gift of prophecy. When Joshua heard that they were prophesying he demanded of Moses that Moses make them stop. Moses refused and rebuked Joshua, saying "would that all the Lord's people were prophets."

Similarly, in today's gospel, John comes to Jesus with the report that someone has been casting out demons in Jesus' name without permission. Just as Moses had done, Jesus tells John to mind his own business. "Do not stop him," he says; "for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us."

Pride can be defined as an inordinate love of one's own excellence. It is not love of oneself, but an inordinate love of oneself; a love that leads to an upsetting of the relationship between creature and creator. It is a self-centeredness that shuts out other people and that shuts out God. It is a turning in upon ourselves that makes love impossible. It is the fall from the natural self-love of a child of God to rebellion against God.

Pride is dangerous, not because of our wretchedness, but because of our greatness. It is dangerous precisely because we are children of God; created in God's own image and inheritors of God's kingdom.

When we forget that that greatness is a gift we get into trouble. Then our greatness becomes a fountain, not of gratitude, but of arrogance. Instead of seeing ourselves in relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters, we see ourselves as set apart from others; as somehow better than and above others. We mistake ourselves for God, and so rebel against God.

The greater the person or institution-the closer that one is to the truth-the greater the danger of pride. The higher we are, the farther the fall, the greater the mischief that we can unleash, and the more painful the bump when we hit bottom.

There are two attitudes that we can cultivate to help keep us from falling into the deadly trap of pride. The first is awareness, the awareness exhibited by Moses and Jesus, who recognized that the powers that were manifested in them had their source in God. We also can strive to remain aware that our many gifts-our greatness-have their source in a gracious, generous, loving God.

The second and complementary attitude that we can cultivate is one of thankfulness; of gratitude to God for all that God gives us. Gratitude breeds a generosity of spirit; the generosity exhibited by Moses and Jesus.

Those who are not against us are for us. Would that all people could be aware as we are of God's love. Would that all people could share with us in the riches of God's kingdom.

God save us from pride and grant us conscious and grateful hearts that we may share God's bounty with a needy world.

David Christian
The Chapel of the Cross
Madison, Mississippi

Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29
James 4:7-5:6
Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48