Pride
When we settled on this Lenten
series of The Seven Sins, we saved Pride for last. For most writers, Pride is seen as the deadliest
of the sins. It is seen as intertwined
with many of the other six. And it is considered
the most difficult to root out and overcome.
Pride is so prevalent and insidious
in our culture that everyone knows God’s word regarding pride. You do too, I am sure. Quote with me Proverbs 16:18. “Pride goeth
before the fall.”
David Owen writes that pride
coupled with immense power allows certain persons to “become irrationally
self-confident in their own abilities, increasingly reluctant to listen to the advice
of others and progressively more impulsive in their actions.” This is what pride, left unchecked, unleashes
on the world for which Jesus gave his life.
Pride is the absolute lack of
humility. Pride is the inability and
unwillingness to even consider the possibility that one may be in error or
might not be in full possession of every conceivable human attribute.
Pride does goeth before the fall.
When we assigned Pride to this, the
final Wednesday of Lent, we had no idea we would be talking about pride at a
time when unchecked hubris is becoming deadly for so many of our neighbors, for
so many of our brothers and sisters.
Were we not prideful, four weeks ago, when we continued to suffer under
the illusion that a tinny-tiny virus could dismantle and overwhelm the structures
which we had built in order to make a name for ourselves? Did we not allow ourselves to think that we
could handle this, and that it would not do to us what it had done to others.
Let me crystal clear – I do not,
have not, and never will subscribe to the theological assertion that God uses
something like a virus to punish us.
There are Christians and there are theologians who make such assertions
and while they can find verses and writings to bolster their arguments, I will
never agree with them.
But I do firmly believe that when
our vices and our ungodly drives get out of control there are consequences to
our actions. Consequences brought on by
physics and biochemistry.
COVID-19 has proven to be such a
consequence. And we are all living through
the disastrous results of thinking we were too smart or to healthy or too prepared
for what has happened in other parts of the world for it to happen here.
I do not, have not, and never will
subscribe to the notion that God is punishing us for our hubris. But I do think our prideful traits have
impeded our ability to act in ways which enhance life and hold sacred the life
of each and every of God’s children.
When I was writing sermons on the
previous deadly sins, I found myself speaking of the ways those transgressions
had taken hold in our lives. Sometimes,
oftentimes, unknowingly. I have no need, nor any desire to do this with
regard to pride. We are all living through
a time in human history which makes it unnecessary to wonder if we are aware of
our hubris. Of course we are. And we are frightened by our own tolerance of
thinking ourselves capable of building our own modern-day version of a Tower of
Babel.
The mediation this day is not to
make sure we are aware of our pride but to assure each of us that confession is
always met by God’s assurance of forgiveness.
Let us confess, and let us cry out to God, and allow me to lead you in
the prayers of repentance.
We have “become irrationally
self-confident in (our) own abilities, increasingly reluctant to listen to the advice
of others and progressively more impulsive in (our) actions.” And the consequences of our pride are proving
deadly. To our neighbors. And to our brothers and sisters.
Let us confess, and let us repent,
before the list of consequences grows longer, perhaps even to include our
willingness to return to God and our capacity to trust in God rather than the
devices and machines and mechanisms pieced together with our feeble human
hands.
Humility is the beginning of
wisdom. Pride goeth before the fall.
Amen.
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