18 Mar Sermon for the 1st Sunday of Lent, Year C

Sunday 9th March, 2025

The Community here at Mucknell is, as with any group, made up of diverse individuals with varying opinions on just about everything! As such, sermons posted on our website represent the ideas of the preachers who wrote and delivered them, not necessarily those of the entire Community.

From today’s collect:   As you know our weakness, so may we know your power to save.

That’s fine – unless someone else points out our weakness…and then what happens? How do we react?

A new vicar was appointed to a parish where the parish church was visible to everyone entering the town and had a rather well-to-do congregation. After a few weeks a huge noticeboard appeared where everyone would see it. In huge red letters it proclaimed: “This church is only for sinners! All welcome!” The result was that almost half the regular congregation took umbridge and transferred their allegiance to a neighbouring church.

OK – so God knows our weaknesses – but do we? How well and how honestly do we own them, and admit to ourselves, if not to each other, how much we need God’s help?

It took me a long time to realise why St Benedict placed what is by far the longest chapter in his Rule – the chapter on humility – almost at the beginning of his Rule.

‘Humility’ – the word has had a bad press over recent decades. It has become confused with ‘humiliation’. Humiliation: negative; ‘humility’: positive, real, from ‘humus’ – earthed, of the earth.

Today’s readings highlight the need to be realistic and remember where we come from and how we got to where we are – “Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return,” we were reminded on Ash Wednesday.

Denise Inge, in her book Tour of Bones records the inscription over the entrance of one ossuary she visited: “What you are, we were. What we are, you will be.”

So, ‘humility’: have you ever wondered what is the opposite to humility? Could it be ‘arrogance’? My hunch is that few of us would think of ourselves as arrogant, or like to be described as arrogant, or even be aware of just how arrogant we can be at times.

Where are we in the humility stakes? – and is our humility more than surface? Does it yet go through us like the print on an old-fashioned stick of rock?

Mohammad al Shomali is a Shia cleric, and he tells of an ancient Islamic Hadith, a story supposedly told by the Prophet Mohammad.  

Abraham was a very hospitable person and used to invite people into his home to share a meal with him and his family. Sometimes, when he had no guests, he would go out into the streets and look for some, but when he went out, he would always close the door so that no-one would wander in and disturb his family. One day, when he returned to his home, he found a person like a human being in his house. He was surprised. ‘I made sure to close my door, and no one else has arranged to be in my house, so who is this person?’ So, he asked him, “With whose permission did you enter this house?” He wasn’t aggressive and gave the person a chance to explain himself. That’s very important.

So, Abraham asked him the question and he replied, “With the permission of the Master of this house.”   Abraham didn’t say, “But I am the master of this house.” No, he realised that God had sent the person, because we are not masters of this or any house. So, the angel said to him, “There is someone who has been chosen by God to be his friend, and I have come to inform him.”    Now, what would we do if we were in a situation similar to Abraham?  This angel is found in his house, saying that there is someone chosen by God to be his friend, and wanted to inform him. How would you understand this? Would you assume that you were that person?   But Abraham didn’t think like that. He said, “Who is this person whom my God has chosen to be his friend that I may serve him until I die?”

This Hadith made me stop and ponder. I’m sure I would have assumed that the message was for me. What does that say about my humility? And how ever can we monitor humility or arrogance?

I realised that every time I judge someone or criticise them, in all probability I’m working out from a place of arrogance rather than humility; I’m assuming that I’m better than they are. ‘I wouldn’t behave like that.’ I wouldn’t do that.’  — ‘I wouldn’t…’  “I wouldn’t…’ But, if I knew no-one would notice, might I?

And how well do I accept, even welcome, criticism or disappointment? Do I look for the nicest piece of fruit in the bowl or the largest slice of cake? And how do I receive praise, or a compliment?

Archbishop Michael Ramsey used to say, “Thankfulness is a soil in which pride (arrogance) finds it very difficult to grow.”    

And St Benedict advises, “If you notice something good in yourself, give credit to God, not to yourself.”

So, perhaps this week we might ask for the grace to grow in thankfulness and humility.

Lord, as you know our pride and our arrogance, so may we know your power to help us grow in humility and thankfulness. Amen.

Br. Stuart

Photo by Megan Watson on Unsplash