Wrapping a towel around my waist as I head out the door

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with the humble is wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

So Dave from 4Tucson preached again Sunday. And it’s all about humility, as in

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant.

Because, as Dave likes to remind us again and again, unity is what was on the heart of not only Paul as being the point of it all, but also, unity is what was on the heart of Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, this was His prayer: May they be brought to complete unity so that the world know that You sent Me and that You have loved them even as You have loved Me.

Jesus chose humility at every step of life...from where to be born to how He died. Humility is thinking of yourself less, not thinking less of yourself. It doesn't say, "be humble," it says, "Humble yourself." Choose to go low.

 So that we come a step closer to being the answer to Christ's prayer.

And Dave passed out this green sheet of paper outside under the olive trees, a little private in-your-prayer-closet sort of self-test on how one is doing in the realm of humility, and choosing to go low. Choosing the mind of Christ. And I sort of breezed through it yesterday, yeah, yeah.  And the Spirit brought it back to me time and time again, throughout the day, this thing about going low.

Because I noticed some offensing taking place throughout the day, when I didn’t leap into “hardly even noticing when others do it wrong.”

And He in all His kindness had already pointed out that I wasn’t so good at point number eight, about not labeling people or avoiding quick judgments. And yesterday was full of number nines, about accepting unfair criticism and number thirteen, accepting blame when I have compromised because of fear. Yep, sometimes I compromise because I am afraid of fifteen-year-olds.

And then there’s fifteen and twenty, “I accept God’s testing and discipline without grumbling,” and “I am a thankful person.”

And the little green paper ends with “There’s no grading curve. Nothing that says, 15 out of 20 means ‘Christ-like attitude,’ and 10 out of 20 means ‘nice start.’” Rather Jesus expects them all out of me, all the time. If I scored less that 20, then I need to step into the humbling me as I take my sin to the cross.

And all of this reminds me of Tom Copp's big word, that he used to work into almost every sermon: 

hupomenó: to stay behind, to await, endure

Original Word: ὑπομένω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: hupomenó
Phonetic Spelling: (hoop-om-en'-o)
Short Definition: I remain behind, endure
Definition: (a) I remain behind, (b) I stand my ground, show endurance, (c) I endure, bear up against, persevere.

I remain behind.

The highways and byways

Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. Matthew 22:9-10

Yet again. Facebook is a lot like the work of God: pretty much always undignified and messy and loud sometimes. This morning I saw a cold, blustered Frederic standing on a bridge with 84 likes, and Luci Shaw the poet’s new tattoo.  A once little girl from the Dominican Republic posted a quote by Corrie ten Boom about worry emptying today of its strength and her sister posted The American Vision: a biblical world view ministry about how 500,000,000 charismatics are not only going to hell, they are destined for especially hot blazes. Folks cheering sundry soccer teams and the St. Louis Cardinals and a photo of Heidi Baker cuddling a once-blind-now-I-see baby in a remote African bush town. A young man in Stockholm needs someone to cut his hair and a girl is Phoenix is looking for a roommate. An Amazing Gift received by a previous student, and yet another asking for someone to Skype or facetime because Friday nights can be long and lonely.

And not a drop of indignation.

Because this Scripture reminds me of two tasks that I have been given that can more than fill my heart and mind.

One, as his servant, I am to go out and call those invited to the great wedding feast of the Son of the King. And when they are too busy and distracted with what is not essential I am to go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame. And since there is still yet room, I am to also go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that the house may be filled.

Two, and perhaps even more importantly, I want to be ready, paying attention. I do not want to be making excuses, lest I be found unworthy: The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’

And I think that the next little story is related, that of paying taxes to Cesar. So very much of this stuff, the money stuff, the doctrine stuff, the political stuff, the stuff stuff, is about this world. Let me release all that, let go, and render to God what is His: me.

And let me be about my Father’s business.

No excuses.

Slave is a pretty strong word

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 2:26-28

We are not to be like the Gentiles, the godless, lording over those under their authority.  Scrabbling for their titles, their corner offices, the head of the table. Always with an eye out for who is noticing. Like the scene when Jesus simply watches the dinner guests weasel their way into the seats of prestige. Rather than wrapping a towel about their waist and kneeling down to wash feet.

And last night, around the dinner table at Jack and Mary Anne’s, we talked about this very thing, the potency of the back row.  Because the ones who truly wield greatness are the ones kneeling.  Or the ones providing thoughtful feedback . Or available for a quiet cup of coffee every Monday morning. Maybe grading literary analysis essays one more time. And of course, bouncing the child upon the knee while reading good manner books aloud.

It’s not about standing up front. 

And that back row stuff holds a lot of responsibility as well, Today Nati and I are memorizing the verse, Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1, which doesn’t seem like much for memorizing, but the heart of it is an awareness of what is what. What matters.

Because Nati is not flashy or up front. But I imagine that on a team or in a classroom, she is whom folks look to because she lives life steadily and judiciously. With lots of grace.

And as I try one more stab at preparing her for going off into the big bad world I feel the weight of what matters. What parting shots can I add to her very full bubbling over cup passed on to her by her very intentional parents.

Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Our eyes on the ones who have gone before us, and way oh way up front, Christ, who shows us the way, giving His life as a ransom for many. 

Somehow this old truth has gripped me anew.  Every slight, every moment to bend, every moment to be silent is a moment of grace in which I have the opportunity to be like Him. For the joy set before me.