Good afternoon!
Anger and pride seem to go together—and they are discussed together in today’s reading in Ecclesiasticus.
The author warns against anger about little things—and about what you might do in your anger. He says,
Anger and pride seem to go together—and they are discussed together in today’s reading in Ecclesiasticus.
The author warns against anger about little things—and about what you might do in your anger. He says,
“Do not get angry with your neighbor for every injury,
and do not resort to acts of insolence.
Arrogance is hateful to the Lord and to mortals,
and injustice is outrageous to both…”
In the same passage, the author calls human beings “dust and ashes.” After all, God did form us from the dust of the earth. And we human beings have at least one thing in common—our mortal bodies will all pass away, eventually.
Pride comes from our erroneous thinking that we are better than someone else or that we don’t make mistakes, while others do. If we think this way, we are deceiving ourselves.
The author of Ecclesiasticus writes,
“How can dust and ashes be proud?
Even in life the human body decays.
A long illness baffles the physician;
the king of today will die tomorrow…”
And then the author hits pride straight on. It’s sin, he says.
“The beginning of human pride is to forsake the Lord;
the heart has withdrawn from its Maker.
For the beginning of pride is sin, and the one who clings to it pours out abominations.”
I have never thought about what happens in our hearts when we are prideful, how our hearts withdraw from our Maker and that we are really forsaking the Lord.
If we are prideful, we are boasting of ourselves—and not of the Lord. Yet we are called to die to self and live as Christ. If we boast at all, as the apostle Paul says, we boast of Christ within us enabling us to do God's work and will.
It is difficult to talk about pride in a sermon, without seeming like I am pointing the finger at others. The truth is we all have problems with pride. Many times when we are angry at another person it is because they have said or done something that has hurt our pride. And yes, what they said or did was wrong and unkind. But what is the godly response?
As people of faith, we are called to let our anger go! Don’t lash back at every offense, scripture warns us.
Just let it go!
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, forgive us for our pride. Forgive us when our hearts have turned away from you and when we have given in to our anger and self-righteousness. Strengthen us to show grace and do the right thing when hurtful things are said or when bad things happen. Remind us who we belong to – and how we have been bought with a price! Jesus has died for all sin—the sins of you and me and the world. God isn’t “keeping score”—so why are we? Keep us from being judgmental and defensive, Lord. We have Christ so we are already more than conquerors of all evil. Remind us that we, too, are sinners and that with the Spirit’s help—and with faith—we can love and forgive as You love and forgive us. In Christ we pray. Amen.
Today’s readings are Ecclesiasticus 10:1-18; Revelation 9:1-12; Luke 10:25-37; and 37:1-18.
Blessings in Christ!
Pastor Karen
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