THE HUMILITY OF GOD: A CALL TO RADICAL LOVE

A Traditional Byzantine Icon Called “Extreme Humility” and Portraying the Humiliation of Christ, the King of Glory

A Sermons for the 17th Sunday After Trinity 

By Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West) 

EPISTLE

Ephesians 4:1-6 “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

THE GOSPEL 

Luke 14: -11 “When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 

But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 

For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

OPENING COLLECT 

O Lord, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

SERMON 

Beloved, we gather today, reflecting on the profound mystery of God’s call to humility and radical love, as expressed in the words of Holy Scripture. The Collect of this day petitions the Lord for grace to withstand temptation and to follow Him with pure hearts and minds. It is a call to holiness, but even more than that, it is a call to embody Christ’s own humility in our daily walk. The readings for the 17th Sunday after Trinity lead us deep into the heart of this mystery, revealing that it is only through humility, obedience, and unity in Christ that we come to know the fullness of God’s love. This is an inspiration and a kind of suffering that challenges us to the core of our being! 

THE HUMILITY OF CHRIST 

In today’s Gospel, our Lord offers a parable that exemplifies the great paradox of the Kingdom: “Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Here, Christ teaches us that greatness in the Kingdom of God is not achieved through pride, position, or power, but through humility and service. St. Basil the Great echoes this in his treatise “On Humility”: “Humility, the highest of virtues, is what opens the heavens to us, for it is in the lowly heart that God can dwell.”

This teaching is more than mere moralism. It is the very heart of the Incarnation. Christ, the eternal Word of God, humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, emptying Himself, as St. Paul tells us in Philippians 2. This self-emptying - what the Fathers call “kenosis” - is the pattern of divine love. Christ became low so that He might raise us up. He died so that we might live. In the words of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, “the humility of God is the revelation of His love, a love that does not crush or dominate, but invites us to freely return to Him in response.”

HUMILITY FROM THE DESERT FATHERS TO THE NONJURORS

The lesson of humility is one learned in the desert places of life. In today’s Old Testament lesson, the children of Israel murmur against Moses in their thirst, questioning whether God is truly among them. This mirrors our own spiritual journey. In the wilderness of our lives, when the trials of life seem to overwhelm us, do we murmur and doubt? Or do we humble ourselves, trusting that God will provide?

The Nonjuring Father William Law, reminds us that the path of humility is the path of trust in God's providence. Law, in his “Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life,” writes, “The first step in the Christian life is to renounce our own will and submit ourselves entirely to the will of God.” This means abandoning the pride of self-reliance and embracing the humility of faith.

The same truth is echoed by the Desert Fathers, whose ascetic lives demonstrate a radical dependence on God. As St. Isaac the Assyrian once said, “He who knows his own sin is greater than he who raises the dead by his prayer.” To know our own frailty, to acknowledge our need for God, is to begin to live in the truth.

UNITY THROUGH HUMILITY IN THE CHURCH 

Humility does not stop at personal piety - it extends into the life of the Church. St. Paul’s words in the Epistle to the Ephesians speak of the Church as one body, with one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. The Church is called to be a place where the unity of the Spirit is maintained in the bond of peace. But unity is impossible without humility. C.S. Lewis once noted in “Mere Christianity” that pride is the chief cause of division between men and even between man and God. It is through humility, then, that true unity is fostered, both in our relationship with God and within the Body of Christ. 

In his “Letters to Malcolm,” Lewis wrote, "True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less." This Christ-like humility is the foundation upon which our Christian love is built. Without it, we fall prey to self-centeredness and division, rather than the self-giving love to which Christ calls us.

St. Paul’s exhortation to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Ephesians 4:1) invites us to live in this humility and unity. We are called to forbear one another in love, maintaining the bond of peace. This, brothers and sisters, is not a superficial peace, but a profound unity that comes from the Spirit, where differences are transcended by love and humility. As St. John Chrysostom once said, "There is nothing more powerful than humility to close the mouths of demons, and to open the heavens."

Humility is not simply a private virtue but a public one, lived out in our relationships. We are called to serve one another in love, to place others before ourselves, and to consider their needs as greater than our own. This communal humility transforms the Church into a place where Christ’s love is tangibly present, where the Kingdom of God is made manifest in our relationships.

St. Gregory of Nyssa, that great Cappadocian, takes this further, arguing that humility in community reflects the very nature of God’s love. He writes, “As the Son of God emptied Himself for the sake of humanity, so too must we empty ourselves for the sake of others.” This self-emptying love, rooted in humility, is the key to Christian community. It transforms us from individuals seeking our own good into a body united in love, reflecting the unity of the Trinity itself.

Again, dear Fr. Alexander, reflecting on this in his famous writings on liturgy, explains that the Eucharist is the ultimate school of humility and love. “In the liturgy,” Schmemann writes, “we receive the humility of God in the form of bread and wine, so that we might become like Him, humble and loving servants in the world.” This connection between humility, love, and the Eucharist reminds us that our humility is not a vague feeling but a concrete participation in the life of Christ, who offers Himself for the life of the world.

RADICAL CHRISTIAN CALLING 

Brothers and sisters, the message of today’s readings and the wisdom of the saints is clear: we are called to live lives of radical humility and love. This is not an easy path. It requires dying to ourselves, to our pride, and to our desire for recognition. But it is the path that leads to life—true life in Christ.

In a world obsessed with self-promotion and individualism, we are called to be radically different. We are called to be humble, to serve others, and to love without counting the cost. St. Paul’s call in Ephesians is as relevant today as it was then: to walk in humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another in love. The Church, as the body of Christ, is meant to be a place where this humility is lived out, where the love of God is made visible through our relationships with one another.

Practically, this means forgiving those who have wronged us, even when it is difficult. It means seeking the good of others before our own. It means embracing the lower place at the banquet, trusting that God will lift us up in due time.

It is here, in the daily acts of humility and love, that we truly witness to the fullness of the Gospel. G.K. Chesterton once quipped, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." But we are called to try it, to live it out in all its difficulty and glory. This radical love is the way of the Cross, and it is the way to eternal life.

SUMMARY: THE HUMBLE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST 

As we approach the Holy Table this day, let us come with hearts filled with the humility of Christ, remembering His great love for us. Let us heed His call to radical love, to unity in the Church, and to self-giving service to one another. In doing so, we follow the example of our Lord, who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death—even the death of the Cross (Philippians 2:8).

CLOSING COLLECT 

O ALMIGHTY GOD, who by Thy humility and love hast shown us the path to eternal life: grant us the grace to humble ourselves before Thee and before one another, that we may serve in love and be conformed to the image of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

I have said these things to you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shalt be. World without end. Amen.