Sermon: August 31, 2025

Readings: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 / Luke 14:1, 7-14

In today’s scripture, Jesus’ message to the Pharisee, the guests, and to us is about letting go of pride and arrogance and embracing genuine humility. That doesn’t mean we have low self-esteem, feel inferior, or put ourselves down.

For a Christian, being truly and authentically humble involves centering our lives on God and recognizing that we are incomplete without His love and guidance. Humility means understanding that spiritually, we are in a continual process of growth, always learning and seeking to strengthen our relationship with God and the rest of humanity.

We are strengthened and encouraged as we follow the example of the one who humbled himself by becoming human and sacrificed himself on the cross. By opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit, we can cultivate genuine humility and the ability to lift one another up, and recognize that all of humanity shares the valued status of children of God and has an equal seat of honor at his banquet.

May we continually seek to nurture mutual love for all humanity, remembering to show hospitality to strangers; in doing so, we might unknowingly entertain angels.