The Bravery of Humility
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OPENING SONGS
Saviour
Red HOt Chili Peppers
Humble Mi
Jah9
READINGS
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the Bravery of humility
By REV. Cory Bradford-Watts
In a culture where our superheroes are often anything but humble, it may seem like we're being called to a type of egotistic bravado by our entertainment media. And yet, scripture the world over invites us to take the stance of a brave humility - a stance that recognizes the source of all the gifts in our lives and boldly uplifts the good in other people as from that same Divine Source. We see this idea in Hebrew and Christian scriptures, and both of these concepts, bravery and humility, are uplifted as two of the Seven Grandfather / Sacred Teachings of many first nations' peoples. I thought it might be worthwhile to explore these Seven Sacred Teachings over the coming months, acknowledging the inspiration for these reflections is aboriginal thought, as well as the fact that I’m centering them from my context, my perspective.
The superhero is an interesting concept - most often they're someone born into or eventually gifted great powers, called to an epic responsibility. Today it seems we are somewhat obsessed with these heroes in our pop culture, almost to the point that they may be similar to what Greek Gods were to many Greeks, or perhaps, what the Biblical epics have been - sagas describing something deeply human: our own journeys toward heroism and triumph, Godliness and salvation. We each are gifted with great powers in a way: powers to destroy and uplift, to save and to foil, with that comes great responsibility, as they say.
Also like the sagas from scripture, our superheroes today are flawed beings. Like depictions of Samson from Hebrew scripture, they're often caught up in their own strength, beauty, and prowess in their seeming supremacy. This hollow bravado ultimately leads to their humiliation, the defeat before the inevitable, triumphant climax. What is it about an unhumble hero that naturally calls for a defeat? Can we feel this arc in our own lives? Do we feel like we are before or after the defeat - ready for a triumph in a humbled state or still facing a pitfall in our egotism?
Today, it's all too easy to feel like we are always on the brink of pitfall, isn't it? Like in the worlds our superheroes find themselves in, our society is full of mocked up, almost comical supervillains: poor government, poor leadership, twisted economies, a lack of health and mental health support, prison and justice systems run amuck that often cultivate criminal acts rather than rehabilitation. Like with the monsters in our hero franchises, we never seem to quite get a handle on them, we may try to improve and control the system, but it continues its insanities largely unchecked.
The 18th century interfaith-Christian mystic, Emanuel Swedenborg, wrote that this is likely true in our own lives as well. He says that many people, without the threat of external punishment and loss of reputation, would act quite insane in this world due to their egotism, as they do in the next life when the fears that kept them in check are diminished. Of course, even given the risks, we often act insanely egotistical anyway. I think that if we have a sense of pitfall in our life it ultimately comes to that truth: our hearts have pitfalls, destructive orientations, that are largely unchecked, un-reflected upon, and unchanged. Scripture tells us that to change we must have the bravery to start to release our desperate hold on self-aggrandizement and enter into a state that takes vastly more courage: one of humility and respect towards others and the Holy One.
We are called to acknowledge that only our Higher Power can work the miracle of releasing our false bravado, only Sophia Christ can transform the empty posturing of our selfish swagger and worship of ourselves. In this world, with our leaders, with our heroes, with our habits, self-worship is an easy mode to get caught up into. We often have no motive to question it and we lack understanding as to the source of the beauty and strength that we find in our lives.
Unfortunately, pop culture doesn't seem too interested in truly confronting the egotism of its protagonists or its audiences, although maybe it's getting better. Egotism is often the source of a superhero's comedy and fun-loving swagger. I mean, it makes sense - Thor's a god, how could he not be egotistical? Iron Man has billions of bucks, Batman's always right and is just cool, and they all look so good in those suits, don’t they?
We see another type of hero's journey, though, in the Holy One Jesus Christ's story of glorification. The Christian gospel tells the story of a person with the Divine Spirit within, called to heal, teach, and glorify God. In the gospel arc, we're given example after example of this holy teacher confessing that everything that they do, all the good that they are working, is from the Lord, even when said answer will get them murdered. In these scriptures we're told the story of a powerful being, humbled unto death, using his divinely wrought strength for communal good in a type of courageous humility, not to save himself or to lord over others in supremacy but to empower us. Of course, we can see some echoes of this quintessential hero's journey in other tales, as Christ's hero's journey feels right, complete and yet ongoing through each of us.
Ah, but you may say, "Jesus wasn't humble, he had a superhero's swagger too." Indeed, he regularly talked of his supreme connection to the Father, his anointed spot with Divinity, his privilege of being the only one to directly see Goddess. Not only that, he threw out the money changers! He foretold end-times! He rose from the dead and told everyone to follow him! These aren't the words and works we would associate with the humble, perhaps.
Yes, Jesus had some swagger and probably still does, but he had confidence because he had confidence in Divinity, and he had power from Divinity because he knew he had no power from himself-alone. He spells out to us that of himself, in his finite human nature, he is nothing, but from God he is glorified and he is all. He was brave because he had a humble faith toward and a deep relationship with the Mother within.
Jesus the Christ truly believed and acknowledged that all that he had going for him was from the Higher Power – his pride was for the Divinity that we each share, and he was braver for that spiritual humility and braver from it. As he grew and went through temptation, he found that he overcame because he knew that it was Divinity that overcame. As biblical scripture calls us to do, Jesus bravely humbled himself in a worshipful posture toward the only one worthy of worship, the one who transcends labels and religions, and found that with that came glorification, with a true humility came the courage and action of the Divine Justice-Worker.
Also, out of all the superhero narratives that I know, I think that this one in its supreme humility and supreme courage most clearly calls us to transform the pitfalls and temptations of our own lives and to emulate the transformational Divine dance of Goddess. Christ had the insight and the wherewithal to speak up in a society that he knew would kill him for it and say, what we are doing is destructive and horrific, let us change, let us heal, and turn back toward Divinity.
Jesus is very clear about the need to be humble and allow the Creatress to change our habits and our affections. In fact, we're told that Christ's entire ministry was one that called people to repent, to change their heart and receive Divine motives, acknowledging that their powers were holy gifts. He shows us how divine motives are loving and heroic, courageous enough to see injustice and to try to transform a broken heart and a broken system. He even tells us that the miracles that we will do through him are greater than the ones he's already done. I think that this is because the work of transforming spirits and society was only just beginning, it's always just beginning.
It takes courage to look at the world around us and actively work change. Like someone confronted by the enormity of nature, we are humbled by the scope of the issues in this world as well as the scope of the beauty. We start to see that to truly work justice calls on us to give up the injustice of our hearts, and what can be scarier than that, actually allowing the villainy within to enter into the grave of its own making?
Swedenborg believed that Christ had two general states throughout his spiritual journey, two states that we emulate in small ways through our own journey toward God, whatever our religion: a state of humiliation and one of glorification. In his state of humiliation Christ felt much like we do, often distant from God and needing to overcome the temptation of egotism and materialism as he embraced his servant nature. On the other hand, in his state of glorification, Jesus felt the glory of the Divinity within and acknowledged that he was magnificently aware and sure of this.
Like for Christ, I believe Biblical scripture calls on us to take on the creative tension of being courageous justice-workers, embodying the Savior's glory and social justice in this world (much like a superhero), while also embodying a humble, loving servant. These become one and the same. To do this we must acknowledge our prowess and its source, while putting our powers into action for the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of others. This is how we do greater work than Jesus had done as he said we would, because it's not our work, its Jesus', it’s the Spirit's continued work of holy transformation - how could that not get ever-better?
But there's another aspect to this call beyond transforming our egotism into a brave humility. We see this aspect also in superhero tropes: we tend to underestimate ourselves, and we must relinquish that as well in order to truly embrace our call. Do not hold yourself back from your potential. Yes, on one hand it is not you who performs well, but Goddess, and there's always room to grow, always room for reflection and reception. But it's also not you who you feel underperforms or who fails, although in your effort to hold onto your ownership of self it may seem like you fail often. Do not judge and claim your foibles or your egotism – instead, take a step back, take a breath, and let them go, like the sheaves of dry grass that they are.
So, like the Divine instrument that you are, magnify the good from the Holy One that you receive, and release the evil that you've received. Neither is you. As Christ said in multiple ways, you are a cup: clean your insides and receive new wine. Step forward with Divine courage to embrace humility, a servant's posture – one of justice, transformation, and love.
CLOSING SONGS
Ask the Mountains
Vangelis
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Pink Floyd
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