Joy in Humility
Jesus was born into very humble circumstances, maybe just like you. But all those who came to him were filled with joy. Discover the secret of joy that isn’t built on what’s around you.
Transcript
We’re talking about Christmas joy this month.
My thesis for today is this: There is joy in humility.
But humility is more complex than it might seem. Different people and different cultures have wildly divergent views on humility.
Years ago, long before I was a pastor, Pang Foua and I were at a backyard wedding for some Hmong friends. After all the festivities, we stuck around to help clean up. I saw a growing pile of giant bowls collecting in the yard. You know the ones—big enough to mix egg roll filling or nam van or fit a small child into.
BTW, I had never seen bowls this large prior to marrying Hmong. White people just don’t have bowls like this. We have “bowls”; y’all have “BOWLS.” I’ve seen satellite dishes smaller than these bowls.
Well, back to the story. So, I grab these giant bowls and take them over to the hose to wash them… because they’re too big to fit through the back door. As I was washing them, an older man approached me and said, “Why are you doing that? That’s women’s work.” I told him I was just trying to be helpful and kept washing.
But it unsettled me. Here was a guy who didn’t think it was appropriate for a man to do such a lowly task like washing dishes. What I thought was a kind gesture of humility was seen by him as a cultural affront.
That’s when I learned that humility is not universally valued.
What’s your view on humility? My reading seems to group opinions into three categories. Where do you fall?
Humility is a good virtue, I’m generally a humble person.
Humility is good but hard. Sometimes, I’m not very humble. I’m just human, after all.
Humility is not good. It’s weak; you don’t want to be taken advantage of; your culture doesn’t value it.
If you’re #1, where you’re killing it at humility… First off, you’d never admit it because you’re too humble. Second, great job. You’re reflecting the humility of Christ well. You can take a break this morning. Go ahead and take a nap.
This morning, I’d like to talk to those in the other two groups:
You know humility is good, but you struggle with your pride, fear, or disbelief. And those sometimes drive you to make selfish choices.
OR You don’t really believe in humility.
You see it as weakness, making you vulnerable to being looked down upon or taken advantage of.
If you’re a guy, maybe your family or culture told you that it’s not tough or masculine.
You see it as submission or denying your own happiness.
So, you might disagree with my premise that there is joy in humility. Maybe your family of origin or life experiences tell you otherwise.
But the Christmas story is a masterclass in humility—the joy of it and the obstacles to it.
Ya, you’ve probably heard the story of Jesus’ humble beginnings: "He was born in a stable because there was no room at the inn.” But I believe there’s a much more compelling part of the Christmas story about the relationship between joy and humility.
And that’s found in the people. These are familiar names, like Mary and Joseph, shepherds, wise men, and King Herod. But there’s an amazing pattern that emerges when you look at who experiences joy and who doesn’t.
Joy is all over the Christmas story. In fact, the words joy or rejoice, which is really just re-joy, describe the experience of 6 different people or groups of people in the Christmas story.
Zechariah, the priest, husband of Elizabeth, father of John the Baptism – He (John) will be a JOY and delight to you, and many will REJOICE because of his birth (Luke 1:14)
Elizabeth, relative of Mary & mother of John the Baptist – As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for JOY. (Luke 1:44)
Elizabeth’s Neighbors and Relatives – Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her JOY. (Luke 1:58)
Mary, the mother of Jesus – My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit REJOICES in God my Savior. (Luke 1:46-47)
Shepherds – But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great JOY for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)
Wise Men – When they saw the star, they were OVERJOYED. (Matt 2:10)
What’s interesting about these people were in humble station in life:
Zechariah and Elizabeth didn’t have children.
Mary was pregnant and unmarried, facing public disgrace.
The shepherds were low-class workers, looked down on by others.
The wise men were Gentile foreigners and likely royal servants, not royalty themselves.
Not only that, they all demonstrated forms of humility, like righteousness, obedience, worship. This showed a humble attitude toward God and the baby Messiah.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were devoted, righteous, and even blameless, which means they never blamed God for their infertility.
Mary was obedient and humble. “I am the Lord’s servant,” she said.
The shepherds sought Jesus immediately. The text says they were “glorifying and praising God.”
The wise men traveled a great distance and worshiped Jesus at great personal cost to them.
Every person who experienced joy in the Christmas story demonstrated humility. Their humility opened the door to joy.
But it doesn’t stop there. Every person who didn’t experience joy lacked humility. They let their fear, pride, or disbelief close the door to joy. We can see that with Joseph, Zechariah, and King Herod.
Let’s start with Joseph. He was a righteous man but also disbelieving and fearful.
He didn’t believe his fiancé Mary when she told him she was pregnant. He wanted to divorce her quietly.
But an angel told him, “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” He was afraid of what others would think of them.
But… he woke up from the dream, believed the angel, rejected his disbelief and fear, and took Mary as his wife.
His immediate humility opened the door to joy in the birth of his son Jesus.
How about Zechariah, the Priest? You might be thinking, “Wait, wasn’t he on the humility and joy list?” Yes, but he didn’t experience that joy right away. First, he was afraid and disbelieving, just like Joseph.
The first thing the angel said to him was, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.”
Then the angel explained that his wife, Elizabeth, was going to be pregnant, and Zechariah didn’t believe the angel.
As a result of his disbelief, he was unable to speak for 9 months until his child was born. Nine months of silence is a long time to develop humility. And at the birth of his son, he was obedient, humble, and joyful. His 9 months of humility opened the door to joy.
Lastly, there’s King Herod, a man who experienced no joy because he couldn’t get past his pride and fear.
He feared losing his power and position to this new “King of the Jews.”
He lied, controlled, and manipulated people.
His pride and fear escalated to the point where he was willing to commit genocide and kill all the boys around Jesus’ age.
The door to joy was closed to him, for he had no humility, only pride and fear.
The Christmas story is full of joy, but not everyone experiences it. Just like today.
Some, like Mary or the shepherd, live in humility, opening the door to abundant joy.
Others lived in humility, but it got crowded out by fear.
Some, like Joseph, quickly rejected their fear and embraced humility. They opened that door quickly.
Others, like Zechariah, it took a bit longer; they opened the door much slower. And, as a result, missed out on some of God’s joy.
And then, there are always some King Herods among us; people who are so consumed by fear and pride, they miss out on the joy of Christmas. The door is completely closed.
I started this sermon with the premise that there is joy in humility.
Hopefully, by now, you can see that the Christmas story is full of joy and that humility opens the door to that joy. In the manger, God's majesty met humanity's humility, and joy was born.
But how does this work in your life? How can joy come from humility in your life? Let me give you five ways humility can bring more joy into your life.
By admitting your imperfections, weaknesses, and even failures, we are released from the constant need for validation. Humility allows you to go before God and others as you really are without having to prove yourself or justify your behaviors. You can truly receive peace, contentment, and joy from God.
Humility allows you to appreciate God’s good gifts more fully. When you want what you have and you don’t need more, that leads to a deeper sense of gratitude to God, which leads to more joy.
Humility creates better relationships. When you’re not trying to use people to feed your insecurity, comfort your fears, or stroke your ego, there is amazing freedom. You can truly love another person without constantly needing them to love you first.
Humility allows you to receive and give more freely. Humility allows you to receive freely from God and give to others out of his abundance and not your scarcity. And that creates more joy in your life.
Humility allows you to be vulnerable and authentic. No posing, faking, or putting on a good face. Humility frees you from all of that. You can actually be yourself, knowing that you are loved by God, forgiven by Jesus, and indwelled with the Holy Spirit.
Joy thrives where humility resides.
This all sounds great, but how do we actually do it? How can we live with more humility, opening the door to more joy?
The answer is simple yet profound. We follow the example of Jesus, one of the greatest models of humility and joy this world has ever known.
Philippians 2 has the best description of what looks like for us to follow Jesus' example. Church, hear these words.
1 Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
RiverLife family, go and do likewise.
In a world chasing happiness, Christmas invites us to find joy in the humble heart of Jesus. Be like Jesus.
