Feel Proud

Rev. Roger Peltier (guest minister)

February 4, 2007

He really had done quite a lot for someone just twenty-three. Taking all the money he had (and all the money he could borrow) he found the location, signed the lease and planned the grand opening. "This," he said to himself as he prepared an elegant menu, "is going to be the best restaurant in town!" It was the beginning of a great adventure.

He was quite proud of his accomplishments and he took his responsibility seriously (sometimes too much so).

But he had a lot to laugh about and puzzle over: like when his long-time friend and business partner attempted to work the sandwich board.

Always a little absentminded when stressed by the lunch rush, this guy couldn't remember that bacon is the main ingredient of a B-L-T sandwich, until after he'd served it.

Flummoxed, he'd remedy that situation by running out into the dining room and rather flamboyantly "draping" the meat over the toasted sandwich halves in front of the befuddled customer, while he'd rather proudly announce, "Now, that's a work of art!"

Of course, there were hard times too, as is wont to be the case: restaurant items disappeared; some of the staff was unreliable. The hours long, the work hard.

But business was generally good.

That is, until the day the restaurant's doors were chained and locked because the building's owners had not paid-for quite some time apparently-any property taxes.

Suddenly, everything was changed by the turn of a key; the adventure was ended. The future looked very different.

Now it took all the money he had-every dime-just to pay the staff. Feeling like a failure and definitely too proud to ask for help, our young would-be menu-maker, ended up without enough to feed himself.

I'm offering this story this morning, because it gives us a glimpse into the theme of today's sermon: the oft preached about proverbial pride.

It was GK Chesterton that said, "If I had only one sermon to preach it would be a sermon against pride."* That's not unusual in most church circles.

You may be familiar with slogans like this one, too: "Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace."** And, of course, the book of Proverbs tells us, famously, that "Pride goeth before a fall."***

Or, is it, as some say that, "Pride goeth before us all."

Indeed pride does show up for each of us in many and different ways. False pride, foolish pride, being full of pride, and so on…

BUT, is pride good for us? Or, is it really that "God pickles the proud and preserves the foolish," as another old saying goes?

And is pride important to Unitarian Universalism?

Do our Principles admonish pride, like other faith traditions might? Or do they encourage it?

I suspect it's going to be difficult to disagree with centuries of religious tradition and old saws that speak against pride-and to instead call it useful-

and I suspect attempting to turn the tradition around-to look at pride in a more positive way-might arouse my inner critic, and perhaps yours, too-but that is what I am about to do.

To start, I'd like us to reconsider the point of statements like those made in the book of Proverbs.

Admonishments like these-which point to that very serious fall preceding pride-also point to a serious theological and spiritual argument that is quick to attack pride chiefly because it sees pride as our blindness to our own vulnerability-

or as that which corrupts our graces (important as they may be) by the so-called hideous illusion that pride visits upon us- the illusion that we are greater than God.

For many, there could be no greater crime and no fitting punishment.

Such is the crux of the conservative religious argument and of most arguments against pride:

They say pride makes it difficult to see God's grace-to see God's doing in the world-because we see our doing first, or instead.

This makes pride a form of the oft forbidden idolatry.

But we could argue that such isn't necessarily true-at least not for us-because we say revelation is not sealed and that Unitarian Universalism, as a liberal religion, is not bound by any such theology, because:

We acknowledge no creator, necessarily;

We are not sinners in that we acknowledge no judge; and,

We are not servants in that we acknowledge no master.

And more so, in our Unitarian Universalist theology, a theology that asks us to put our faith-into-action, pride is actually important because it is a lens for us to see agency acted in the world.

That is, without looking to a God or Gods to run things, we necessarily look to ourselves.

That makes us a proud people. And that makes some folks feel a bit squirrelly.

To be sure, some will call such any orientation toward pride "arrogance" or "sin"-even an "abomination"-but others, especially liberal religionists will call it "liberation…"

This is a circular argument really; round and round it goes for the conservatives and the liberals …

It's a lot like arguing weather or not unconditional love is better than being loved for our particularities-as if love is divisible.

But here it is, folks, here is the good news:

Either way-be it that pride prevents us from seeing God's actions-OR that it lets us more clearly see God acting-OR that God has nothing to do with it-pride, like love, is primary to our being human and is central to culture:

Pride IS the great human motivator.

Even St. Paul, affirmed the motive force of pride when he asked his congregation in Corinth (his favorite) to "make room in their hearts" for his "great pride" in them.****

Just this once, I'm not inclined to argue with Paul.

Instead, I want to lift up two distinct understandings for "pride."

One way of understanding pride pertains to the theological concept idolatry-as I've just mentioned-or pride as arrogance.

But the other meaning, the one presupposed in this sermon, pertains to the pursuit of excellence (like pride in a job well done, for example).

That's the kind of pride I'm interested in today. And that kind of pride has nothing to do with sin.

In fact, not to pursue excellence, to be less than our very best selves, might well be the sin, if you will.

I've been thinking about Canadian poet, Irving Layton's great line, "The slow, steady triumph of mediocrity."

He's captured it, hasn't he?

Mediocrity will triumph if only because the many purveyors of mediocrity, joining forces, can always out-vote and out-maneuver and out-muscle the few who are committed to excellence.

But the fact that mediocrity disdains excellence, however, never excuses us for abandoning its pursuit, for daring to be better.

As reasonable and responsible people, we must be committed to excellence everywhere in life; therefore we must have pride.

And if we lack pride, if we don't take pride in our selves, in our lives, in our faith… well, then we've abandoned the pursuit of excellence and have prostituted ourselves to mediocrity-which, as it often turns out, leads many of us straight to arrogance.

Now that would be all well and good if the consequences of arrogance were merely that we appeared somewhat snooty and snobby then arrogant pride would be a bit trifle.

But arrogance kills; arrogance is soul-deadening.

Arrogance brings us to believe that we are separate from each other, that some are better than others, and that force trumps fairness.

That's why prideful arrogance has long been hailed as a sin-as one of the seven deadly sins, in fact-because of its potential to separate us one from another.

And that's why our seven life-affirming, uniting and unifying Unitarian Universalist principles are so important:

Because there is no room for arrogance if we really do believe: that every person is important, that people should be treated fairly, that all are accepted and are free to search for what is true, that all should have a voice and vote, and that all should work for a peaceful planet.*****

But here's the rub: Because the goodness OR sinfulness of pride is ambiguous at best-because indeed pride propels us toward excellence AND allows arrogant thinking-we must recognize that we almost all the time encounter pride in both its positive and destructive ways, simultaneously. And we're always presented with a choice…

That is the case for our young restaurant owner, isn't it?

Imagine, for instance, how proud he had to be to want the challenge of opening a restaurant at just twenty-three.

Imagine how proud of him people were that he took such risks. Imagine, too, how that pride helped him to push onward, to make a better life for himself and others.

Despite the comedy of his errors, even the sandwich-maker sought to make a simple BLT into a work of art.

At the same time, imagine how that same pride led our would-be restaurateur to fear failure, to refuse to ask for help, to go hungry.

Indeed, pride knows two faces.

This morning's story ends well enough for the young restaurateur though.

It is fortunate that this hungry young man had good friends-good friends that understood his pride-good friends that understood what random acts of kindness are and what it means to truly feed another-good friends that would anonymously place a brown paper bag of groceries on his doorstep and never say a word… good friends, that have not been strangers to me since the day I lost my restaurant.

And you, my friends, you are not strangers in the story either.

How many times has your own pride led you to turn away from help, to go it alone?

How many times has your own pride led you to hide in shame?

How many times has your own pride led you to lash out at another?

Indeed, none of us are strangers to the kind of pride that allows that for which the world hungers.

And we are so hungry!

We're hungry for the progressive message of our liberal faith; hungry for actions, not just words; hungry for rituals and circles of nourishing spirituality that can support our day-to-day struggles in this complicated world.

Indeed, we hunger.

But, there is more, always more: there is always the yearning toward that which is greater; there is always a new adventure ready to be begun.

And we needn't accept mediocrity! We can admonish arrogance surely enough and pursue pride-filled excellence.

Consider these excellent words from the writer and peace activist, Rae Noel, a shining example of pride in motion. She says:

"Whenever the human adventure reaches great and complete expression, we can be sure it is because someone has dared to be their un-average self."******

Ms. Noel, is a 73-year-old resident of Twenty-nine Palms-home to thousands of US Marines and their families.

Devoted to peace and definitely not feeling very cozy at home, she organized an anti-war protest in her very military-centered hometown.

For doing this, for daring to peacefully and proudly proclaim her deepest commitments, and for living by them, Ms. Noel lost her position with the local chamber of commerce, and lost nearly all else she had.

Still-jobless and living by the generosity of good friends-she says she'd do it again… only bigger and more boldly!

She'd dare to do it again!

Isn't that what pride compels us to do? to become our bigger and better selves? to be responsible for our agency in this world?

Yes, some will argue that because of pride "We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are."*******

Yet, with that caution noted we must, nonetheless, use pride to strive for our fullest expression on this human adventure.

Like countless other great souls that have come before us, we must act in the world, with greatness and grace.

We must feed the hungry, care for the sick, clothe the naked…

We must abide by the principles of our great Unitarian Universalist faith.

We must live boldly, with stregnth and heart and humor, and with the kind of pride great people like Nelson Mandela surely had when he spoke the eloquent and familiar words of Marianne Williamson:

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.

We ask ourselves,

Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

My friends,

There is a popular song that asks the question:

"What have you done today to make you feel proud?"

What is your answer?

No matter your age, from twenty-three to seventy-three and all the days in between, you can make yourself (and others) proud in the most simple and significant ways.

In fact, I dare you to do so:

     plan a grand opening,

          make a work of art,

               feed people,

                    ask for help,

                         act for peace.

It is no sin to do in this world and for this world what others imagine God is doing.

Be your un-average self; be fabulous! Amen.

BENEDICTION:

There is, finally, only one thing required of us:

that is, to take life whole, the sunlight and shadows together;

to live the life that is given us with courage and humor and truth.

Be proud.

Amen.

* see http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/gilbertkc156963.html

** see http://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/humilityquotes1.htm

*** Proverbs 16:18

**** II Corinthians 7:4

***** see Singing the Living Tradition #594

****** see http://www.hidesertstar.com/articles/2005

******* see http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Anais_Nin/

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