Outer Rim Territories

Humility within your station

More Luther, this time from his sermon preached at the dedication of a new church in Torgau, 1544. If only he knew where our pride and arrogance would take us. What was a negative illustrative device was legitimized for laity and clergy alike by the ELCA, who claim to his legacy.

For he appoints many different offices, and Christ, the Son of God who sits at the right hand of the Father, bestows many gifts, in order that he may test us and see whether we fear him and are willing to serve him therein and thus humble ourselves. For, as we said, he demands this humility of us and it is also his due. If we do not do so in this life, we shall nevertheless be grievously cast down in the end when we die. He wants all to have stations and persons alike, to care for them as his guests and seat them and honor them, so that none may complain; except that each must be satisfied with his own place and not exalt himself above others, even though he may be higher and greater than others in the eyes of the world. Christ, the Son of God, was also high and noble, and yet he made himself equal to us poor men, indeed, he humbled himself beneath everybody. A woman must be a woman and cannot be a man. She, too, is God’s creature and her divine station is that she should bear and care for and rear children. So I am a man, created for another office and work. But should I be proud because of this and say: I am not a woman, therefore I am better in the sight of God? Should I not rather praise God for creating both the woman and me also through the woman and putting me in this my station? What an un-Christian thing it is that one should despise another because he is in another station or is doing something other than he is doing? It is like what happens among the Junkers nowadays; often one assaults another for trifling reasons, one calls the other a clerk and they can kill each other on this account; but they are more likely to do this to others, poor pastors, preachers, or humble people. Very well, but be careful and arm yourself against this saying: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.” For God will not and cannot tolerate such pride and arrogance. What do you have that you should be so proud? What do you have of yourself? And is not another just as much God’s creature as you are, no matter who he is? He will not have him despised; for he who despises his creature also mocks his Creator, says Solomon [Prov. 14:31; 17:5], and he who scoffs at a station scoffs at the Lord himself.