Humble π

Why Humble Pi and not Humble Pie?

Pi, the famous mathematical constant, has the characteristic of transcendence: it is an expression that never ends.
Pie, especially if it is a good tasting pie, is transient: it will not last long at all.

This past Sunday, Reverend Joel caused us to reflect on the importance of humility. He shared that, although humility appears last in the short list of Micah 6:8, it is in fact the aspect of our being that must be present first in order to accomplish the other two aspects, justice and mercy.

Reverend Joel spoke of humility as not just a mental assent, but a practice that must be expressed in order to be relevant. It is the character trait that marks authentic prayer (see Second Chronicles 7:14). It is the thing that ushers in the grace of God (First Peter 5:5).

Another key point during the sermon was that humility is not a denial of our spiritual gifts and talents, but it is instead a means by which we use our gifts and talents to encourage and lift up other people. As Reverend Joel shared, and I paraphrase here, humility can only be exercised by those who legitimately have something to be proud about.

Let's have a slice of humble "Pi": constantly humble, eternally humble, for the sake of serving others with the gifts God has given us.

Lord, we thank You for giving us spiritual gifts and talents. And we recognize that we will not be on this planet forever. Please help us, while we have breath, to honor You by using these gifts and talents in the service of Your kingdom. And please help us to remember that Your kingdom has a special love for the poor, the widow, the stranger, the sick, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised.