The Posture of Advent Part 3: Humility
The Posture of Advent Part 3: Humility
Scripture: Luke 18:9-14
The sermon begins by reflecting on Advent as a season of waiting and introduces humility as the third posture believers are to adopt while awaiting Christ’s return.
Drawing on Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s reflections on Advent from prison, the message frames waiting as a condition of dependency and emptiness that points believers away from self-sufficiency. The core of the sermon centers on Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14), using it to contrast two postures of prayer and life: one marked by self-righteousness and comparison with others, the other by an honest recognition of need and reliance on God’s mercy.
Humility is presented not as mere lowliness but as the posture that acknowledges the impossibility of earning God’s favour and embraces God’s gift of mercy. The sermon emphasizes that true humility shapes how believers live and wait for Christ, freeing them from self-reliance and orienting them toward a life shaped by God’s grace.