The Lord Humbles the Proud and Exalts the Lowly
The text for today is our Old Testament reading, the Song of Hannah, 1 Samuel 2:1-10, which has already been read. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The theme of our midweek Advent services is “My pride, my defeat. God’s pride my deliverance.” We’ve been talking about the dangerous sin of pride. Pride tricks us into believing that we are self-sufficient and self-made, that we don’t need anybody or anything to make our own way—not even God. But such an attitude keeps us from realizing our great need: Before God we are beggars; we must rely on His grace and mercy to save us. Pride is a dangerous sin that separates us from God, and in order to rid us of its grip God will go to extreme lengths. As when King Nebuchadnezzar boasted of his mighty power and was driven out to live with the beasts of the field, his hair as long as eagle’s feathers and nails like bird claws. Or when K...