August 30, 2015
Pentecost 14
Micah 6:6-8
James 1:17-27
(prayer)
If you talk to people who
aspire to a living faith that actively seeks to make a difference in the world,
you will find a lot of love for our
first scripture reading today: do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with
your God. Basic requirements for
faithfulness off the pen of an ancient prophet - as applicable today as it was
2500 years ago.
//
Most people seek some level
of meaning in their lives - many people articulate this within the language of
faith and holy mystery.
There is a hunger for wider
purpose for the lives we get to live.
There is a thirst for Spirit.
Some are able to quench that thirst within a particular community of
faith or the tenants of an organized religion - and still others find the
structures and dogmas inadequate but they thirst nevertheless.
//
I have to believe (for my faith to have any meaning) that there
is value in the mission and ministry of the community of faith of which I am a
part. But I also have to believe that
God is not limited to my church; that God is not limited to my experiences;
that God has an interest and a stake in creation that is bigger than anything I
know.
And so, for me - as valuable
as my personal faith is - I strive to never discount the spiritual yearnings of
others.
//
Further to that - from our
scripture readings today, I feel an encouragement to live out a faith that has
more to it that what I can gain for myself - spiritually.
I don’t want to discount
the personal impact of a connection to God - far from it! I suspect that most of us would be less
motivated to seek a spiritual presence in our lives if it didn’t bring
something valuable into our lives.
But, a message that seems
obvious today, as I hear Micah and James, is that as much as it is about “me”,
it has to be about more than me.
//
//
In the final verse of the
passage from James today, there is a two-pronged call to faithful living: care for orphans and widows in their distress,
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
These are held together as
a call to remain focused on having a meaning and purpose in our lives. The biblical call to care for the widows and
orphans is as old as the bible itself - James is not inventing a new theology
here.
Throughout the history of
faith, there is an expectation that the most vulnerable of the society will not
be forgotten. In the patriarchal society
of the old cultures of the bible, the male head of household was responsible for
the well-being of his family: aging
parents, spouses, children, and any people who worked for the family (servants
or slaves).
When some tragedy occurred
so that a family was left without such leadership, the wider community would
step up to fill the void. It was a
social safety net embedded in the expectations of the religion.
You can see this in many
places in the Old Testament. For
example, from Exodus 22 - 21You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in
the land of Egypt. 22You
shall not abuse any widow or orphan.
And from Deuteronomy 10 - 12So now, O Israel, what does
the Lord your God require of you? Only to [revere]
the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13and to keep the commandments of
the Lord your God ... 17For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of
lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, ... 18who executes justice for the orphan and the
widow, and who loves the [foreign] strangers, providing them with food and
clothing.
And from Isaiah 1 - 17learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the
oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
The author of James wants
to ensure that this ancient ethic is embedded in the Christian moral code as
well.
This demonstrates that
having faith is incomplete if we are only focused on ourselves. We have a sacred
duty to others as well - especially the most vulnerable.
//
James also says - keep oneself unstained by the world.
The wider message from
James is not to isolate ourselves from all that might distract us; from all
ways of thinking and being that might seem in opposition to what we are seeking
to believe. It is not about avoiding the
world - as far too many isolationist
systems of religion seem to encourage.
To borrow a quote you’ll hear later: some churches (and some individual
Christians) treat themselves as some sort of ‘theological gated community’ with
high walls of isolation.
//
James wants us to be ‘in
the world’ bringing our best light and hope in to the dark and lonely places,
but not to forget what motivates and inspires us.
So, James wants us to hear
the Word of God - the scriptures, the traditions, the understandings of our
fellow faithful travellers. James (like
the old prophet Jeremiah) wants this word to be held deep within our hearts; to
be part of who we are.
And then... James says to
put that word into action. Followers of
Jesus are to be 17doers
of the Word and not merely hearers.
That calls us beyond our
isolated circles of inner faith and into a world that is filled with goodness
and wonder and holiness, but also might not always support our ethic.
The challenge is to
maintain our focus on (as Micah said) ‘doing
justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God.’
//
//
If you saw the facebook
post for today’s service, you would have noticed my reference to folk singer
David Wilcox’s song, Beyond Belief. I
showed it a few years back, but it bears repeating. So, here’s a video of my favorite singer-songwriter
performing that song in a 2007 concert - pay particular attention to what he
says before the song.
David: How can
you teach of love unless you live what you have heard?
James: Be doers of the word and not merely hearers.
Micah: Seek
justice; love kindness; walk humbly with God.
//
//
How can we approach trying
to living a balanced, active life of faith.
Well, the letter of James has some basic advice:
·
be
quick to listen,
·
slow
to speak,
·
slow
to anger,
·
welcome
with meekness.
There is a preaching of
measured patience in these words.
To listen over speaking is
an encouragement to understand the heart and mind of others in our lives. We enhance our 'story' when we know the story
of others. We can even learn about
ourselves when we realize that there may be other perspectives out there.
I know - for myself - that
my beliefs have grown and evolved
because of new things I have embraced from learning from others. Even Jesus did
that (as we will hear next week).
//
//
Yesterday, I was blessed
(once again) by the privilege to officiate at a wedding service. I reminded that couple that when we look at
the earth and the universe, it is fair to say that God’s creation is based on
relationships. That is true at both the
subatomic and interstellar levels. Isaac
Newton articulated that all matter is affected by other matter, no matter what
the size. The physical wonders of God
are in relationship.
The cycles of the earth are
based on relationships: tides, weather patterns, food chains; and there are
symbiotic and adversarial relationships within the animal kingdom.
But it goes further,
relationships - certain among the human animals - are also matters of the mind,
and heart and soul.
//
Some biblical scholars like
to pit the letter of James against the letters of Paul. Paul’s overarching theme was that faith
trumps works: focus on beliefs. James is
all about the works: focus on actions.
Of course, a more in depth appreciation of each letter writer’s words
allows us to see that both of these first century witnesses shared a truth...
that what we believe and how we behave are two sides of the same coin. James wrote: Faith without works is dead (Jms
2:14). Paul wrote: Love fulfills the law
(Rms 13:8).
The first words from the James
letter we read today affirm that good acts of giving, originate from God. Paul’s
letter to the Corinthians proclaims that love is the greatest of those gifts.
God’s love for us makes our love for one another
not only possible, but imperative. It is
a necessary part of our relationship with the infinite holy.
This law of love (expressed
in action) prepares us for the summary of James’ understanding of religion in the
last words we read from the letter today.
The emphasis on the care
and keeping of others while maintaining relationship with God recalls similar
teachings in scripture. The prophet Micah counselled doing justice, loving
kindness, and walking in humility with God (Micah 6:8). Jesus summarized the commandments
in love of God, love of neighbour, and love of self (Mark 12:28–31). For Micah,
James, and Jesus, love is the key. Our ability to “be love” arises out of first
being loved.
//
Love is not just a concept. It is a practical approach to the interactions
we have in this life. If we see the same
love of God given to others that we feel within ourselves, we will not be able
to write off the vulnerable by saying they deserve their lot in life.
We will not be able to view the
differences between people as excuses to vilify or ignore.
We will genuinely care what is
happening in the hearts and minds of others.
The law of God’s love is ‘compassion’.
When we see God’s gift in others and in the way we live in the world, we seek justice; we will embrace kindness; and we will know that God is so much more than we
understand at any given moment.
The compassion and grace of God unites
us. We are kin. We are family... even beyond belief.
When we do that we are living in God’s Way.
Let us pray:
O God, you call us into
your deep love. May we remember this love when we feel unloved: alone, scared, worried. May we practice this love when
others rely on us. In Jesus’ love we pray, Amen.
#154MV “Deep In Our Hearts”
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