GRAMMA'S FUNERAL IN BELLE PLAINE

  

I remember the day when Larry and I attended our grandmother’s funeral in Belle Plaine, Iowa. We arrived in town early and stopped in a local diner for coffee, which was filled with people. We were wearing our best suits. Our license showed that we were from Omaha… and the entire café became awkwardly silent when we walked in. You could’ve heard a pin drop. Why? Because we didn’t “fit in” with the crowd we had joined, or at least they didn’t think so. Most of us hang out with people who are a lot like us. We know that differences exist in the world but we don't want them in our own lives. The North going Zax and the South going Zax don't talk much. They didn’t know one another and they didn’t even want to know one another. And that is a terrible thing because the “other” group is labeled, ostracized, and eventually despised.

 

The circles we draw can be airtight or permeable. They can let some people in and keep some people out…and in a surprisingly short period of time, people who are different from us...become people who are mean-spirited, old-fashioned, racist, anti-American, sinful, and even evil. And this was the way it was between the Jews and the Samaritans in Jesus' time. They despised each other and it had been that way for centuries.
     

The Bible says (John 4) that Jesus and his disciples journeyed through Samaria on the way to Galilee, and that they came to a town called "Sychar," which was the site of Jacob's well. According to John, while his disciples went to buy food, Jesus waited by the well... and a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Women drew the water in those days. They came early and they came as a group... because drawing water was an important time for socializing. But this was at noon... and the woman was alone. "Can I have a drink?" Jesus asked, and his question took the woman aback because it was improper. "How can you, a Jewish man, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" she replied. It was a good question, because Jesus had violated two social boundaries. In the first place, men didn't talk to women they didn't know and in the second place, Jews didn't talk to Samaritans. The woman was caught off guard, but Jesus noted that she would've asked him for living water if she knew who he was. Sir, the woman said, Give me the water you have so that I won't have to come to the well every day." Go and get your husband, Jesus said. Bring him to me... and the woman confessed that while she had five husbands in the past, the man she was living with was not her husband. But the Jewish rabbi and the Samaritan woman talked on, and their dialogue ended with the woman saying, (v. 25) "I know that God's Messiah will make all things clear when he comes"...  and Jesus answered with his first “I AM” statements, "Ego eimi, I am!" According to John, Jesus made 7 “I AM” statements- like I AM the bread of life, I AM the Good Shepherd- but here when the Samaritan woman mentioned God’s Messiah, Jesus said I AM. I am the Messiah, who will meet your needs... for water, love, and acceptance. She is the one whom he chose to speak to. She is the one whom he offered living water. So, she ran off to tell others in the village, and it's important to note that her sharing brought many people to Jesus!
     

But it’s been my experience that God’s word always calls for personal reflection and my reflection on this passage is my own circle! How big is my circle of love? How big is my circle of acceptance? How big is my circle of forgiveness? Whom do I avoid if I can? Whom do I rush to judge and whom do I grant a large measures of grace? If I am totally honest, are there any kinds of people whom I consider deplorable? Are there any Samaritans in my world? Are there any people whom I consider “unclean”? Are there people who make me “nervous” just because they seem to be part of a group that falls outside of my circles of love and familiarity? Are they of a different race? A different faith? Are they too poor, too rich, too loud? Are they tattooed, or gay, or abusive? Who are those whom I would not have touched, a dined with, or saved- even though Jesus did? How wide is my circle of grace? Who's in? Who's out? And why? Are my boundaries permeable? Or impenetrable?

 

Christ lived in a world that was filled with boundaries. Some people deserved respect and some were only around to serve a purpose. Jesus knew that. He knew that he wasn't supposed to welcome children, let Mary sit with his disciples, eat with sinners, heal a Roman Centurian's daughter, touch lepers, or converse with those who were leading unsavory lives. He knew all of these rules... and he loved the people anyway... because his circle of grace was really, really large! In fact, it included everyone who was willing to be included. God's love is like that. It's inclusive, welcoming, and non-judgmental. So, let us be careful with the circles we draw. (WWJD) what would Jesus do is surely the same as what-did-Jesus-do (WDJD). It challenges me because I know that I would avoid some of the people whom Jesus served, welcomed, and loved. O Lord, let me see that the people who surround me… are God’s people. All of them. All of the time! Not some of them, or some of the time. O Lord, give me enough love to love the unlovable! Just like you welcomed and made room for me. Amen!  

 

FULLY HUMAN- FULLY GOD

  

FULLY HUMAN-FULLY GOD

As Jesus walked in the temple some Jews asked him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” “I and the Father are one,” Jesus said it directly and the Jews picked up stones to stone him. Well, Jesus and his disciples left town and stayed away until he received word that his friend, Lazarus, had fallen ill. Jesus loved all three of them. He dined with them. Martha welcomed him and also served him as Mary listened to His teaching. He knew them personally and because He loved them, He stayed away for another two days. Then he told his disciples that Lazarus had died and they needed to go to back to Judea. It was a risky idea, but Thomas the Twin, spoke up: “Let us go and die with him.” Let us follow him wherever he leads us because our faith demands it.

So they returned to Bethany… and Martha met Jesus on the road. “If you had been here,” she said, “my brother would not have died.” I suspect many of us can relate to her in moments like this. If you had been with us, Lord, my brothers, Larry and Randy, would not have died. If you had been here my spouse would not have died, or my mother. My child would not have died if you had been here, Lord. I was praying and hoping for a miracle, but I can accept that your will… will be done! Back in our passage, we hear Jesus saying, your brother will rise again, and Martha answered, “I know that he will rise on the last day.” Someday, in some way, shape, or form, my brother, will rise again, but Jesus answered, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die- do you believe this… Martha? Everyone who lives in me will never die! Do you believe in this… Linda? Judy? Jack, Barbara, Ken? Do you believe that everyone who lives- black and white, Presbyterian and Pentecostal, rich and poor, loveable and not so loveable- will never die if they trust in Christ Jesus?

Then Mary encountered Jesus with tears in her eyes, and in a verse that tells me all that I need to know about Jesus being fully God and fully human, Jesus asked, “where have you laid him?”… and according to John, Jesus became greatly disturbed in Spirit and visibly moved. And he sobbed! He knew that he was about to raise Lazarus, but when he stood with Martha and Mary- and when he stands with us when we are empty, when we’re clinging to faith, when grief is all we know- he broke down himself. Out of compassion, love, and empathy, the Son of Man was deeply moved. Our Savior is with us in the darkest and deepest of valleys. He is with us when we can scarcely speak. He participates in our struggles because He is fully human and fully God. Amen!

He asked Mary to take him to Lazarus’ tomb, which was closed with a large stone (just as Jesus’ own tomb would be closed). Then he said a prayer and in a loud voice, he cried “LAZARUS. COME OUT!” and Lazarus came out from his grave. But he was alive, but his hands and feet were wrapped with strips of burial linen, and a burial cloth was around his face. And Jesus gave those who were gathered something to do. He said, “Unbind him… and let him go.” And so, we are told that we have a Savior who meets us in our grief, who joins us in our tears, who knows that saying goodbye breaks our hearts and tests our faith. We have a Savior who doesn’t write poems about being brave in the face of emptiness and loss, but confronts them face-to-face. It’s been 35 years and well more than a hundred funerals ago now, but I remember them all. I remember that last time my brother, Larry, and I listened to “Me and Bobby McGee” together when he was dying in Baylor Hospital. I remember sitting with Jeff and Kelly when they were facing death. Jeff was as gracious and gentle as any man could be and he loved His Lord, but on the night I am talking about, Jeff was looking for a sign from God. I remember Connie and the tears that mother Mary cried at her grave. She was strong, but when we all stood to leave, she sobbed and needed a helping hand. Oh, let’s praise God because our Savior is fully God- powerful enough to raise the dead and our Savior is fully human—tender enough to weep beside a grave.

Martha held grief and belief together and Jesus responded with one of the most powerful declarations in all of Scripture: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” Well, the raising of Lazarus was impressive and the word spread rapidly. People were excited about a man who could share their tears and also give them new life. Jesus was becoming more popular and the Pharisees were concerned. They didn’t know what to do… until the High Priest, Caiaphas, spoke up and said, “It is better that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.' In Caiaphas’s view, it was obvious and Jesus’ fate was sealed. Amen.

 

 

YASHA NA, YASHA NA

  

“Yasha na, Yasha na”

On the morning after Mary anointed him by pouring a pint of nard on his feet, Jesus arose and set his face toward Jerusalem, “like a flint” the Bible says, because he had important work to do. According to Mark and Matthew, he sent representatives to bring him a donkey from a nearby village because Zechariah had prophesized that Israel’s King would ride into Jerusalem humbly and triumphantly… on a donkey. He rode it into Jerusalem to show that he was the promised king of Israel and for his believers, this was the news that they had been waiting for their entire lives. They were tired of being taxed into debtor’s prisons. They were tired of being pushed around by their Roman occupiers. They were tired of the collaboration between their own leaders and the Roman leaders. They had had enough. They wanted a Savior to save them from foreign rulers and set them free. According to John, when they heard that Jesus was coming, his "followers" (many of whom had been awed by Lazarus' resurrection)... took palm branches- long a symbol of peace and triumph- and ran to meet him. They laid their palms on the road and they waved them back and forth, as they cried out. "Hosanna, Hosanna," which means "O save" or "please save." Yasha na, yasha na. "Hosanna, hosanna. Blessed is the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord." This was their chant, and it was both a glorious truth and an ominous chant... because it offended the Jewish rulers and the Roman rulers alike.

It was as if Jesus, who had avoided conflict up to this point because his "time had not yet come," was now saying, "Bring it on." Riding a donkey into Jerusalem was a threatening act. It was humble in the sense of being obedient to his Father... but the message to the world was anything but humble... which is why the people along his parade route spread palm branches and their outer garments on the road before him.  Hosanna, they cried, and the Pharisees became nervous because they didn't want Rome to come down on them. "Tell your people to shut up," they shouted, but Jesus let them proclaim him king, noting that if they were silenced, the stones they were traveling on... would shout out.  So, he rode the donkey and entered the city from the east through the Golden Gate.

 

It was a gala event, even though the crowd expected Jesus to lead a revolt against Rome, much like Judas "The Hammer" Macabbean had done a century before. "Hosanna, Hosanna," they cried. They were excited and hopeful, but trouble was brewing. In the first place, there were two gatherings in Jerusalem on that day. One was revolutionary. It was focused on Jesus of Nazareth, who had just resurrected his friend, Lazarus, and Jesus’ fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy. The people cheered Jesus because they believed, just as John the Baptism had once believed, that Jesus would overthrow Rome and give the promised land back to his chosen people. The other parade came into town from the west and it was focused on Roman rule and the status quo. The people gathering for Pontius Pilate’s arrival were benefiting from the status quo and, if anything, they would’ve liked greater control over the am ha-aretz (the people of the land). Bad things were about to happen, but the fatal flaw lied within Jesus’ crowd because they didn’t understand his mission, which was not to start a war… but to save the world with love and compassion. Jesus never intended to carry a dagger, but he gave his life to save our souls and to show us his Father’s priorities. Jesus never called for a single weapon, but he did call us to love God with everything we have and to love our neighbors every bit as much as we love ourselves.   

 

Jesus never thought of leading a military war, but he gave his life to establish a world in which everyone of us would be somebody worthy of respect, inclusion, empowerment, second chances, goodwill, and love. The Romans and the Jewish authorities didn’t understand this, but neither did the common people who simply wanted a life in which they would have more money, more freedom, and less pain. They wanted to be saved, but when the saw that Jesus did not mean… right now, in concrete ways, or the use of violence, they quit crying “yasha na, yasha na,” and began crying out, “Crucify him. Crucify him.” And it didn’t take much time at all. Amen!

 

THE CHURCH AT LAODICEA

 

The Church at Laodicea wouldn’t say “yes” or “no”

Ephesus was a hard-working and orderly church. They dotted their I’s and crossed their t’s… but they had lost their passion. Pergamum held fast to Christ’s name… but they also tolerated false teaching. Thyatira was commended for their love, but a false prophetess was leading them into immorality and idolatry. The church at Sardis had great reputation. It was the talk of the region… but it was spiritually dead. The church at Philadelphia did the best that they could with limited resources. You can read about these churches in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, where we get a summary of how the churches of Asia Minor were doing. Asia Minor is in today’s Turkey and the churches within it were like the churches in Peoria or Galesburg to a great extent. Some of them had so much order that they choked off the “ardor” and some of them had more enthusiasm than doctrine. It was a mixed bag for each of these churches… but it was the “lukewarm” church at Laodicea that got the worst grade because they didn’t give Christ much thought, one way or the other. When God stands at our door and knocks, God expects an answer. When the Spirit whispers, “follow Jesus,” our answer may be “yes” or “no,” but God expects an answer!

According to our passage in Isaiah (5:1-9), God had done everything He could for His people. He had planted them on a fertile hill and He put a hedge around them. What is more, He built a watchtower and also provided a wine press. They- the people of Judah- were built for success. And so, God was expectant as He approached His vineyard. He expected MISHPAT (justice)… but found MISPACH (bloodshed). With all of the love God had provided, surely God would find a loving, prayerful, committed, serving community when He showed up, but the planting, the rain, the hedge, and the pruning were all in vain. God had done the work but His people let it die. Israel had every reason to flourish, but privilege always carries accountability. When God calls, we are called to respond… and our response is measured by the justice and righteousness we work for and show in our own lives.

When Christ traded in glory to walk among us, He sought a response from the people. “Do you love me more than these?” “What do you want me to do for you?” “Show me where you laid him.” God sent His Son into the world to save our souls, to be what we are meant to be, and to serve others as Jesus had done. Jesus had no intention of forcing His will on us and he never tried to tell us what we wanted to hear… but He did call for trust and obedience, for surrender, all along the way. He didn’t intend to please everyone. It wasn’t his goal to gloss over sin or to minimize the cost of discipleship, but it was His goal to take a stand for everything that is truly good and loving. He knew that the little gods of this world- money, power, pleasure- had held sway for a long, long time. He knew that people were scared to walk away from the crowd and that they were bullied if they did. He knew that people had deep relationships that pulled them in any number of ways, and He knew that many, many people would choose an easier and softer road. He knew that the choice He laid before them would be challenging and divisive. But He invited them to come and see what He could do. He invited them to choose the direction in which they would go!

But God calls us to make a choice- will you worship me or someone or something else- “yes”, or “no,” but not “we’ll see.” God calls us to surrender and follow Him. He invites us to pick up our own cross of faithfulness and service and He waits for our answer. Our answer may be, “Count me in! Where’s my cross.” Or it may be “no. I’m not strong enough to carry a cross.” One or the other because invitations deserve a response! AMEN!

 

 

THANK GOD- LIFE IS NOT FAIR

 “I'm no stranger to the rain, I've fought with the devil/     Got down on his level” Sometimes I listen to this Keith Whitley song because I’m no stranger to the rain either. I’ve fought with the devil, resisted my Lord, and shaken my fists at the wind. And I know you have too! Life isn’t fair and for better or worse, people rarely get what they deserve. The Bible doesn’t have much to say about things being “earned” or “fair,” but it has a lot to say about “letting go and letting God.” The Bible doesn’t dwell on the ways in which we can be like God ourselves, but it does dwell on grace!

Here's the great truth: GOD ISN’T FAIR EITHER! And here is a corollary: we can’t earn… or lose... God’s love, because God is love! And that brings me to Hosea 11. Hosea doesn’t try to excuse the sins of God’s people. They are self-centered, and they willingly (almost eagerly) chase after idols of many kinds. On their own merit, they deserve punishment. If things were fair, they (and we) would never see the sun, but this passage is not about our sins. It’s about God’s grace!

Hosea 11:1-11 is a touching testimony to God’s amazing grace, and it goes like this: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” (vs. 1) He was enslaved and I rescued him from the hands of Pharaoh. I called my people to trust in me, but ″They kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.” (vs. 2) They loved themselves more than they loved me, and “Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them.” (vs. 3) I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.” (vs. 4) O yes, God bent down and fed them, but the people didn’t listen, and they didn’t even try!

They deserved justice. God knew that. But God couldn’t do it because His love was too great. “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.” (vs. 8,9) Men and women may yell, threaten, and break relationships with one another. They may strive to win or get even somehow, but God is able to offer unrelenting grace because God is God and not a human. He looked down from his cross with forgiveness in his heart because He is the Holy One in our midst! Amen.

 

AN ARTFUL DODGER

 

“Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44), Jesus said, but many of us have trouble loving our friends and our own family members. 

“Sell what you have and give to the poor” (Mark 10:21), Jesus said, but many of us love what we have and we think that the poor can help themselves,

“You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24) Jesus said, because one of them invites us to love God, while the other encourages us to love what we own and what we want.

“Forgive seventy times seven times” (Matthew 18:21-22), Jesus said. Forgive yourself and others as a way of life, Forgive until the cows come home, forgive those who are crucifying you… because you have been forgiven by God,

“Take up your cross and follow me” (Luke 9:23), Jesus said, because that is what it means to be a disciple. Follow Christ “on the Way,” do what Christ would did, love others in the same way He did; heal, bless, and free others, just as He did.

We know what Jesus said, but we don’t want to live them out. So, we debate what our cross is, and more or less discard His words about forgiving. We hear Jesus’ warning about God and money. We know that worshiping our wealth won’t open heaven’s door, but we continue to try because trusting what we have makes a lot of sense to us. One of my friends, pastor Ron Stewart, put the words, “Artful Dodger” on his license plate because he thought of himself as an artful dodger, who is someone who pretends that he or she doesn’t understand God’s word when in fact, they simply don’t want to trust in God alone.

With this in mind, let’s look at our passage for today. I am starting with Luke 12:22: Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or what you will wear. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide a treasure in heaven that will never fail… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “Be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

 

When Sherry and I were moving from the Presbyterian housing in seminary to the Lutheran housing, the young man who was helping us said, “What I don’t understand is why you go to seminary. In my church, someone who gets filled with the Holy Ghost just stands up and gives the message, straight from his/her heart. Why do you need to study for so long?” It’s a good question and the answer is… so we know what we’re talking about! One of my cohorts often said, “text without context is pretext,” and I believe he was right. That’s why we go to school, but it doesn’t take a special degree to understand that God wants us to love “Him” with every fiber of our being and love our neighbors every bit as much as we love ourselves, I enjoyed both Hebrew and Greek, but I didn’t need either one to know that I must trust God and live in the now, and learn to see Jesus in each person I meet, and keep an eye on my possessions so that they don’t become too big to ignore. We can be Bible experts without believing a word of it, but we can’t be Christians without following Christ. Amen!

 

 

BE A DOER

 

We Christians talk a big game about the Bible. Some of us say the Bible is "authoritative," or "divinely inspired," or "infallible." Some Christians say they believe every word of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. I heard about one preacher who said he believes the whole Bible from Genesis to maps - as in the maps of ancient lands included in the back of his Bible.

Some churches have a huge Bible at the front of the sanctuary, and they don't start the Sunday service until someone ceremonially flips it open. Some churches stand whenever Scripture is read aloud in worship.

There are many ways people venerate the Bible. Some say the Bible should never be put on the floor. Some say you should never write in your Bible, or fold down the corners of pages, because it's so holy.

Many folks broadcast their esteem for Holy Scripture. They put the 10 Commandments on billboards. They put Bible-verse bumper stickers on their cars. They wear T-shirts that say, "God said it; I believe it; that settles it."

Families seek to honor the Bible, too. I have visited homes where there are Bible verses on the walls. I've walked into houses where there is a big Bible with gold lettering and white lace on the center of the coffee table. Many homes, including my own, have more copies of the Bible than any other book.

Politicians and public officials praise the Bible as well. They quote the Bible in speeches or name it as their favorite book. In 2016, lawmakers in the state of Tennessee, where I live, made national news by approving a bill that would make the Bible the official book of Tennessee. Alongside milk, our state beverage, and the raccoon, our state wild animal, they wanted to add the Bible as our official state book.

We find myriad ways to elevate the Bible as a sacred symbol. Unfortunately, our capacity for symbolically honoring the Bible can outrun our commitment to putting its main themes into practice.

James says, if you really want to honor the word of God, do what it says. Too many Bible verses make it to our ears but not to our hands. Too many scriptures mark our contemplation but not our action.

According to James, if we hear the word of God, or read the word of God, without putting it into action, we are deceiving ourselves. It's like looking in a mirror to find that our hair is messed up, we've got a smudge on our face, and we have little green bits of broccoli stuck in our teeth, and then walking away without doing anything about it. James' point is not about physical appearance, though; it's about the heart. The Bible is a mirror we can look into to see where our witness is messed up, to see where there's a smudge on our heart, and to see how God wants us to enact the word in the world. The Bible is not a searchlight that reveals other people's shortcomings; it's a mirror that reveals our own. It summons us to a higher level of living.

We are not Christian because we hear the word of God. We are not Christian because we mentally affirm that the word of God is true. We are Christians because we believe in Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh.

When we consider the phrase "Word of God," it's important to remember that the Word of God is primarily Jesus Christ. In speaking about Christ, John 1:14 says, "the Word became flesh and lived among us." The Word of God, then, is no abstract principle; it's no theoretical notion; it is a concrete and embodied word. When the word of God became flesh in Christ, it not only spoke but also healed the sick, and touched the outcast, and cuddled children, and overturned temple furniture. Since the word became flesh and lived among us, it is the very nature of God's word to be living and active; to be not only spoken and heard, but also enacted. Therefore, we misrepresent the very nature of God's word when we hear it and don't do it, or when we talk a big game about the Bible and don't put it into practice. James is calling us to embody the word of God by doing it.

"But preacher," someone might say, "there are so many things Scripture tells us, so many commands in the Old Testament, so many teachings in the New Testament. Where do we even start to become doers of the word?" James offers an answer in verse 27, where he says, "pure and undefiled religion before God...[is] to care for orphans and widows in their distress." Orphans and widows were some of the most vulnerable persons in the ancient world. They represented disadvantaged demographics within society. A primary way to do the word of God, therefore, is to care for persons who are vulnerable, to love persons who are marginalized, and to help persons who are deprived.

In short, a key way to do God's word is to practice "social justice." Years ago, when my professors first introduced me to the idea of "social justice," it sounded to me like mere ideological rhetoric. But as I read the Bible more and more, I came to see that God's special concern for the destitute permeates the pages of Scripture, and the call for God's people to seek justice for the oppressed resounds throughout the Bible. A few years ago, a researcher at Baylor University named Aaron Franzen conducted a study pertaining to the frequency with which people read the Bible, and how that impacts their views on various issues. His findings showed that despite a variety of predispositions and backgrounds, the more people read the Bible, the more they are concerned about seeking socioeconomic justice for the poor and vulnerable.[i] This research confirms what many Bible readers have known for centuries, that a key way to do God's word is to serve persons who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Again, this cannot be something we just hear in God's word or talk a big game about. It's something for us to do. To every Christian that talks a big game about the Bible being authoritative, or inspired, or infallible, James might say, "What are you doing to resource the underprivileged?" To every church that stands when Scripture is read in worship, James might ask, "What are you doing to empower the oppressed?" To every family that has Bible verses on the wall of their home, James might ask, "What are you doing to support the vulnerable?" To every politician who praises the Bible or wants it to be the official state book, James might ask, "What are you doing to care for the impoverished?" To every preacher who studies God's word and stands to declare it on Sundays, James might say, "What are you doing to support the dispossessed?"

One of the true geniuses of the twentieth century was a man named Albert Schweitzer. He was an exceptional organist, an outstanding physician, and a brilliant Bible scholar. He spent much of life studying the word of God and making important arguments about what it says. Schweitzer's arguments about the life of Jesus are still required reading at some theological schools. At one point in his career, Schweitzer surprisingly decided to leave his life of privilege and prestige in Germany in order to become a full-time missionary in the Belgian Congo. He went and did medical mission work at a hospital deep in the jungle. During a BBC interview, Schweitzer was asked why he left his amazing life in Germany to go the Congo. He replied, "I have decided to make my life my argument."

May it be so with all of us who praise the Word of God.

 

 

 

 

"Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger."

James' words are to the point and we do well to apply them to ourselves. If we are constantly verbalizing our piety, we need to take note: "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless."
 

"Do not merely listen to the word."

For James, the perfect law (the law of love which gives freedom) is something, not so much to be studied, but done. It is something to be lived out in our lives. Living the truth is what is important.

James? emphasis on being ?doers? in this text, particularly regarding oppressed peoples, is part of what creates a big message within a short book. It?s a message that can make some of us a bit uncomfortable, precisely because it has the ability to reignite (or feed the continued flames of) a Christian commitment to social justice."