2018-09-16 – Rev. Dr. Ryan Sato
ALL OF US MAKING MISTAKES…
AND BEING THE PEOPLE OF OUGHT
James 3:1-12
–One of the themes for our preaching this fall is to be a people with a “lived theology”… we don’t merely want to pontificate about our faith…we are listening to these letters of the early church and trying to live the way of Jesus in the world…
As a people of faith, as a people who have the Spirit of God alive in us…Rev. Jeremy offered this picture for us last week – –
This isn’t some sort of a life of perfection
It includes apologies, restoration, and confession
a lot of work and humility
with plenty of mistakes and missteps.
—
working out our faith in the real world
is challenging and scary
and it is beautiful.
— such a life of faith like this
is good for the world and its inhabitants.
Jeremy was preparing the way for us to continue in the letter of James.
A letter quite likely written by the brother of Jesus, not addressed to a specific church like some of the other church letters in our bibles, but addressed to the scattered ones…jewish and gentile Christians who were making their way in living this “Christ in you, the hope of glory” Jesus way in 1st century Mediterranean culture (a way that wouldn’t have been super popular in the Roman empire!)
In today’s section, James has a special word for teachers and cautions them to be mindful of the power of their influence amongst the early church congregations but then he’s quick to say “we’re all in this together” and then a earnest and honest statement for all of these believers…
This is not to be a perfection game, this is not a prove how awesome and religious you are by having perfect church attendance or by boasting about how brave you are putting Christian bumper stickers on your plough or fishing boat…instead James simply states the reality of being human…even as a Christ-follower…
“All of us make many mistakes.”
That’s good news for ‘back to church’ Sunday isn’t it?
Kind of evens out the playing ground does it not?
“All of us make many mistakes.”
–the word of the Lord…thanks be to God!
But James doesn’t leave it there…this whole letter is kind of a poke & prod missive…James makes declarations that are “ouchy” but then he’s quick to follow it up with a “but this is how we ought to live” exhortation.
And today’s “ought to live” exhortation is a pressing in deeper of a topic (actually, a body part) that he’s already touched on…
The tongue. And the way we use our tongues to talk.
In the first section of the letter (1:19, 26) James writes:
“Beloved…let everyone be quick to listen…slow to speak…”
“If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.”
And in chapter 3 he fleshes out more of this tongue-taming…
He marvels at the relatively small (5 oz) horse bit that guides and controls a 1000 lbs horse.
He ponders the power of the boat rudder, that though small, drives the boat forward through the fury of waves and nautical chaos.
And he talks of the cosmic power that we are up against in trying to keep our tongues in check.
Tongues start raging fires that blaze out of control and can’t be pushed back or harnessed.
Tongues have the potential of being empowered by the principalities and powers of evil and if left unchecked, create a “hell on earth”… where instead of finding ourselves in places of life, growth and harvest…we find ourselves in places of death, decay and debris (gehenna in this era would have been known as the constantly burning garbage heap just south of Jerusalem).
And then James adds to the bad news story with the zinging reality that all creatures can be tamed and controlled but the tongue proves to be un-tameable…
And then he tops it off with stories from creation… creation is not double-minded and fickle…creation lives with integrity and consistency!
A spring gushes out either sweet or bitter water…not both at the same time.
A salt water lake produces salt water…it can’t make fresh water.
A fig tree’s destiny and identity is making figs…there’s no olives accidently emerging from one of its branches.
And yet you people…you double-minded, split (forked?) tongue people are able to offer praise and cursing from the same mouth. You defy the natural course of creation! It’s unbelievable!
–ack!….James…enough of the pokes and punches!
What do you want from us?
James replies: “This ought not to be so.”
>>> and that’s where I’d like us to lean in & lean on each other, in this place of faith…in this community of prayer, praise, forgiveness, mercy, hope & healing…
On back-2-church Sunday… let’s renew our call to this work of being together as the “people of ought.”
Not “ought not”…but “ought!”
And where might we begin…?
I’d like to suggest choosing/seeking the way of blessing VS cursing.
We ought to be a people of blessing…. We ought NOT be a people of cursing.
When I think about the way of blessing, I often share the following Henri Nouwen quote:
To bless means to say good things. We have to bless one another constantly. Parents need to bless their children, children their parents, husbands their wives, wives their husbands,
friends their friends. In our society, so full of curses, we must fill each place we enter with our blessings. We forget so quickly that we are God’s beloved children and allow the many curses of our world to darken our hearts. Therefore we have to be reminded of our belovedness and remind others of theirs.
OR AS Barbara Brown Taylor says:
“To pronounce a blessing on something is to see it from the divine perspective.
To pronounce a blessing is to participate in God’s own initiative.
To pronounce a blessing is to share God’s own audacity.”
O People of Ought…let these admonitions inspire and enthuse us this week.
–And remember…the goal is not perfection… “all of us make many mistakes.”
But can we pause, and imagine the places that we will be this week…the people we will be amongst… the headlines that we’ll see…the comments that will pour into our media feed this week…and can we posture our hearts, minds, bodies and souls and be poised for…
Blessing?
>>I bless you…annoying co-worker
I bless you…playground or work bully
I bless you…fellow pew sitter who I stopped talking to months ago
I bless you…
**In her book “An Altar in the World” BBT talks of encountering God…through ordinary practices and actitivities….
In her chapter called “the practice of pronouncing blessings” she writes…
>>>>GIVEN A CHOICE BETWEEN A BLESSING & A CURSE, a blessing will do more to improve air quality…
Look to someone near you…and say a prayer of blessing for them…
Ask and pray to our living God to walk with us…to fill our hearts, to companion with us and empower us in this way of living…this way of blessing…
Blessing all of creation because we believe that all life comes from God and so we can call it blessed and entrust it into God’s hands…
“Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe,
by whose word ALL THINGS come into being” (Jewish prayer tradition)lp;8ii9
*if you are new here, we’ve been seeking to share/be the presence of the Lord and share God’s blessings in this city for 125 years!
“In our society so full of curses, we must fill each place we enter with our blessings.”
And let’s pray with the Psalmist who also companions with us on the journey…
“May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts
be acceptable to you,
O LORD, OUR rock and OUR redeemer.”