(James 1: 19-27)
The New Testament letter of the Apostle James is addressed to the twelve tribes of Israel who had been scattered outside the land of Israel. And, residing in a foreign land among an alien people, they would struggle to remain faithful to the way of life expected of those in a covenant relationship with a holy God. Try as they may, they were struggling to live holy lives among those who did not recognize the claims of God’s reign on their identity and conduct. He was concerned about the Christian imagination, how we think about ourselves, about God, about the world, and about how we ought to conduct our lives as God’s people residing in an ungodly culture. They were strangers in a strange land.
And, it’s like we’re living in a strange land where God’s ways seem so foreign and out of touch. They just don’t seem to fit in with the way of the world, like a square peg in a round hole. We see it all the time, people claiming America was settled by God’s people, claims that this is a Christian nation, one nation, under God. If so, it sure seems like we don’t act like it. God’s people are on edge and at each other’s throats. People are so mad, and I don’t think, if they think at all, they know why they are so mad. The posts on Facebook are so antagonistic and if you even try to have a rational exchange someone you may not even know vents their spleen on you. A book I’m reading on ridding the chaos in your life suggests that when something like this happens you listen intently and, before answering, you try to frame their point of view so you both have a clear understanding of the issue. Something like: “If I’m hearing you correctly your position or point is such and such.” That may involve some give and take as you endeavor to get to the root of the issue. Once that is established you can give your rational and reasoned response and have an honest and open exchange. Maybe. I’ve actually tried that with mixed results. Sometimes they go off on me like I’m playing some mind control game, or they just give up and stop responding like I’m not playing fair. You just have to be patient, quick to listen and slow to anger.
In our reading for this morning the Apostle James is talking about listening and doing. He says; My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. It’s like James has a Facebook account and is concerned about our “unsocial” media exchanges. He says that everyone should be quick to listen, really listen. Not like the person, me included, who is thinking about my next point or response while the other person is talking. Be slow to speak, think about what you are about to say and if it really needs to be said. Don’t lose you cool, because once you become angry, you’ve lost it and it’s hard to regain your composure. Once the other person knows which buttons to push the dynamics of the exchange are altered and you find yourself on defense. It’s especially difficult if you’re a Christian. You lose your cool and all they see is an angry Christian and there goes your credibility. In my other life as a police officer or as an attorney I could talk some pretty impressive trash, but talking trash as a Methodist preacher doesn’t quite have the same desired results. Wow, nice mouth pastor. Do you kiss your grandkids with that mouth? So, James says to get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the work planted in you, which can save you. Don’t lower yourself down to their level. Acting like you’re one of them is not where you want to be. There’s no future in it. Recognize that God has planted a seed in you that needs to be nurtured and worked. It’s that relationship that can save you, that can lift you up above the fray. I can’t tell you how many Facebook responses I’ve deleted before sending lately. It’s just not worth it.
James goes on to say; Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. I think he’s talking about those who call themselves Christians, those who even regularly attend church and can quote chapter and verse of the Bible to suit their own purposes but don’t act upon the word. They’re deceiving themselves if they think that is what God is looking for in a follower and a disciple of his son Jesus Christ. They look in the mirror, like what they see and then walk away not worrying about their appearance. Monday morning it’s business as usual. But, James says, the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does. These are the people who take a good, long, hard look at themselves in the mirror and examine the person looking back at them. Do they like what they see? Can they look at themselves in the mirror? James is stating the obvious that for ages it has always been the case that not all who think of themselves as God’s people actually live their lives accordingly. I’m good to go and I have a religious pedigree to prove it. This was what really ate at John Wesley, the founder of our denomination, as his experiences with the Church of England and their failure to be the church, led him to despair that so few who took the name Christian actually sought to live as God’s sanctified people in the world. They were looking in the mirror but weren’t really seeing who they were. Their reflection was not a reflection of Jesus Christ.
James admonishes his readers by saying that anyone who considers him or herself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on their tongue, deceives themselves and their religion is worthless. He says that the religion our God accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Take care of the most vulnerable when they need it most and keep your eye on the prize. By caring for these powerless people, the church puts God’s Word into practice. When we give of ourselves with no hope of receiving anything in return, we show what it means to selflessly serve others. And, to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world, we need to commit ourselves to Christ’s ethical and moral system, not the world’s. We are not to adapt to the world’s value system, which is based on money, power, and pleasure. The true faith we seek means nothing if we are contaminated with such values.
That faith which is obtained by hearing will only be retained if we act on what we hear. Those who hear the call of God in scripture but don’t go on to live life accordingly will not be able to sustain their Christian identity over time. People who are all talk, and no action, are simply deceiving themselves. They have nothing to show for it. Christians must put their faith into action by resisting the seductions of their surrounding culture and helping the vulnerable in their midst. Living your life by making the world a better place to live not just for yourself, but for others, for all people regardless of their station in life.
When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs. We need to stop and listen to what the voices around us are saying, the voices that are not being heard. Like James says; we should be quick to listen and slow to speak. Take time to hear what they are really saying and understand where they are coming from. Deep listening. We need to ask what it is they think they need and not what we think they need. It’s these kinds of conversations that move them closer to the place they need to be. And, in doing this, it is important for us that we listen to what God’s Word says and then obey it, to do what it says even if it is something we would rather not do or put off on someone else.
If we measure the effectiveness of our study of the Word and what it means by the effect it has on our behavior and how we interact in the world by putting what we’ve studied into action, there will be no strangers in a strange land. We’ll be able to look at ourselves in the mirror knowing that we are that much closer to living in God’s kingdom here on earth, as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, our Savior, as it was always meant to be.
Please pray with me.
Compassionate and loving God, open our ears so that we may truly hear the voices of those around us who long for a relationship with you. Help us to understand that they cannot come to you if there is no one to lead them. By our example help us to show them the perfect peace that comes from a relationship with you through your son, Jesus Christ. Help us to rid ourselves of all that which gets in the way of leading a life of true righteousness. Through the Holy Spirit guide us to practice a religion as pure and faultless as looking after the most vulnerable in their distress and to keep ourselves from being polluted by an unclean world. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.