Max Lucado writes: “For some, Jesus is a good luck charm. The ‘Rabbit’s
Foot Redeemer.’ Pocket-sized. Handy. Easily packaged. Easily understood. You can put his picture on your wall or you can stick it in your wallet as insurance. You can frame him. Dangle him from your rear - view mirror or glue him to your dashboard.” Then there’s the internet There’s the company which advertises “a huggable, washable, and talking Jesus plush doll.” The doll sells for only $15.95. Sporting fuzzy dreadlocks and a soft beard, Talking Jesus is said to recite “actual Scripture verses to introduce children of all ages to the wisdom of the Bible”. Then, there is the Jesus bobble-head doll and the Jesus Action Figure with broad shoulders and hands rolled into a fist. There are the Jesus figurines which have Jesus playing soccer, basketball, hockey and even Jesus dancing with ballerina girls. In this culture of micro marketing, in some cases Jesus has become another commodity. Society has reduced him down to a comfortable, huggable Jesus who soothes us, a Santa Claus god who gives us what we want, or a god who plays golf with us in heaven. This is a god with few demands and no challenges. There is no need for sacrifice or commitment. Have you seen the Staples commercial with the easy button? Just press the button and get everything you need. No work, no effort, just push the button. That’s the kind of faith many are looking for. There is a new techno-evangelist in Norway. He calls his innovation telechurch. On the internet, every Wednesday the mission opens its teledoors for what is called the ‘Miracle Corner.’ Those who desire healing can press 0 on their phone. Diseases like cancer and arthritis are a few of those mentioned for the service. The telechurch also offers salvation at the press of a button.” The service costs $15.00. How about a push-button Jesus. Need to be saved? Need a problem solved? Need a blessing or a favor? That was easy! No effort. No work. Need some sins forgiven before you die? Just shoot up a quick prayer before you go, and you’ll be fishin’ with Jesus on a heavenly pond before you know it. This is a part of Christianity that some have come to know and love. But is it Christianity at all? Does it even resemble who Jesus is and what he said? Are we simply seeing Jesus as a quick fix to our immediate earthly problems? Being a follower of Jesus requires effort. It requires us to hear what is said in scripture, focus on others and not forget who we are. Are we allowing his words to penetrate any farther than our ear drums? Are we willing to really hear the words of Jesus and allow his words to truly transform us? There is a great difference between simply hearing the words of Jesus and setting them aside as charming, but irrelevant, and allowing it to transform us. Are we like the man or women who, like in this morning’s Epistle reading looks at themselves in the mirror, and soon forgets about what they heard and who they really are and just go about the day? Our readings this morning, from Mark and James suggests that those Jewish Christians 2000 years ago had a few things to work on to the fact that their outward doings should reflect their whole being. In other words, what we do, our actions, is what we are. The Gospel of Mark talks about evil being; fornication, theft, murder, adultery, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” What James tells his readers ,who were Jewish Christians, but not necessarily living in Jerusalem definitely applies to us too. James talks about the untamed tongue, moral filth and evil among them. If James were to send a letter to us here at St. David’s, what do you think he would be bringing to our attention? Are we like the mirror that James talks about? When we look into it, moments later, we forget that we are children of God, going out into the world and being no different than those of little to no faith? Again, what do you think the Holy Spirit would be calling our attention to in this day and age? Is the Holy Spirit saying the same thing to us; as He did when He inspired James to write to those Jewish Christians, some 2000 years ago? James did not only tell those Christians at that time their problem; he also gave them a solution; they should be doers of the word of God. In other words, James was telling them that they were seemingly fine Christians in that they spent time worshiping the Lord through songs, prayers and the reading of the scriptures. But when it came to practical holiness, they had room to grow. Because after hearing God’s word, quickly forgot. James illustrated a way for them and us to relate to what he was trying to say. He said “ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was”. Jesus was telling them, and us, not to get caught up in rituals, and outward ways, like the Jews of that time did and many do today, but to focus on our spiritual selves, our relationship to God and others, which leads us to a purity of which God seeks in us. Put in, context, we may say, they and we are good churchy Christians- they and we have wonderful worship time, powerful prayer time, listened to scripture, and may have even listened to decent sermons and things like that. But when it came to practical holiness- spending time to let theirs and our lives touch people outside family and friends; there maybe room to grow. James’s concluding words to them, in today’s passage were: ‘Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world’. Is James making the same conclusion to us today? Is he telling us that it is good to be churchy Christians but it is better if we are both churchy and touching the lives of those outside our immediate circle? I believe God wants our being to equate to our doing all the time and not only in the church- our lives adequately touching the lives of people around us. Our lives should tenderly and passionately touch those outside our circle- praying for them and physically helping them in whatever way we can. It is very easy for us to be perfectionists in churchy things; Some of our church rituals of prayer (the way and how we pray), our inspirational way of singing, our nice Christian expressions in the way we say things, like - ‘how are you brother? Oh, praise the Lord!’ ‘Stay blessed my sister’, etc, etc. Good mannerisms. But in the words of Jesus to the Pharisees and Scribes (in today’s Gospel) we must however lay emphasis on the things that relate to avoiding bad human relationships which Jesus catalogued as: ‘fornication, theft, murder, adultery, greed, covetousness, materialism, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness envy, slander, pride. May God make us doers of His word; so that our lives will touch all around us. Here’s a true story that I can relate to: About 9 years ago, Bishop Scrutton asked if I would be a part of the committee for new Missions & Churches. My first “assignment” was to Great Barrington. A church that a few years earlier, was destoyed by weather. One of the walls of the church fell in and they were no longer able to worship in that space. So: Coupled with another small church in Lee, who was struggling to stay afloat, decided to worship differently. Each Sunday – they rented a bar! Yes, a bar, for worship space. So, I and a couple others went to the service at the bar, which afterwards we met with the vestry, who explained why they wanted to take the two churches, and make them one and stay at the bar. As we sat and listened to their journey, I can remember one thing said: “ Before the wall fell down at the church, each vestry meeting we spent half our meeting talking about the boiler, roof, snow removal, etc. We really never took, nor had the time to spend on service to others”. “ Now that we meet here in the bar, we no longer need to talk about the building anymore, and we can focus on ministry outside our “four walls”, like helping the homeless, the hungry, young mothers needing help, our elderly, our shut ins”. They moved from being – to Doing…. They remembered the face in the mirror. This congregation prior to the wall tumbling down, I am sure was “churchy”, saying the right prayers, bowing at all the right times and all the other stuff we do to feel the part. I’m not suggesting we knock our walls down, but I am saying , maybe we can look farther than our inner walls. It took the congregation in Great Barrington a wall to fall down, to jump start some programs of service. And then – they became DOERS. What an example they provide for us, how people need to be DOERS. So, tomorrow morning, when getting ready for the day, looking at your beautiful face in the mirror, don’t forget who you are. You’re a child of God, to spread God’s word, lend a helping hand to those in need. Don’t walk away and forget! Amen!
2 Comments
Mary Moore
9/1/2021 12:39:59 pm
Thank you for the reminder that we are supposed to be the church in the world. Actually, I would give St. David's high marks in this category. Part of what impressed me about St. David's in the first place was seeing how its people lived their faith. Sunday service was not seen as an obligation, but rather as a time to reinforce for each other the calling to be true Christians for the rest of the week.
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Elizabeth Whitcomb
9/3/2021 12:14:18 pm
What Mary said about St. David’s is truly impressive. Seeing church attendance not as an obligation but as a time of reinforcement speaks highly for the church.
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Rev. Dr. Harvey Hill Third Order Franciscan Archives
October 2024
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