The Book of James: Words Matter

Words Matter: James 3: 1-12

Words matter. I’ll never forget hearing that in a closing argument years ago. The poor lawyer had gone all the way through the case, which had been tough to say the least, and was now at the end—the closing, the summation, her time to shine. The problem was—she really had nothing she could say and could think of no real way to defend her client. So she stood up, looked the jury squarely in the eye and said: “Words matter.” It flowed powerfully and carefully from that point talking about the witnesses’ words, listening to them, the importance, what might be said or missed. 

After careful deliberation, the jury came back and seated itself, poised to deliver a verdict that was carefully considered, a verdict which spoke the truth, and which understood that words matter. In the end the guy went to prison because he was guilty as homemade sin. But the phrase still resonated—words matter. The problem James presents to us today is controlling our tongue. Now the tongue itself is just a mechanism for speech. It doesn’t really do much in and of itself. But the tongue is controlled by the heart, and in that control can do more damage than any other power we have. 

James starts on a specific point then becomes more general in his discussion of words and speech. First he notes that teachers should be guarded in their role. In the scripture he says, “not many you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.” He then talks to teachers and to everyone more generally, “For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way” Teachers should actually have the spiritual gift of teaching. In James’ day everyone wanted to be a teacher, and it created problems in the a church filled with everyone saying different things to the members. Such a situation confused and alienated people. 

Teachers have a deep responsibility in the formation of faith in people. As a child, if you regularly went to church, sermons and services were not where you learned your faith; it was Sunday School with a teacher. I will never forget my Aunt Jenny carefully teaching us in our small church with the old school flannel boards and cut outs of Bible figures. She is a gifted teacher, was precise in her teaching, and between her and the other Sunday School folks, I learned a lot about the stories of the Bible. And as I recall, most of my Sunday School teachers brought snacks, which is the best way to learn and get the attention of a kid. But teachers should also be cautions to teach truth as God reveals it and even when that truth is tough to hear. 

As James moves more generally, he notes that people should be willing to lean on God’s help for controlling their words. Ultimately, words have great power. The example James gives us is that by placing a bit in the horse’s mouth where the tongue is, you can control the entire animal. Likewise, a small rudder, similar to a tongue, can control an entire ship. This small thing can control and do so much. But we must realize that both the ship and the horse are under the direction of the rider or the pilot, just as the heart controls the tongue, and we can see whether God controls the heart. 

Therefore, we should refrain from words that harm others. We should be quick to avoid gossip—something we all may struggle with, and chief of sinners though I may be! We should avoid criticizing others from on high, avoid trash talking about people, avoid abusive language in our conversations. The words we say and the way we say them have the power to destroy an already fragile mind and spirit. 

Words, then, have great potential for evil and should be watched over carefully. Look at the power—God spoke the world into existence. Christ spoke words of comfort never heard before. Paul’s preaching converted tens of thousands. Peter’s testimony literally founded the concept of Christianity and the church. And the best we can do is tell a dirty joke from time to time. Verses 8 and 9 warn us that no one can tame the tongue for it is restless and evil, “Sometimes it praises our Lord…and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.” When we speak it should not be for destructive purposes, least of all to our brothers and sisters made in God’s image. 

But, words have great possibilities and can produce good things. James tells us about good and proper fruit being produced by the olive and fig trees, of fresh water bubbling up from a spring. These things are wonderful, refreshing, powerful. And I love that last bit—you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring. I remind myself regularly, when I get in some kind of way, that God’s Word says I better not be salty. Ultimately you cannot bless God while cursing God’s creation. Our words and speech should reflect God both in singing God’s praises and in speaking to God’s people. 

Perhaps, if we have trouble, we can look to a little checklist that Paul gives us in Philippians 4:8, which tells us, “And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” It’s a good verse, but it needs to be placed into context for us.

We should consider the following questions before we speak. Do we know it’s true? Does it bring honor to the person spoken to as well as to God? Is it a fair thing to say? Is it free from slander? Is it free from fault and malice? Does it portray the person or object in the best possible light? Is what we say positive and worthy of others (and especially children) to imitate? Does it look for the best in someone? 

Words matter. How we speak and what we say is a reflection of God working in our hearts and guiding our minds. It is so easy to be tempted to say something mean, hurtful, and bad simply because it’s funny, or gives us a false sense of power, or because our emotions outweigh our good sense and God’s grace. Speak with grace. Speak with the love of Christ and the goodness of God. Speak carefully. Speak in such a way that people hear the words of Christ speaking through your very voice and your very words which give life and hope to a weary world. Words matter, so use them carefully. 

The Book of James: Faith and Works

Faith and Works: James 2: 14-26

As we continue in James, an epistle which teaches us about our personal growth as Christians, we look today at James’s idea about the “authenticity of our faith.” How do we know something tangible and powerful is actually at work in a heart and mind? It reminds me of a story about my mother. Every morning before school we had a little routine. As she let me out in the drop-off line, she would say, “Remember the most important thing.” I would respond, “I love you and do good.” 

Now early on, I think that meant I should do my best in school, but as we discussed it, “do good” took on a very different and more powerful (even if unintended) message. So, as a study I read on James said, “We are saved by faith alone, but not by faith that is alone.” James very clearly believes and advocates that there should be some clear evidence of faith in our lives—and that is found in our actions. 

When we consider how faith and action relate, we look to verse 14: “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?” We often talk about the idea that there’s nothing more we need than faith, but there is also a hard truth for us as followers of Christ. The way we live our lives, how we treat others, and how we live are a direct testimony to the faith in our lives. We should never be in the business of judging one another’s faith, but James begs of us—how will the world ever know about the power and impact of faith if they never see it? 

What we do is a product of what we believe. If you are mean and hard-hearted on a regular basis, then it says you are okay with that. If you utterly refuse to help the poor both physically and in spirit, or you choose to judge and punish the poor even further, then it shows a rejection of God’s call to help (as seen in last week’s sermon). James even goes so far as to say, “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” 

James gives us an example. We see someone without food or clothing, and upon seeing them we offer our warmest wishes and go about our way. That won’t suffice—well wishes to those suffering, thoughts and prayers to victims of violence, and a blind eye thereafter, is a faith which is cold, dead, and useless. The Book of James says this clearly and definitely in every single Biblical translation, including the King James Version. 

Faith, then, is demonstrated not in that we speak it correctly, but in our obedience. We are given two examples in James: Abraham and Rahab, and the two could not be more different. Abraham was a patriarch, the father of Israel, and a moral leader of the people. Rahab was a gentile, lived in enemy territory, and was, by trade, a person considered to be of ill-repute. In so many ways Abraham and Rahab were different, so why pair them together as examples? 

The answer is that both of them demonstrated their faith by their obedience. In verse 22, we read about Abraham, “You see, his faith and his actions worked together. his actions made his faith complete.” And about Rahab, we read, “She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid the messengers.” Two very different people in two very different times in history, but they both had the common thread of demonstrating their faith by their actions. When we act in faith, it demonstrates our trust in God. 

This week we all wrestled with the video of an unarmed young black man being chased down and shot by two white men. It cause anger, disgust, and a vast majority of people to rise up and say, this kind of behavior is not okay. In essence, faith demands we stand up for what is right when right is apparent but even when it is not easy. Abraham followed God into an unknown land uncertain of what the future would hold. Rahab could have been killed for sheltering and helping the Israeli messengers. Faith demands action, and faith is demonstrated in our obedience to doing as God directs even when when it is a risk to us, even when we have to take a stand for what is right and just, though being silent would be far easier. 

Lastly, faith is shown in our loving care to help others. James writes in verse 18, “Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.’” There is also the argument that , well, anyone can do a good deed or help somebody out, what makes this any different? When we the followers of Christ act, we do so to both be nice and to show others the life-changing power of God’s love. That’s the source of our good works: this faith that teaches us to love God and love one another. 

A good friend of mine in college came from a lower-income, basically single-parent household. He had worked very hard in life and and had gone to school on what was nearly a full scholarship. But as graduate date approached, he was informed that there was an outstanding bill of several hundred dollars which would prevent him from being able to graduate with the rest of us. He had no resources of that nature and no way to pay it. One evening, while chatting with my mom, I mentioned that it was sad he likely wouldn’t be able to graduate with us. Very quietly, without any fanfare or notice, my mom called up to the college finance department and paid off that debt so he would be able graduate. I’ve never said anything about it until now. That, I think, on this Mother’s Day, is the example of faith in action and faith being shown by helping others which will stick with me for the rest of my life. As James asks us, if your faith doesn’t work, what good is it? 

Every morning my mother taught me the two most essential things: I love you, and do good. Both express what faith is about—the love of God and of others, as well as love and faith put into action. When Jesus was on earth he spent time giving us an example—of healing, teaching, lifting up, of working in the margins to help others. If the only thing that mattered was the cross, nothing else about Jesus would be recorded. But he lived to show us a glimpse of the way of God’s kingdom, a standard we are to strive for on earth. As the hymn “Living for Jesus” says, “Such love constrains me to answer [God’s] call, follow his leading and give him my all.” I pray that your faith may be alive, energetic, and a faith rooted in action. And above all remember the most important thing: I love you, and do good. 

The Book of James: The Evils of Prejudice

The Evils of Prejudice: James 2: 1-13

In some way or another, we all wrestle with preferences and prejudices in our hearts and minds. From our neighborhoods, to our family demographics, from living isolation to a big community, to our family and social values, all will create in us some kind of preferences of prejudices. Those may be seen in whether we look to television shows and news which glorify the rich and famous. We can also look at who we struggle to talk to, who we cross the street to avoid. There are people that bother us because of how they look, what their cultural background is, who they are married to, their weight and appearance, or the struggles they’ve faced in life. Every person in life has some sort of preference or prejudice in their heart and mind. 

In the opening to James chapter two, we are told how to act and behave given these thoughts and beliefs which are socialized into us. But let’s start first with God’s view. In I Samuel 16:7, we are told this, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” God, then, looks at the heart and now what can be seen. James gives us the example of a rich person in church. Don’t favor someone who appears wealthy and powerful over the poor in God’s house, a problem James struggled with in his own church. 

There are several reasons that we should do everything in our power and with God’s help to quell the favoritism in our minds and actions. First favoritism is unfaithful. The need to impress and show off is something valued by humanity and society, but it doesn’t speak to a depth of faith. You can have the nicest car, the best clothes, the most spectacular talents in the world, but God looks to the heart and not to these outward things. There is nothing you can bring to the table or that will impress God. God is looking for people faithful, willing, and who can be made into the image of Christ. Furthermore, Jesus often spoke of liberating the poor. In Luke 6:20, “God blesses you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.” In other places, Jesus says the last shall be first. Faith teaches about making whole the broken, saving the sinner, and helping the least of these, not bolstering the already complacent and well off. 

Favoritism is also misdirected. James pointedly says in verse 6, “Isn’t it the rich who oppress you?” In the early days of the church, the rich classes harassed the Christians because there were so many from the poorer classes. They also used debtors prisons to make the early Christians suffer. Jesus even spoke to forgiving debts in the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor in Matthew 18. We cannot change this emphasis on forgiving debts and helping those in need to a worship of wealth and power in our faith and in our society. That utterly misses the mark of what Jesus taught and preached. Instead we must make sure our faith lifts up, helps, and blesses those who are in need. There should be joy in an encounter with God’s people, not suffering and humiliation. 

Favoritism is unloving and unchristian. If we isolate or keep someone out because of how we feel or look upon them, we keep them from being part of God’s family of faith, but it also deprives us of learning from them and receiving their love in return. When Jesus said “love your neighbor,” he meant every neighbor, rich, poor, whatever and whoever they are in the same Christ-like way. We are all going to have some kind of learned prejudice in our lives, but Jesus extended the arms of grace to all people that all might know the love of God. In every human there is imperfection, which is why we need God in our lives. That is the reason we look to the heart and what God can do to change the heart to a more Christ-like way of living. 

So if our learned prejudices and preferences are the problem, James tells us that the solution is providing ourselves with accountability in our words and deeds as well as in our thoughts. First we must speak and act with fervor. James says in verse 12, “So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.” If we live free from judgment and even the shadow of judgment we must encourage others to live free of judgement as well. Then in our speech and actions we must not judge. Perhaps the best way to phrase that is to live with the same hopes expectations we have. For instance, if we hope and expect to be welcome in heaven, then we must practice the same level of welcome on earth that God extends in heaven. We speak and act with further to bring grace and love into lives that are broken and hurting. 

And above all else, we must show mercy. In our worst days and times, God showed us mercy; therefore, we must be merciful. It is easy to be harsh. We tend to err towards angry accountability, holding feet to the fire, punishment, vengeance, just desserts, and you get what is coming to you. But then when we are in the hot seat we demand and plead for mercy. If we are unwilling to be merciful, then we should not expect mercy for ourselves. You can expect accountability and still show mercy. You can push and challenge others in a merciful way. We can overcome differences in and amongst ourselves if we remember to pause and speak first with mercy, for mercy will always, always triumph. 

I go back to that parable of the unforgiving debtor. in Matthew 18 A king called up his accounts to get all the debts up to date. One of the debtors who owed him a significant amount of money begged and pleaded for mercy on behalf of him and his family. The king was filled with mercy and forgave the debt of millions. But that same man who was just shown mercy, turned around and grabbed the person who owed him money by the throat demanding payment. This man also could not pay. The forgiven man showed no mercy. He threw the debtor who only owed him thousands in jail until the debt could be paid in full. The forgiven man was utterly unmerciful, and the angry king asked him this: “Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow [debtor] just as I had mercy on you?” In the end we are all one and the same—people who need the Holy One in their lives to bring love and grace. 

In all of our hearts, some form of prejudice and preference exists, and yet prejudice of any kind is a sin. Perhaps this is one of the most difficult areas of our growth in Christ—finding the kingdom way instead of “the way I know.” Instead of looking to what we see, what we hear, what we have been taught, we must look to the heart just as God does, and pray that each and every heart will be attuned to Christ. That is perhaps the only way to break the chains of prejudice that keep us from fully following Jesus’s way. Look to the heart of the person, speak and act with fervent love and grace. And remember that to all people we must be merciful, dealing first and foremost in love. For when we were poor and poor in spirit, God was rich in mercy to us, and so too, must we be to others. 

The Book of James: Listen and Do

Listen and Do: James 1: 19-25

A week or so ago, a friend emailed me a cartoon. It was two people sitting at a table having dinner. The man was talking and gesturing in a loud and grand way based on the the way he was drawn, and the woman was sitting at the table quietly giving him what I’ve always heard was one of those “if looks could kill, buddy,” kind of looks. The caption read, “Let me interrupt your training and expertise with my unwarranted, loud confidence.” I can identify was trying to talk about a point of criminal law, and I was interrupted by a very outspoken guy asking, “Well, how would you know. That sounds made up!” Routinely I get the pleasure of explaining that I’m a criminal lawyer with 10 years of experience. And I often get to add that just because you don’t like it, doesn’t make it any less the law. 

James talks about this problem. We have, in our modern society, utterly failed to listen. And even when we do listen, we do so only with the goal of retorting or spouting something back at the speaker. When we fail to listen, it affects all parts of our lives, but most poignantly our relationship with God because we fail to listen and do as God directs, either doing nothing at all or the opposite of what God directs. 

First, we must listen. There are five ways we are told to do this in the text in James. We must be quick to listen. It is important that we do this quickly and not reluctantly. Giving your time and attention to someone is a sign of respect and trust, but giving your time and attention to God is an expectation. After all, God is the creator, sustainer, and savior of our lives. To the One who is all those things, we should give our attention. We should do this not just to mull it over, to reply, to debate, or to run away like Jonah. We should listen quickly with the intent on truly hearing and processing the message. 

We must also be slow to speak. An old wise saying based loosely on Proverbs 17:28 reminds us “Better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Typically, the quote is attributed to Mark Twain, thought he may or may not have said it. Much of this desire to say something comes from a need within us to be right, and I believe that can become an idol in our lives. When you choose to show that you’re right or correct above all else, there is a cost. It can cost you a job if you have to be right to your employer. It can cost you a relationship if a person no longer wants to be around you because you’ve become an obnoxious know it all. From being a lawyer, I know that being right can win your argument, but it may make things rather lonely in your world of perfection. The better way often is to pause, to listen, and to think. Gentleness is sometimes more important than being right. 

We must also be slow to get angry. In our modern politics and society, anger is the default for all things. But the Bible is clear over and over that resentment is not a Christian characteristic. God calls us to be patient, kind, gentle, tender-hearted, and loving with those that anger and frustrate us. You may be able to yell someone into submission, but you can never shout them into redemption. I still believe that love and grace can change even the most angry and hardened heart. I still believe that the love of Christ can wash away bitterness and resentment. Therefore, be slow to anger. 

In order to listen we must also rid ourselves of the garbage in our lives. Do we bring in things that build our anger and resentment, that make us miserable and pull us away from God’s love and our obligation to be people reaching out the lost and wayward in the world? Or do we deal and bring into our lives thing that foster peace, happiness, joy, and Godliness? It’s a simple fact. If you eat junk food constantly, you will be come sick and unhealthy. The same is true spiritually. What you bring into your lives will determine your spiritual well-being, so bring in things that are Godly. Humbly accept what God would plant in your life. We may not always like God’s message, but we cannot refuse to listen to God just because the message is difficult. 

It reminds me of a pastor friend. He began to feel the call to go to a certain church, one that had great difficulty in the past. He was happy at his present church and ignored the heart tug from God, the open pathway there. Instead he said that it would take a burning bush before he would go. One day he stopped at a red-light. The person in front of him threw a used cigarette out of the car, and it hit a bush. The bush burst into huge flames shocking everybody. Later he learned that earlier the same day a gas can had fallen off of a truck dousing the bush in gasoline. It was his burning bush. We must listen to God. 

But we must also do what God says to us. If not we risk forgetting the message and the meaning, or not understanding it. Have you ever thought, “Well, I don’t need a list. I can remember these things at the grocery store?” Only, once you are standing in the middle of aisle three, you think, “Why did I come here, again?” The same is true if we fail to act on God’s messages. They will get lost, both in impact and action. God’s Word is meant to be active and a call to action. In the Great Commission, we are told to go OUT to heal, to teach, to save, and baptize. That requires action—to go! God’s word also calls us to be responsible. Preparing to listen, and being willing to listen to God is a choice we make, just like following what God says is also a choice we make. James tells us that faith implores us to listen to God and to do as God directs. It falls under that obedience part of our faith. And it requires us to be humble. 

One of the greatest things we can give up in this life is the desire to be right. Only One has the right answer to all of life, and that is God. We stumble around as best we can with our intellect, our experience, and some limited direction from God. And yet we have to be right all the time—it blocks us from hearing God, from listening to the wisdom from others, from being the clay that God desires to mold and work out into something beautiful, beloved, and crafted to be just like God, made in God’s image. Be still in life and in prayer to listen. God is still speaking to us, and the question is this: have we made room in our soul to hear it? 

The Book of James: Faith and Endurance

Faith and Endurance—James 1: 1-18

One of the things we tend to hear a lot from parents, teachers, and other authority figures is the phrase, “Oh will you grow up!?” or some version thereof. Perhaps it’s even been shouted at you or by you in the midst of heated argument, “Just grow up!” Now luckily, I never heard this much growing up. But then, the running joke in the family was that I didn’t hear this phrase because I was born a grumpy 60 year old man. The Book of James deals throughout with this idea or concept of maturity, of what it means to be the “mature Christian.” 

In talking about growth and maturity, we focus in on the first part of the first chapter which deals with faith and endurance. These two things are discussed in the context of dealing with the trials of life. Now Paul tended to finesse his New Testament letters a bit before getting into the deep water. You might hear a bit of a greeting and some “grace and peace” language that provides multiple verse of warm well-wishes. James, is about as subtle as a heart attack. He basically says, “Greetings,” then hits the reader with a punch square to the gut: consider it joy when trials come your way. 

James talks about God giving us strength through a trial when we let our endurance grow and be tested. Endurance is the key for James—our ability to lean on God for strength through the trials of life. Endurance means getting through the trial without compromising or wavering. If you talk to someone who has continued with a strong faith in Christ, you will find a common theme. In all the most difficult times of life, they endured, and they did so by relying on God to be with them. In times of trial we must run TO God not FROM God, and we must ask for wisdom. 

The two go hand in hand. You cannot endure a trial unless you go to God and ask for wisdom, and ask in faith. James is very blunt in saying if you come to God asking for wisdom, and you do so without faith or with a divided loyalty, you’ll end up with nothing. I am reading a book about a brilliant pianist who escaped the war in Syria as a refugee to Germany. It details the harrowing suffering of him and his family at the hands of the military. He is a Palestinian, and his family were refugees in Syria. What sticks out is that sense of endurance and wisdom to mold and meld to the circumstances for hope and for survival. While his faith is not Christianity, the same parallel can be seen: trials mild to severe must be faced with endurance, seeking wisdom, and fully relying on God’s help. 

But at the same time, we may face both trial and temptation in life. Now, interestingly, trial and temptation have the same Greek root, and to know the difference you use look at the context. Are you suffering through a trial that will test your faith, or are you being tempted away form God to something that seems enticing but is actually evil? The answer is the same. Verse 12 says, “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.” Both are found in the Lord’s prayer: lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

We live in a time when both trials and temptations are rampant. Coronavirus is certainly a trial. But the animosities, the politics, the manipulation of faith all around us are also trials that add to our burden and stress in our modern times. Humanity’s sense of dread and worry has grown in recent years. The trials have grown around us both physically and mentally taking their toll. But we also face temptation in more ways and outlets than ever before. The internet has brought interconnectedness, but it has also brought us misinformation, a platform for hatred and evil, violence, immorality, and horrible things all at the click of a button.

The answer to these growing troubles is within us: to remember to seek God’s help and guidance to resist and endure the trials and temptations. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Navigating trials and temptations without God’s help will leave us broken and weary. It will damage our relationship with God and with loved ones around us to the point that we will be lost. Instead we should run to God, rely on God, there we will find our answers. We are told consider it joy when you find yourself in trials. We are told patiently endure when temptation comes your way. With the help of God’s love and might you will be carried through the trial, and you will overcome the temptation. 

Do not be tempted to let trials and temptation ruin your relationship with the Holy One who created you and loved you each and every day and each step of the way. James tells us, “So don’t be misled my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God.” James reminds us that we are chosen by God. We are God’s prized possession. Remember that during trials and temptations. You are loved, and you are wanted. Even Christ had to endure struggles on the Earth. He was not spared trials or temptations. And yet Christ endured the trials and resisted temptation in the wilderness. 

One of the hardest things people face with faith is this expectation that if our God is all-powerful, then things should be made perfect—all should be fixed. Why do trials exist? Why is there temptation and trouble? I think James here gives us a hard answer but the best advice. The hard answer is that life may not be easy for us regardless if we have faith or not. Suffering, trials, and temptation will touch the followers of Christ just like it will touch those who do not. 

But here is the difference: when we follow Christ, we have One who is mighty enough to give us the strength to bear through and find peace and a quiet resolve. God will help us find a way to a mature faith response to trials and temptations: consider it all joy. So in the midst of trial and temptation be reminded that this too shall pass. But in the meantime when the way is dark and rough, remember that God will help you endure through as you ask for the wisdom to deal with life. And in the end, we are created by God, loved by God, and given strength by God every single day, for every single trial and temptation. So, lean on God’s love, and count it all joy.  

Easter 2020 Sermon

Don’t Be Afraid: Isaiah 43: 1-13; Matthew 28: 1-10

A friend said to me the other day, “Well, Will, I think the whole world is going to Hell in a hand basket.” He and I share a similar theology and outlook on life, so with a bit of a smirk, I replied, “Or maybe it’s just a wild ride around the block?” I’ve never liked or appreciated when churches teach faith through fear saying that all is in the proverbial hand basket, or when people live their lives filled with an unnecessary level of fear. It runs so hard against the message of hope and resurrection that Jesus taught and lived. Today we read in the gospel that after Jesus was raised from the dead, the first thing he said to his disciples was: “don’t be afraid.” 

More than ever on Easter we need to hear the message of a Savior filled with love, filled with grace, and filled with strength. Yes we are familiar with the Jesus who healed the sick, who taught powerful lessons to the crowds, who walked on water. But today, and especially in our current times, we need to remember the lesson of a Savior who lived and taught resurrection, of life everlasting, and of victory over all things here on earth. 

The resurrection of Christ teaches us that we should live without fear here on earth. Now that doesn’t mean living recklessly or dangerously, but instead we live knowing that at the end of our entire journey there is hope, there is resurrection. Many of these lessons on strength and grace in trial, of being resolute in troubling times I learned from folks here at FCC Macon who have since earned their reward. 

One that particularly touched me and has stayed with me was Barbara Wright. As she was moved into nursing and hospice care I spent some time with her.. She had an incredibly wicked sense of humor, and I’ll never forget her saying this, “I’m not really all that afraid of death. It’s the whole dying part that bothers me.” That stuck with me. Don’t be afraid, for in death, there is resurrection, there is hope. Don’t be afraid, when there is a rampant disease which brings fear to our lives, our God heals, but if not, we will have life everlasting through a God who has the power of resurrection. 

Don’t be afraid. That is one of the reasons I’ve never cared for the phrase that all is going to hell in a hand basket. It says to us that this world is not worth saving, that fundamentally things are wrong and our best bet is to live in fear of everything and everyone out there. And I don’t believe that. People do bad things. People make bad choices, but fundamentally, this earth is populated by children of God, some of whom have strong faith and belief, and some of whom have not found God yet and continue to squander their lives continually seeking what is wrong, following paths of fear, living unholy lives. They may even be the very ones waiting for us to show them of Christ’s saving love. 

Others too have taught me courage, and many of you as well. Lois Lantz was the perfect portrait of poised resolution even in the most humbling and trying of circumstances, even as her recall and understand failed, her grace and presence never left her. I could name so many others in this church that taught me, taught us, lessons of hope, of courage, of grace, who reminded us in life and death, “Don’t be afraid.” 

When you begin to look at the people here on the earth, and you look at each one, realizing that they, too, are a child of God, beloved by God, conceived in God’s image, it changes one’s outlook on life. We can remember that our God is a God who calls us to repentance on Good Friday, and gives us the hope of resurrection on Easter. And that same lesson of hope is given to the whole earth to hear. God’s message throughout the prophecy of Isaiah was for Israel to trust in God and not fear. Over and over in the story of Jesus’s resurrection we hear those words, “Don’t be afraid.” 

Jesus calls us out of those fears whether it is our fear that the world is just done and gone, whether it is our fear of sickness and suffering, whether it is our fear of dying, whether it is our fear of other people who are different in many ways or may be on the wrong pathways of life. Speak a word to them, encourage them. Never be afraid to remind someone who has strayed from God’s pathway that they are still made in the image of God, and they are still loved by God and by God’s church. Never hold back when you can make a difference through your Christ-given courage. You may have been called  and equipped for such a time as this. 

I pray that this Easter, when we are at home, maybe going a bit stir crazy, maybe worried about being sick, praying for family, friends and loved ones, that we remember the words to the hymn we will soon sing: “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; because he lives all fear is gone; because I know he holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because he lives.” 

Here in Macon, Georgia, it’s a tradition that many churches have a cross in their front yard, and they change the cloth on the cross with the seasons to match the liturgical colors: white at Easter, purple in Lent and so on. Since we have to stay home from our churches for safety, I’ve noticed a new tradition this year. People are putting rough, plain crosses in their yards, on their apartment porches, or elsewhere dressing them up with lilies or palms or lilies, draped cloths and even lights, but all the crosses say the same thing: “Faith over fear.” 

And that is the message of Easter, plain and simple. Don’t be afraid. Go and tell everyone else, soon we will be reunited with Christ. It was a simple message Jesus gave to the women at his tomb. It may seem like the hand basket is ready and the world is loaded up inside, but into all that fear and chaos a risen Savior speaks words of hope and courage, “Don’t be afraid.” Let Christ’s resurrection remind you that the greatest power in our life is faith over fear, hope, and resurrection. Amen. 

Holy Week: Maundy Thursday Reflection

Today’s reflection was written and delivered by Kathy R. Smith.

John 13: 31-35

31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man[a] to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. 32 And since God receives glory because of the Son,[b] he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once. 33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

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This passage starts off with a very interesting statement, “As soon as Judas left the room…”.  Jesus waited until Judas was gone to instruct the disciples on upcoming events, how they should handle themselves, and what they should know about him.

Jesus wanted them to know that he loved them, and that it was necessary to leave them for a while.  He explained how he had to enter “his Glory,” which meant his coming death on the cross.  He explained how God would receive Glory from his son because of the sacrifice his Son will make.  He explains that they will search for him, but will not be able to find him.  All of these things, Jesus said to the disciples, AFTER Judas had left to commit his betrayal. 

Then, when he finished explaining to them how he would have to leave them, he ended with a powerful and challenging statement, “Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” What a beautiful parting statement from the Savior to the disciples and also to us thousands of years later.  “Love each other.”  It was the very reason, this love, that would lead him to the cross to save and heal us all. 

And again, he said none of this until “Judas left the room.” These wonderful directives that Jesus left his disciples were not heard by Judas because he had left the room.  Jesus knew that Judas had made his choice, and he knew his statements would have been lost on Judas. Judas had spiritually left Jesus long before he physically left the room.  

During this Easter season, let us try to follow Jesus’s call to love one another, showing compassion and understanding even when we don’t want to. And in those times we don’t want to follow this call - we ask Jesus to give us his heart so that we can show true and sincere love, not fake and counterfeit love that that we see so much of today.  Don’t miss out on God’s goodness, his love, his understanding, and his kindness because you, too, have left the room.

Let us pray: Loving God, teach us to love one another even as you have loved us. May we always be present and receptive as you teach us and guide us. In Christ we pray, Amen. 

Holy Week: Wednesday Gospel Reflection

John 13: 21-30

21 Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!” 22 The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. 23 The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table. 24 Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, “Who’s he talking about?” 25 So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. 27 When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” 28 None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. 29 Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. 30 So Judas left at once, going out into the night.

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Betrayal in life can be terrible and devastating. Most of us will experience a betrayal at some point or another. It may be simple like a friend at school tattles on us. Or it may be gut wrenching such as an unfaithful end to a long marriage. Betrayal never comes from an enemy; instead, it always comes from those closest to us. That is because betrayal is predicted on trust. 

Jesus and the disciples had been together long enough to build that sense of trust. That is why they are stunned as Jesus announces one of them would betray him. They had come to see him as prophet, healer, teacher, and even as the Holy One. How could one of them who experienced such things betray Jesus? The thought defied their imagination. 

Even when Jesus gives them the sign, they seem unwilling to understand or believe that Judas was about to turn Jesus over to the authorities for crucifixion. They gave him the benefit of the doubt. That attitude shows us that the best tool of manipulation for a betrayer is to exploit the love and trust which overlooks faults, finds grace in acts which are wrong, and fails to hold accountable that which borders or crosses the line of evil. 

Love must be our strength and our mission as followers of Christ, but love brings with it accountability and responsibility. Love is willing to forgive, but love cannot overlook what is wrong. We must follow Jesus’s example of gently yet firmly holding Judas accountable, speaking the truth of his bad actions, and giving the option to do what is right. 

So what do we do when evil motives prevail? Here is a careful reminder: “There will be people in your life who will claim to love you but will turn their back on you when it is no longer convenient for them. Thankfully, there is one who promises, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Betrayal will leave us feeling broken hearted, but God will never fail to deliver on a promise, and God will never forsake you. And there is where we find our hope and our assurance in life. 

Let us pray: Steadfast God, when others wound us, forsake us, and use us for their own selfish motives, remind us that there is a love which is pure and holy, a love found in you. Teach us to be gentle, yet firm in our faith in you, so that your hope and truth will reign. In Christ we pray. Amen. 

Holy Week: Tuesday Gospel Reading

John 12: 27-32

27 “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father, bring glory to your name. ”Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. 30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”

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What does it mean to be “drawn?” I’ve heard descriptions of people as being “drawn to trouble” or even “drawn to drama.” As the evening winds down, and it begins to get dark, I am drawn to my bed. If you look for a dictionary definition, you would see the phrase: to be gently pulled or guided in a certain direction. 

Here, Jesus is speaking to his followers, and they hear a voice from heaven. Some say it is angels speaking, and some say it is thunder. But what Jesus says next is the heart of this reading, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone unto myself.” A pastor I follow and listen to, Michael Piazza, said in his Palm Sunday sermon, that if we celebrate Palm Sunday, then go straight to Easter, we miss the cross. 

His exact quote was, “Palm Sunday without Good Friday is a lie, and Easter without Good Friday is an empty platitude that doesn’t ring true.” That hit home. If we are to be drawn to Christ, we have to be drawn to every aspect: the celebration, the cross, the pain and suffering, the call to love the least of these and those in the margins of society. We can’t embrace part of Jesus without embracing the whole, even if it makes us uncomfortable. 

But the good news is that we will be changed forever by the embrace. Even as Jesus was lifted up on the cross, he drew all of us unto himself. It reminds me of the hymn, “Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to they precious bleeding side.” I pray we follow Christ all the way, not just in the easiest of moments and lessons. 

Let us pray. Holy One, draw us closer to you that we may be reminded of your love and mercy. May we be prepared to follow you wherever you lead. In Christ, Amen. 

Holy Week: Monday Gospel Reflection

John 12: 1-8

12 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate[a] with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. 4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. 7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

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This makes me think of the quote by Martin Luther King, Jr., “The time is always right to do what is right.” In our lives, we have choice. We can choose to do what is right, with God’s help. Lazarus did what was right—he fed and provided great hospitality to Jesus and his disciples. Martha did what was right. She used her skills to cook, to feed, and to serve Jesus and his followers. Mary did what was right. She wasn’t quite the worker bee that Martha was, so she honored Jesus with a powerful gift and her love of him as the Holy One. With God’s help, they all chose what was right. 

Judas, however, seems to have never chosen what was right. He was a thief, a manipulator, and a betrayer. He stole from the money the disciples had. He tried to manipulate more money out of Mary and Lazarus’ house. And he betrayed Jesus to the authorities because of his greed. I don’t think Judas was inherently some arch villain of the Bible. He was a man who was selfish and greedy, and didn’t care who he had to sell out to get what he wanted. 

There are those in life who fit both categories: who choose what is right and who seem to be consumed by selfishness, greed, and self importance to the point that the miss the whole point of Christ’s teaching. You and I have a similar choice. We can let God help us do what is right, or we can continue to turn a blind eye to the call of the Savior. Here’s a little guidance. The time is always right to do what is right. 

Let us pray: Holy One, help us to break down our idols and those things that draw our attention away from you. Let us be guided and yielded to do what is right, and to follow your wise and holy leadership. In Christ, Amen.