A topical exposition...

Social justice has become a widely held concern in our world, permeating most areas of public life. Businesses commonly contribute to charities, and boast of practices and values that uphold justice. More voters on both sides of the fence ask questions of how our government treats other nations, especially when said nations are underprivileged. Due to greater availability of technology, we are more aware than ever of injustice around our world. Likewise, we are seeing more opportunities than ever to contribute to a more just world. People want to participate…to feel like they are making a difference in the world. This sentiment becomes amplified in our area, not simply because of the oft-cited “liberal bias” that exists on our campus, but also because of the high-education level of Chapel Hill/Carrboro residents, our diverse demographic makeup and the abundance of information and resources in our area also contribute to our interest in social justice. While we might feel that we are in the minority by trying to “do the right thing”, I find it important to acknowledge that social justice is more relevant now than at other times in the past.

We are privileged to be challenged by the call of justice in our area. God has placed justice on the hearts of many people in this community, and we must respond in kind. Yet, we are not simply being relevant by loving justice, because God loves justice far more than anyone in our community. God demands justice, and as such, whether they acknowledge it or not, God’s heart resonates within our community. Graham has reminded us for years that worship and justice are two sides of the same coin, and that one must accompany the other. When we worship God, we also commit ourselves to seek justice in the world. To serve our community, we need to take the search for justice seriously, and to hold our community to an even higher standard of justice.

Up until this point, I imagine that everyone is on board with what I’ve been saying. Now, I want to explore the danger of living in an area that champions justice. On the one hand, we win the acclaim of our peers when we seek justice, because, as I stated earlier, our community champions justice. Recently, I have found myself thinking back to the music of my teenage years…the years in which I bought my first CD (Weezer), and music was a tool for describing the turbulent emotions I felt trying to fit in (or not fit in), to find a girlfriend (or explain why I didn’t want one), and to figure out my place in the world. Bands like Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, the Breeders, and Alice in Chains created a heavy, angry sound with lyrics for youth disillusioned with the world. The world was run and ruined by people who just wanted to fit in. Fitting in was not enough. We should not seek justice because we can feel more comfortable and simply fit into a society that seeks justice. We seek justice because we want to feel what God’s heart feels, and because when we seek justice, we worship God.

On the other hand, a feeling of well-being and satisfaction accompanies acts of justice, because we are “doing the right thing.” The same feeling accompanies the accomplishment of any of the other cardinal virtues (courage, moderation or prudence). Unfortunately, following the wrong motivation, well-being and satisfaction can eventually become pride. Augustine famously stated, “The virtues of the pagans are glittering vices.” We must seek the proper motivation for growing in virtue, because even though pride can motivate us to accomplish great feats, it will ruin us as people. If pride corrupts our acts of justice, then we will miss the chance to grow into Christlike people.

Finally, if we listen too closely to our community, we will give justice too high a value in our lives. God loves justice, but justice is only a part of God’s heart. God wants us to be loving, hopeful, faithful, modest, courageous and prudent. To assign justice the highest value in our lives is to conflate justice to the level of God. The world needs God, and with God comes justice, love, hope and the rest of the virtues.

Thus, our motivation for seeking justice, as well as any virtue, should be worship of God. Paul says to the church in Corinth, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” The Corinthian church consisted of a diverse spectrum of Christians, from mature Christians to infants in the faith. Some Christians were confused at the high standards at which other Christians lived, and these more mature Christians seemed to view themselves more highly than the more immature Christians. Paul’s statement puts everyone in the same boat: whether we are able to commit to great acts of virtue, or we are taking on a few commitments, or we are taking the first steps to living virtuous lives, we all need God, and should live to worship Him with our lives. No matter where we are in our journey to being more Christlike, we should all be motivated by our worship of God.

As a church, we are united by God’s love, and in turn, by our worship of God. This worship should motivate us to seek justice in the world, which also means bringing God’s love into the world. As such, we are going to seek a goal together as a church. I don’t want you to see this goal as a requirement to your salvation, or as a measuring stick by which to judge your “righteousness”, but as an opportunity to grow, not only as an individual, but also to grow as a church.

We have a significant amount of people in our church involved in justice with regards to food. Steve and Teri, Joy and Beka have all made career and life commitments to seeking justice with regards to health and nutrition, as well as farming. Emma, Kevin, Cammie, Veronica, David and others have participated in different amounts to supporting Nourish International through hunger lunches. George, Joy, Emma, Graham and many others have traveled to different parts of the world, and have seen how nutrition can negatively affect certain areas. We all live in a country whose consumption of resources, especially with regards to food, affects most of the world in a less than flattering way. I don’t want to go into every detail of how the consumption of food is an issue of justice in our country, because I don’t want to overwhelm everyone, but I do want you to see why this issue is relevant to us as a church and why God cares deeply about hunger and consumption. Typically in the Old Testament, especially in the period of the Hebrew monarchy, evil was depicted as the wealthy withholding farm land and resources from the less fortunate. For example, one of the great stories of transgression in the Old Testament describes how Ahab stole a vineyard from Naboth, robbing him of his inheritance and source of income and sustenance for his family. The way that we consume matters to God, and we can seek justice by making sure that our consumption happens in an ethical way.

I realize that this issue is broad in scope, so we will start with a simple, quantifiable goal. Graham has provided us with a Christian, financially accountable organization called World Vision. World Vision will distribute purchased animals to needy communities, in order to provide food for families…especially children. We are going to start with a small goal: a goat and two chickens, which price at $100. These animals are easy to raise, provide essential foods for children to grow, and extra offspring can be sold in order to bring in extra income for the family. On the way to this goal, we can discuss other goals for the future. Begin to pray about how we can seek justice in this issue. We can continue to raise money to help people overseas. We can look locally, to serve schools, soup kitchens, food shelters or farms. We can also educate ourselves on how to make better food choices. Invite non-Christians to participate in these discussions and projects, and when you do, share the gospel with them. There are many possibilities, and one can easily get overwhelmed…yet, as Joy will quickly point out, its better to take small steps than to take no steps at all. I also realize that some people are already sensitive to different issues going on in the world, and I don’t want to replace the desires that God has already placed within you. However, I do encourage you to look at this as an opportunity to grow in love with your Christian brothers and sisters. We worship together, we do life together, we bring Christ into the world together, and we must also seek justice together. As we do so, we grow in God’s love, and grow further in our discipleship with Christ. Lets begin our journey together with prayer.

The Virtue of Justice

The word justice conjures up images of courtrooms, protestors and law enforcement officials. The traditional symbol of justice tends to be a balance, which exhibits equality between two sides. Personally, I consider justice most when playing a game of pickup basketball. In pickup basketball, with no referees present, players must work out any rules infractions on their own. Usually, if players get away with a foul, then the other team can get away with a little more on their own side of the court. If someone gets overly physical with me, then I get a little more physical. I take it personally when people start slapping at the ball, or grabbing my shirt, and so I try to get a little bit more active and physical to fight back. Throughout the game, I try to balance out what I feel is unfair play in my own judgment. If you don’t play sports, then how many of you sports fans, while watching a game, yell out something like “That’s not fair…”? Equality, fairness, balance and harmony are all normative qualities of a just society. According to this definition, does justice exist in the world? Is this what Jesus represents when he announces His ministry in the synagogue? What does justice mean to the Christian? This morning, we will explore the virtue of justice in Luke’s gospel.

Of the four gospels, Luke gives us the clearest picture of God’s mission to bring about justice in the world. Throughout Luke’s gospel, we see examples of injustice, and our picture of justice fills out. The “poor” are identified as the recipients of injustice. Don’t think of “poor” as a class when you read through Luke. In ancient times, being poor meant much more than to have little wealth…being poor also involved characteristics of gender or nationality, vocation, family heritage, and religious standing. The poor can almost be interpreted as “the helpless”…those who have the deck stacked against them.

What we see in Luke is the connection between evil and the empire. On the one hand, Satan clearly works behind the scenes encouraging oppressive and pathological social injustices. When Jesus is tempted in the wilderness, we learn that Satan claims ownership of all worldly kingdoms, which most importantly for Luke, means the Roman Empire. We also see Satan enter Judas near his betrayal of Jesus, and we can assume that Satan works behind the scenes leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. Obviously, Satan orchestrates scenes of injustice in opposition to God’s mission in the world. Luke does not see God’s mission as a class war, an ideological innovation, or a mere political or religious reform…the problem of injustice is greater than Luke’s world realized. Luke portrays how hidden spiritual forces are actualized in corrupt governments and unjust citizens. The problem of evil is both spiritual and social…two sides of the same coin.

How do we approach the problem of injustice currently? We have institutional penalties to punish crimes of injustice, such as the trials widely portrayed on news networks. We protest the injustices of those who have wealth or power, such as the protests of the Arab Spring or the recent Wall Street demonstrations. We use social media and the Internet to bring to light unjust situations, hoping that publicity will spark action. All of these actions can help victims in unjust situations, but does this actually fix the problem of injustice? Let me use an example…what does Tylenol do? What does Pepto Bismol do? What does Mucinex do? OTC medicines generally attack the symptoms of a sickness, such as runny nose, coughing or achiness. On the other hand, certain medicines, vitamins, and healthy habits empower the body to attack the root cause. Even though the symptoms are usually visible and external, the cause is often invisible and internal…but the two are interconnected. Symptoms imply internal causes, and causes bring about symptoms. Justice prevails when we focus on both the cause and the symptoms of injustice. Luke exhibits how evil in the world has both a spiritual cause, and a social actualization, and both are important to God’s mission in the world.

So what exactly is God’s mission as Jesus begins His public ministry? Luke has already given us some clues early in his gospel. Mary’s song early in the gospel speaks of God bringing down rulers and exalting the low…feeding the hungry and depriving the wealthy. Mary describes God’s mission as one of subversion and reversal of the social order. John the Baptist confirms Mary’s proclamation of reversal with his own imagery. John the Baptist’s message quotes Isaiah, foreshadowing Jesus’ own proclamation in the synagogue: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation.” The imagery here is one of reversal, with valleys filling up, and mountains crumbling, yet salvation accompanies the reversal of the social order.

Further, Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness precedes his public proclamation in the synagogue. As we discussed two weeks ago, Satan tests Jesus’ faith in the wilderness, cementing Jesus’ identity as God’s anointed, and reaffirming Jesus’ loyalty to God’s mission. Just after the story of Jesus’ public proclamation, we see Jesus living out God’s mission by healing the sick and exorcising demons. Again, the spiritual and social aspects of God’s mission are drawn tightly together, representing different aspects of the same problem. Jesus engages both the spiritual and the social, the hidden and the obvious. Jesus’ public proclamation embodies a collision of what we consider to be two separate realms; because God’s mission is good…it is holistic…it is shalom.

Jesus stands in the synagogue and reads from the scroll of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then Jesus sits…the position of a teacher…and reveals that in Him, Isaiah’s writings are fulfilled. Here, we have the answer to injustice…here, we have God’s mission to the world. Here, we have the God-man, Jesus, the Christ. Isaiah’s text emphatically focuses on its reader, Jesus: “The spirit of the Lord is on me…because He has anointed me…He has sent me.” Jesus is the solution. Not a 10-step strategy, or a revolutionary idea, or a motivational speech, or a welfare organization, or a political regime…God centers His mission of justice in the world in the God-man Jesus.

Isaiah’s text utilizes several active and directional verbs involving the release of the “poor” from their helpless situations. The message alluded to earlier in the gospel now comes to fruition in the person of Jesus Christ. As God’s anointed, the Christ, Jesus carries the mission of God into the world. Wherever Jesus goes, the evils that corrupt the social order are stripped of their power. Jesus’ arrival means that those held captive by impossible situations are freed from their bondage. Jesus now unveils the injustice that saturates society by opening blind eyes. Jesus proclaims the release of all debtors to a new era of liberation. Isaiah’s words are personified in Jesus, as the beginning of the text emphasizes the person of Jesus, and the latter part of the text describes God’s mission to the world. Jesus’ anointing and mission are indivisible, implying that God’s mission is tied up in Jesus Christ.

What better way to bring about justice than through a man? Soul and body, two sides of the same coin. In the same way that injustice infected the social order, both hidden and revealed, Jesus carries the perfection of soul and body. Jesus exorcises demons, while at the same time meeting the needs of the destitute. He raises the dead, and heals lepers. He pardons sin, and welcomes the outcast. Jesus remedies both the cause and the symptoms of injustice, and this could only be accomplished through a person, body and soul.

Thus, Jesus Himself is justice. What does this mean for us? On the one hand, as Jesus ascended into Heaven, His return signals absolute justice. In the meantime, we will continue to see injustice rear its ugly head. However, we are not called to simply endure justice, but to be Christ’ body in His absence. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we must seek justice in the world. We must carry Christ into those places where injustice reigns. We must constantly ask God to topple the dark forces that work behind the social order to influence injustice. We must meet the needs of the needy, and care for the helpless. And we must forgive our debtors, remembering that we too have been forgiven. We must seek to live undivided, embracing both spiritual and social practices to bring about justice. We cannot only pray, or read scripture, or fast to bring about justice. By the same token, we cannot only theorize, or teach, or strategize, or assemble, or protest, or serve to bring about justice. Most importantly, our intimacy with Jesus will bring about justice in our own lives, and in the world. Jesus fulfills God’s mission in His person and thus, we must follow this Person as closely and carefully as within our power.

(I excluded the ending, which encourages congregants to seek out an instance of injustice, pray over it, and engage it in action)

The Veil, Virtue and Freedom

"Through her I came to love the wee thing, as it grew strong; as its little soul unfolded itself in twitter and cry and half-formed word, and as its eyes caught the gleam and flash of life. How beautiful he was, with his olive-tinted flesh and dark gold ringlets, his eyes of mingled blue and brown, his perfect little limbs, and the soft voluptuous roll which the blood of Africa had moulded into his features! I held him in my arms, after we had sped far away from our Southern home,--held him, and glanced at the hot red soil of Georgia and the breathless city of a hundred hills, and felt a vague unrest. Why was his hair tinted with gold? An evil omen was golden hair in my life. Why had not the brown of his eyes crushed out and killed the blue?--for brown were his father's eyes, and his father's father's. And thus in the Land of the Color-line I saw, as it fell across my baby, the shadow of the Veil." Here, Du Bois uses a description of his child to point out a greater problem that he saw throughout the United States. Du Bois writes of the Veil, which can mean the way someone appears or an odd sounding accent. It can mean a literal veil, worn for cultural or religious purposes, or a hat, or turban, or hairstyle. The Veil can be different hygiene habits, eating preferences, conversational volumes, and the list goes on…because the Veil is what separates us. Du Bois understood that when confronted with the foreign…with the Other…that we instantly put up a wall…to keep distance…to live life however we see fit. We lift this same Veil between ourselves and God, claiming that we cannot know or understand God, or what God wants for us. Our passage for today claims the opposite, that in Christ, the Veil is lifted. Specifically, in Christ, we no longer live in our own world by our own rules, but we are freed to become who we ought to be.

The Corinthian church had a history of rewriting how Christians ought to live. Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth reveals dissension on theological issues and authority in the church, controversy on how to worship, and various ethical issues from sexual indecency to idolatry. To Paul, the Corinthians acted the same way any commoner might act in Roman society. Thus, Paul wrote a masterful letter addressing these issues, both theological and ethical, which stands as one of the greatest and most influential works of Christian teaching in history. You would think the Corinthians might take a hint, right? Unfortunately, the Corinthians slipped back into the same self-serving habits, and Paul was forced to write several more letters to address these recurring issues. Paul makes it clear that Christ was not kidding when he said, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Living by one’s own standards is inadequate when following Christ.

The disciples saw Christ as a Rabbi or teacher, and so discipleship happened under the method of Teacher and student. Under the Rabbinic style of discipleship, students would follow the Rabbi as closely as possible, listening to his words, following his movements, seeing how he reacted in situations. Often, students would even follow the Rabbi into the bathroom, so that they might not miss a single word he said. The goal was to completely mimic the Rabbi, down to picky details of each personal habit. To do so meant becoming extremely intimate with the Rabbi. Paul invokes this style of discipleship when he implores the Corinthians to “imitate me as I imitate Christ.” Paul understood that Christians must let go of their own agendas in order to follow Christ, sacrificing control of their own lives to gain intimacy with Christ. As we lift our veils and come out of our private inner worlds, we are freed to live in communion with Christ.

Here, freedom takes on a new meaning. We spoke a few weeks ago about the irony of people who refuse to be a part of the Church because they want to find themselves. For many people, freedom involves this sense of self-willed discovery. In this sense, freedom involves liberation from any foreign influence. In other words, freedom for many people means living according to your own rules. Ironically, individuals who follow selfish ends are not free, but rather, are conforming to the way of the world. Paul describes a different standard, that wherever the Lord is, that will be where we can find freedom. We cannot hope to follow Christ if we want to live unruled, because Christ is Lord. We must die to ourselves to find freedom, and as the veil of self-centeredness is removed, we have access to real life in God.

Through Christ, God has opened the way for us to be in community with Him. Paul uses Moses as an example of what happens when we are close to God. In Exodus 34, Moses climbs atop Mt. Sinai as God renews His covenant with Israel. As he spends time with God, Moses begins to radiate God’s glory. Israel could not see God, because a cloud hid God’s glory on top of the mountain, but Israel got a taste of God’s glory reflected in Moses’ face. Moses began to wear a veil, because his godlike appearance scared the Israelites. As we spend time in intimacy with God, we take on the qualities of God. Paul refers to this when he describes Christians “being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” Think about what happens when you put an iron poker into a fire. As the poker sits in the fire, it begins to glow and radiate heat. The poker doesn’t become the fire, but it takes on qualities of the fire. In the same way, as we press beyond the veil and come into intimate contact with God, we begin to take on the qualities of God. In other words, the image of God begins to shine in us. As we interact with God, we become who we were created to be.

For the next month and a half, we will be discussing the virtues. Yet, before we go into the specifics of the virtues, you need to understand what virtues are and why they are important. If you are like me, and you spend your recreational time drinking tea and reading Thomas Aquinas, you already know that virtues are habits that perfect the soul. For those few, who do not enjoy such pleasures, think of the examples of the iron poker that begins to glow in the fire, or Moses upon the mountaintop. Virtues are habits that direct us to God, and help develop us into Godly people.

Take courage, for example. Public service officials are rigorously trained to be courageous in the face of danger. Because of their discipline, the public officials of New York on September 11, are regarded as heroes for their courage to put themselves in harm’s way in order to help others. They did not love their lives so much as to cower in a time of crisis. Courage is a necessary habit in helping others, because it allows us to get beyond the fear of losing our lives. Christ exhibited courage in climbing upon the cross, experiencing death so that we might have life. As with all virtue, Christ is our shining example, and as we follow Him intimately, we hope to look more and more like Him.

Yet, before we can learn virtue, we must first be willing to let go of the veil that separates us from God. Just as we do not want others infringing upon our own private worlds, we treat God with the same suspicion and apprehension. In order to be free, we must let go of our fear, die to ourselves and stand naked before God. Christ has lifted the veil for those who follow Him, and we are made free to pursue God.

I believe that a generation is rising up that feels an apprehension with the way our world works. The Arcade Fire touches on this apprehension in their song Modern Man: “In my dream I was almost there, And you pulled me aside and said you're going nowhere, They say we are the chosen few, But we're wasted, And that's why we're still waiting, On a number from the modern man, Maybe when you're older you will understand, Why you don't feel right, Why you can't sleep at night now…” Am I wrong in thinking that many people out there feel this uneasiness at their place in the world? Its as though by our own strength, working within our own little boxes and forming our own rules, we continue waiting in line for something…never quite sure what it might be…and we never seem to get there. Years ago we surveyed people on campus with several questions on what they considered to be their greatest concern, and without fail, people regularly voiced their concern over their purpose in this world. If you sympathize with this uneasiness, have no fear. In Christ, we have immediate access to the God who created us, and who knows us better than we know ourselves. Christ has lifted the veil, and given us the freedom to become who we were always meant to be!

Introduction to God's Vision for Campus Crossroads

Aesop Rock is an underground rapper known for building complex verbal landscapes in his verses, often with several meanings to each word or phrase spoken. Unlike many of his peers in the industry, he is also known as a well-respected artist who also works a 9 to 5 job during the week. His job was the inspiration for a song called the 9 to 5’ers anthem, which speaks about the emptiness of working a job that only serves the ends of those seeking profit and success. To begin the second verse, Aesop declares that “It’s the year of the silkworm, everything I built burned yesterday…”. Imagine laboring as a silkworm, building something valuable, yet fleeting enough to disappear in an instant in the face of threat. In the same way, many labor their entire lives in vain, building empires of silk, only to lose them in the end.

If you can understand the meaning behind this message, then you are on your way to understanding God’s vision for Campus Crossroads. College is a time when people make decisions that inform the rest of their lives. Most students discover their natural talents while in college, and devote themselves to career paths, as well as intellectual and social pursuits. While standing in the middle of these pathways, one can become lost as to the meaning of it all. Often, the Church becomes secondary to these new interests for various reasons. For some, the Church becomes a mere social gathering, which does not offer actual life change, but rather, offers the opportunity to be with similar people who enjoy similar interests. For others, the Church transforms into an unnecessary institution that conforms people to antiquated rituals and beliefs, while inhibiting the pursuit of who they “really are”. In any case, the Church is viewed as unnecessary, and if anything, a place to go because one is a “Christian”. I want to offer an alternative view today, one that people associated with our church to any degree ought to know. At Crossroads, our mantra is to not go to church, but to be the Church.

What do we mean by this? For one thing, Church is not a place where Christians go. Church is a body of people, bonded by their love of Christ and striving together in discipleship under Christ. If Church were a place, then we could expect to enter a space, and for this space to provide everything essential to being a Christian. Imagine this scenario for a moment. If Church were simply a place…a location…then your life would be no different once you left its doors. Your faith would only exist during the hours you spent within those four walls. We simply do not agree with this view of Church. God moves every day of the week…every second of every day. God brings change to individuals and to communities that lasts into eternity. Otherwise, Church is no different than any other social gathering or group meeting that goes on in the world…gatherings which can be capable of doing some good, but eventually must be replaced by some other group or gathering. God offers more than this fleeting silk, which burns up in an instant…God offers the eternal.

Furthermore, if Church were a place, then we should expect God to move only within a building on Sunday mornings. God is too big for four walls…He spills out of these walls, through the hallways and walkways of the University…washing over the countryside, through cities, towns and suburbs…He is transcontinental, pouring over different countries and cultures. God is bigger than our University (as beloved as it might be), bigger than our nation, bigger than a race, or gender, or age group…God is bigger than we can imagine. Thus, it limits God too much to think of Church as a place where we gather.

In my experience at UNC, as well as at other universities, I find that people commonly view the Christian Church as an institution that offers moral development, much like other religions. Many people who offer this view also seem to find conventional institutions too stuffy for personal development, and would rather pursue self-exploration free from any outside influences. Ironically, I would argue that this freedom only exists in the Church, and I will explain why. I recently heard a lecture, where N.T. Wright explained his view on character development. Taking his cues from Aristotle, Wright points out that it takes no effort learn a vice…if one simply coasts along in life following their natural instincts, then they will begin to slip into bad habits. It takes something more to learn the good habits of virtue. We live in a culture that encourages “following your heart” and “finding yourself”, but, paradoxically, people who strike out on this journey are merely conforming to the rest of the world, as they all seek the same end. But Christ teaches us differently: that the only way to find one’s self is to give one’s life away. In this sense, the Church alone offers this freedom of self-discovery. Rather than some stuffy, unnecessary institution, we see Church as a subversive community which stands opposed to the world, offering freedom to any and all who turn to follow Christ.

In this way, God wants to affirm your interests and desires, so that you can use these gifts to participate in what He is doing. Some of you are artists…you see the world in a unique way, and have the knack for communicating this worldview so that others can likewise imagine the world differently. Some of you have the ability to take quantities of raw material, and organize it in such a way as to bring results where others (such as myself) would otherwise waste the opportunity. Some of you have gifts of healing others with your hands, your words or your heart. Some are in tune with God’s voice and plan more clearly than others, even if they do not realize it! Some are so motivated to do something, that they are growing restless this very moment to leave this room and help someone. God has preloaded each one of you with unique desires and gifts, but some never realize the application of these gifts because they become increasingly distracted as life goes on. For this reason, we emphasize ownership of our church by students, so that you can explore how to develop and apply these gifts. Ultimately, wherever and whenever you are, these skills will prove invaluable to you to be the Church at all times. Don’t spend your life shopping for churches…be the Church!

In his book, Confessions, Augustine prays the following prayer: “Late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you.” Augustine, who has had more influence on the Western church than anyone not named Jesus or Paul, reflects on the fact that it took him around 40 years to truly own his faith. Much of the Confessions reflects the sentiments in this prayer. Augustine has a desire within himself, but he cannot seem to fill it with in his pursuit of literature, drama, culture or philosophy. Ultimately, after immersing himself in a variety of diversions, he realizes that God has been with him all along. He mourns that he did not recognize God in these pursuits earlier…that he wasted so much of his life distracted from God. I want to challenge you this morning…do not waste your life. Statistically, spanning several differently surveys, somewhere between 60%-80% of college students stop attending church during college. Many people put off church until they start families, and even then, the reasons for attending church center on their children. Many people miss out on God because they see no need to be a part of church during the most formative years of their lives.

The good news is that God is calling you now…this instant. He is knocking at your door now, asking you to be the Church. You are never too young…never too unprepared…you have everything you need to begin a life of discipleship under Christ. Simply offer yourself to God, and begin building eternal things, which no man can destroy. I want to close with a passage of Scripture from the Message…listen to these words in Ephesians…hear them as a call to be the Church:

Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,

Climb out of your coffins;

Christ will show you the light!

So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.

[prayer] I encourage you to speak with us about how to follow this challenge. If you can, we’d love to speak with you a bit after we dismiss. Any one of our leadership would love to speak with you about how to get plugged into a ministry. If you need to leave, please leave us some information so that we can stay in touch and help you get involved with God’s work on this campus!

Contrition

How many here have struggled with sin, and/or are affected by someone dealing with sin? Sin is one of the most enduring problems we face as Christians. Personally, I struggle with the fact that Christians, including myself, continue to deal with sin, even after the powerful effects of baptism into the Kingdom of God. If any remember correctly, the last time we encountered the story of the two sons, we looked into the perspective of the older brother, who remained cold and aloof as his younger brother returned from the dregs of the world into the arms of his family. Today, I would like to look at the front end of the story, from the younger brother’s point of view. The younger brother's journey into the abyss provides a detailed description of the human encounter with sin, and can give us insight into beginning our own journey back from sin into the arms of our Father.

As I pointed out in my last sermon, the manner in which the younger son leaves his household reveals a drama worthy of daytime television. In ancient times, as it is also done in our time, inheritance was traditionally given upon the death of the father of the household. Thus, when the younger son asks his father for his share of the inheritance, he is consequently implying that he does not value his father’s life. The son declares his independence from his father’s counsel, and strikes out to find his own way in life. To an ancient Hebrew audience, this plot sets up the son to be a deserter and traitor of tradition…one who dishonors his namesake and takes the path of a fool. In Scripture, the fool cannot see past his own pride. He is blind to anyone other than himself, including God. Thus, he has no basis for moral choices other than to follow in the path that he deems best. I hope you can see the irony in this description…I imagine this scenario does not sound foreign to us…verily, it sounds like the plot to a movie made-over a thousand times in our culture. The younger son would be painted a hero in our stories…a strong-minded, independent soul who does not allow any other authority form his life beyond his own counsel. But scripture paints a much different picture of the son. Even the first steps of his journey are questionable.

And in this particular story, the fool’s choices lead him to a fool’s treasure. As the son squanders his money in “dissolute living”, he eventually runs out of funds. I find it important to note that running out of funds did not necessarily bring the son to a point of crisis. Notice that after the son runs out of money, a famine spreads throughout the land…and then the son recognizes his need. Would the son have recognized his need without the crisis of a famine? Do we not often put ourselves in the same situation? I know personally, I often need a slap in the face to recognize that I am entrenched in a pathological habit, simply because I lack the ability to judge my own life reasonably. Psalm 32 exhorts us: “Do not be like the horse or mule, which have no understanding, but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” God wants us to be able to judge our lives and make appropriate decisions. It seems that nowadays, when I call out to our oldest basset hound, Gatsby, to come down into the field to use the bathroom, he refuses with a glazed-over stare. I then proceed to pull him down into the field with the leash, because I refuse to stand around in 95-degree weather while my basset hound learns to obey my command. I am eternally grateful that God’s patience vastly exceeds my own. God does not want to coerce us constantly in order to bring us back to him. Yet, sometimes, a crisis is necessary to awaken us from our prideful slumber, and such happened to the younger son.

Sadly, sin is not only a spiritual condition, but is also carried on in the body. When we experience episodes of pleasure, a chemical called dopamine is released in our brains to register pleasure and record the event. After the initial release of dopamine, the part of our brain that reasons and assesses situations is impaired, and we are more likely to make irrational decisions. Our brain then associates the experience with the feelings of pleasure, encouraging us to seek out the same experience again, which subsequently reinforces the association until we form a bad habit or addiction. What God created to be good, we can distort and abuse on an intimate level. While the youngest son was experiencing pleasure, he was also forming bad habits in both his body and soul.

At his lowest point, we find the son feeding himself in the trough with the pigs. Most of us would find such behavior embarrassing, but the younger son is actually breaking Jewish Law by feeding with the pigs. Here, we see the son at his lowest point…not only is he isolating himself from the rest of the world through such detestable behavior, but he also tramples his relationship with God, breaking the law in order to survive. I’m certain that some find this reading unsympathetic and harsh…you would like to raise a question Les Miserablean question about stealing bread to feed your family…but you must take up such ethical quandaries with Jewish tradition. And even so, notice that the son does not simply feed his hunger, but that he “fills himself” with the pigs’ pods. The son cannot end his habit of excess. Even though he wallows with the pigs, he wallows in excess. Through a combination of pathological habit and intervening circumstance, the path of the fool leads the son to the fool’s abyss. Pride does not exist in the fool’s end…here, there is only honesty.

And thus, we hear that the young man came to his senses. Is this not a line of gospel? Oh, how each of us need this clarity in our lives. The young man found himself naked and vulnerable before himself, and before the living God. The irrationality clouding his mind dispersed, and he could clearly judge his situation. I am so thankful that God is persistent, and will struggle with us until we find this moment of reckoning with our selves. The young man’s situation became clear to him…if he would only humble himself and ask for help, then he wouldn’t have to die broken and alone in the world. Notice that he acknowledges both sin against his father, and sin against God. The young man realizes that he has sacrificed the most important relationships in his life to follow his own ideals. As an outsider to the story, it is easy to pity the young man, or possibly to judge him at a distance, but do we not deal with the same problems in our own lives? Do we not often sacrifice things in our lives to follow the path that we deem best? If only we held such a moment of transparency, we might consider a different path.

Yet, if honesty and uninhibited self-assessment were all that were require of the young man in his journey to repentance, then we could wrap up this story and go have lunch. However, something more is needed to recover from sin than psycho-analysis. After evaluating his situation, the young man takes a step of action and returns to his father to confess of his wrongdoing. The young man begins by being transparent before himself, and then moves to a position of transparency before someone that he trusts. You see, when open the shades and let light shine in the darkened corners of our souls, the darkness is obliterated. If we would open ourselves in confession to one another, then the darkness that we harbor within ourselves scatters and we can begin to heal the brokenness that we have let into our lives. I cannot begin to tell you where I would be without an accountability partner. I have found someone whom I trust, and I confide in him the mistakes I might have made during the week. Sin gains power from being hidden, but once we let others know of the sin in our lives, we are freed from sin’s hold on us. The young man did not stop at his moment of self-reckoning, but moved to confess his sin with a contrite heart of honesty.

As the young man confessed his sin, he also took action to begin to repair the bad habits which he had built on his sojourn into the world. The young man decides to become a servant in his father’s household. At first glance, this seems like a minor detail, but I believe that a prideful son would use his familial position to mooch off of his father. The young son takes a humble approach to reconciling with his father by entering the household in the lowest possible position. He comes home expecting to beg for food…he does not come home expecting a feast. The son is making restitution for his broken life by taking the appropriate steps. Although we are not saved by such actions, we ought to take such steps in our own lives to heal the brokenness done to us by sin. Maybe this means asking others for forgiveness of help. We might need to sacrifice certain things that we enjoy to renew ourselves. We might need to allot more time for God, or in service to other people in order to heal self-centeredness. None of these actions assure our salvation, but they might be a step in the road to recovery from sin.

As we end our journey to repentance with the younger son, I hope you are able to discern a general outline of how one can deal with sinful situations. We begin with sin, whether it be an evident problem, or one that requires a crisis to bring about realization. Then, we reach a moment of clarity when we must reckon where we stand in relation to sin and whether we wish to make a decision to action with honest motives. Next, we confess our sin to someone we trust in order to bring further transparency into the situation and weaken sin’s power over our lives. Finally, we act to heal the wounds left by our sin and to hopefully bring about lasting change in our lives. None of the journey to repentance is possible without the touch of God that brings about life. Yet, repentance also requires that we take an honest assessment of ourselves, and that we act in accordance with our motives. I want to offer a time for us to stand naked before God. Take this time to be honest to yourself, and to be honest to God.

Genesis 15: "Ordinary Time"

If you look on your weekly reading schedule, you will notice that we are entering a long journey to fall, void of holidays which some churches call “Ordinary Time.” Sounds exciting, eh? Fall and winter have days of expectation, looking towards Christmas, while spring has days of reflection and fasting leading up to our celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. But now, we enter back into the world of the ordinary…the world we have known during most of our lifetime. I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to get through “ordinary” times…I want something to strive towards. As we enter into ordinary time, we are presented with a story of expectation in the form of a promise. This promise brings hope in the midst of hopelessness, and in doing so, reveals Truth about God’s mission to save the world. This truth is what we need to cling to as we enter back into the world as we know it: the world of the ordinary.

In order to grasp what’s happening in this story, we must look back at Abram’s past. Abram is a man who abandons his home, his relatives and his inheritance in order to seek out a land that a foreign god has promised to him. Abram takes this god at his word, and sets out. Later on, Abram finds out that his wife, Sara, is unable to conceive a child. Thus, having abandoned his homeland, Abram must look to his nephew, Lot, to carry on his family name. Lot proves to be selfish and quarrelsome, and lo and behold, Lot and Abram decide to part ways. Are you beginning to see a theme? Even Abram arrives at the land promised to him…even as he conquers peoples and collects blessings and possessions…Abram has no one to carry on his legacy. If Abram were to die, then the story of his great trek across the world, and of all his victories…even the inheritance of a promised land…would vanish on the wind.

This story sets up Abram as a prophet of God, meaning that Abram is a point of contact between heaven and earth. The prophets most known to us tend to reveal God’s Word, although some reveal God to the world through certain actions. Here, procreation is Abram’s prophetic mission, carrying on God’s promise to fill a void world with life. The structure of the story follows other stories of prophetic call: Abram addresses God as “O Lord God”; Abram responds to God’s promise with a complication or concern; God responds with staggering reassurance. All of these details mirror other stories such as the calling of Gideon, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Abram belongs to a line of prophets, and God’s promise of procreation involves much more than simply providing an heir to the family empire. God wants to heal the earth through Abram…He wants to make a blessing out of a curse.

At the same time, Abram confronts one of the greatest perils facing humanity. We all face this conflict daily in our lives…this conflict is that: things change. When we take the time to learn about something…when we measure it, and study it, and reflect upon it…in time, we later find some new mystery that confounds our mind. When set out our plans…when we wait, and gather, and prepare…some new conflict arises to throw us off course. When we spend time getting to know someone…when we listen to them, and share with them, and invest in them…the situation changes, and we find ourselves having to adapt once again. The world is ever changing…the ancient philosopher Heraclitus once said that “you can never step into the same river twice”, because a river is constantly moving. Every time Abram found a secure foothold on this promise that God had made, the plan would change. New details would arise, and people would change their mind. Do we not face these problems daily in our lives? As this river of life keeps shifting…if everything we know and plan and invest in keeps moving and changing…how can we trust anything? How can we trust anyone?

And so, Abram responds to God’s promise with a borderline insult. Imagine the situation: Abram cannot have a son, so he chooses a nephew as his heir. This is not an ideal situation, but at least his acquired property and namesake will pass on into the future. Then, when Abram and Lot part ways, Abram can only imagine his inheritance passing on to his butler. This is somewhat of an embarrassment, and surely not what Abram imagined when God promised him so much at Abram’s calling. God has not promised a specific heir up to this point, so Abram has no idea what God has planned for him. Even Abram’s financial victories are lonely, as he cannot share his earnings with a child. All that Abram knows now is failure and abandonment, save for the persistent voice of this strange God who continually speaks.

However, without such hardship, Abram could not have mined the absolute depths of trust. Had he not abandoned his home…or if Sara’s womb had been fertile…or if his heir apparent had not abandoned him, Abram would not have felt his foundation shaken to its core. He would not have known how to trust, because he would have had no need to trust. It is this tension that we face as humans, the tension between brokenness and promise. Blaise Pascal describes the importance of this tension: “It is dangerous to show man too clearly how much alike he is to the beasts without showing him his greatness. It is also dangerous to show him too clearly his greatness without showing him his lowliness. It is still more dangerous to leave him in ignorance of both, but it is very advantageous to show him both.” The brokenness of humanity is hard for us to bear, but even in our depravity, God has found a way for this brokenness to bear His promise of salvation for the world…much in the same way that God still brings green growth from a cursed, famine-stricken land. The foundation of trust is a startling realization of our own need…that left to our own power, we are an abyss of nothingness.

And yet, God never fails us. When Paul interprets this passage, he reads verse 6 as crediting Abram with righteousness for his belief in God, and subsequently, the majority of Christians follow Paul’s reading of this passage. In talking with my friend Beef on this passage, he pointed me to an interpretation of verse 6, which reads something like, “the Lord reckoned it to Himself as righteousness.” Think about it for a second…that Abram places his full trust in God continually, he is passing judgment on God and saying, “You are righteous. You are worthy to be trusted.” Of course, God does not need this judgment…but Abram does. In trusting God, Abram begins to understand God’s identity on a personal level. Abram is not trusting in a promise…he is not focused on what he will gain out of this journey into foreign lands. Abram begins to trust God as a Person. He trusts the living God…and through this learning experience, Abram is becoming intimate with the Person of God. Living in covenant with God changes Abram…it changes the way he sees the world, and it changes the way he sees God.

Today, each one of us could stand up, walk out the front door of this building, and look out upon drought. We can each walk just down the road, knock on some doors and see famine. If we can strike up a conversation with several people on the corner of Weaver, or down Franklin, or at the intersection of 15-501 and Mt. Moriah at New Hope Commons…if you speak to enough people anywhere in this world…you can see brokenness. This is the world we live in…this is the ordinary. But when God looks into the ordinary, He sees promise. And if we spend enough time with Him…if we can reach a level of intimacy where we know Him, in the deep sense of that word, then we can see God in the ordinary. My friends, God is here. God is amongst us, and He is harvesting great promise from the driest plots of earth. He is giving Himself to fill empty stomachs the daily bread that He has promised. He is fixing the ruined beauty of His creation, just as He promised Noah as the baptismal waters of the Flood receded. God is everywhere in the land of the ordinary, because His promise to be with us endures at all times. He is with us, now and always, in special times, and ordinary. World without end. Amen.

Pentecost

As most of us know…today is the birthday of the Church. Every year on my birthday, my mom calls me at some point during the day. Like clockwork, Mom recites the time when I arrived in the world, and some of the details of that day…like who was there, what they were doing just before, or how people reacted. Even though she continues the tradition, my mom thinks that I don’t care to hear the story anymore…but she’s wrong. It is important for us to remember when we were born, because at this moment, our individual identity which had been brewing, hidden in the depths of mystery, burst forth into the world. As we celebrate the birthday of the Church today, let us remember its inception, and in doing so, remember who we are as Church.

Though most people nowadays associate Pentecost with the birth of the Christian Church, Pentecost was actually a Jewish holy day with its roots in the later chapters of Exodus. Pentecost is the greek name, stemming from the word “penta”, because it is celebrated 50 days after Passover. Pentecost was the 7^th Sabbath…which I like to think of as a “super-Sabbath”…and was celebrated because the harvest season lasted seven weeks. Farmers would offer their first-fruits in the temple, while telling the story of the Jewish exodus into the land which God had promised them. The festival was a passageway from the rescue of the Passover into their present identity as a nation. The land was central to Jewish identity, not only as a source of life, but also as evidence that God cared about their duration as a nation. Pentecost was a time for Jews to celebrate their national identity, and to connect the reality of salvation in the Passover with the reality of present existence.

The celebration of harvest brought Jews from different parts of the known world to Jerusalem. Thus, in Acts, we see people from many walks of life…different languages…different cultures…and we are reminded of a tower from the distant past, where the arrogance of men caused scattering and confusion. However, amongst the distance and confusion, God gathered men together in love to celebrate their common identity. When Jewish farmers presented their first-fruits in the Temple, they would offer two loaves made from their wheat. These two loaves represent the Jews and Gentiles…it should be obvious what these signs are pointing towards. From the earliest days of Jewish identity, God was forming the body of Christ in the womb of mystery. The baby was kicking as the different parts of the body assembled and purpose brewed within the people of Israel. God was there as the Church was being woven together in the depths, moving towards the Pentecost after the Passover of the Messiah. The birth of the Church was ordained before any of its days came into being.

And just as a child appears in the world as the perfect composite of body and soul, so too God’s Holy Spirit filled the Church body, forming it and setting its course for the future. You see, the soul forms the body…without form, the body is just a mass of flesh and blood and organs. For example, think about a house. Without its form, a house would be a pile of wood, glass, nails, shingles and insulation. Only when these things take their shape, only when they embrace their proper purpose and end…only when they are able to lived within…do they become a house. In the same way, God’s Spirit forms the Church, giving it shape from bonds of love, giving it a purpose and an end in Himself, and actually setting it into motion. So too, 50 days after Christ died on the cross and was resurrected, the Holy Spirit blew into the Church and gave it form.

This Church was born body and soul…human and divine…the body of Christ. Aren’t we pulled in these two directions…at times our humanity weighs us down, and we see the needs around us…that we live in a broken world in need of drastic change. Yet, God also pulls us towards Himself, drawing us in by His love, and reminding us that we are strangers in this world…that we are different from the rest. Did not Christ also feel this tension? Our Messiah was God Himself, bearing the substance of the Godhead, and filled to the brim with perfection. Our Christ was also fully human, capable of feeling the uttermost depths of our pain and suffering every evil known to our race. As Christ Himself was both human and divine, we too, as the body of Christ, bear the marks of the human and divine. True, we are a band of humans, replete with flaws and need. But we are also the presence of God in this world, as marked by His Holy Spirit, and filled as such, we carry God’s divinity with us. The Church is a special child…adopted…bearing birthmarks of both the human and divine.

We are an intricate, complex creature, held together by the glue of love. After years of kicking and screaming, Kelley and I have finally become sucked into the black hole that is the TV show Lost. Aside from the philosophical tirades of certain characters, I am most drawn into this show by the theme of the unity of the cast of characters. The show features 40-something characters whose plane has crashed upon an unknown island near Australia. As the show progresses, different plot twists and deficiencies in the setting force the characters to intrude upon each other for help. The strengths of some characters rescue other characters from their weaknesses. Some characters are forced to lead the group by making decisions…others lend their expertise…still others sacrifice their own well being to rescue other characters. Yet, each character has a story that shows the audience how this specific character has been prepared to help on the island in some way. We all have something to offer…each one of us. How often do you think in these terms? I guarantee that someone here needs something from you. They might not be brave enough to admit it…or they might not even see that they need something…but they do. Ask yourself, what are you offering? What grew in your field this year that you can offer up? This is what draws us together…that God has formed us, and holds us together in love. And we must love one another.

And the Holy Spirit not only gave form to the Church in the beginning, but it also is leading us towards an end in God. When God formed us, He had an exact idea what He intended for us to become. I have not experienced what I am about to describe, so seasoned parents…please stop me if I am showing my inexperience! I believe that when a child comes into the world, a parent is filled with expectation for what their child might become. They can teach their child, and sacrifice for the sake of the child’s wellbeing, but the child must eventually learn to develop herself to reach this end. God has set a path for us, but we must embrace this journey of discipleship if we are to reach the great ends set out for us by our Father. It starts with a step…the first notes of the greatest violinists in history probably sounded the same as your first notes would sound if you picked up a violin…horrible. But we all must start somewhere. Excellence takes practice. Troy often references the great athletes of our times when he talks about discipleship. He says that the greatest athletes are separated from their peers because of how much they are willing to trade to reach the high goals set before them. Our Father has great plans for us, but eventually we must embrace His goals with our entire existence. How much have you traded to follow Christ? What are you still holding onto…what is getting in your way from becoming what God planned for you in the depths? What is getting in the way of the Church?

As we look back to the birth of the Church today, I want to challenge you. Remember what God had in store when He unleashed His Holy Spirit upon the world. Remember what came into being when the Church experienced its birth. What was God planning all those years? What was He forming in the hidden place? We are about to sing some songs to prepare our hearts to share in the meal of Christ’ flesh and blood which He spilt for our rescue. As you do so, I pray that you would ask God to open your heart to embrace greatness. Embrace His expectations for you…remember all that He imagined for us at the day the Holy Spirit gave us form…how highly we can magnify Him with our existence. Remember our birth as a Church, and remember our greatness.

Sincerity

The book of James was once called a “book of straw” by Martin Luther, which is why I find it funny that it is included in a Lutheran lectionary. Luther didn’t like the book because it seemed to place emphasis on what we do instead of what we believe. Indeed, the book looks a lot like the book of Proverbs or Ecclesiastes, filled with tidbits of wisdom on how to live life. Most scholars believe this book was written in a Jewish Christian community because of the strong presence of the Jewish Torah in the book. I would like to humbly submit a complaint against Luther this morning. I believe that the Jewish community can offer us a great deal in the way of learning how to match our outsides with our insides…our actions with our beliefs…and this passage is a fine example for us to study. Our present age has a hard time coordinating between these two extremes: either we focus on doing “good”, without any sense of purpose, ultimate goals, or where we have come from, or we sit in an ivory tower and debate what we should think, believe, or commit to and never come down to actually do anything about it. James calls us to something we know as sincerity, where our inside matches our outside, and vice-versa. As our inside and outside begin to keep up with one another, we grow into a more complete picture of who God intends for us to become.

For someone who only focuses on works, James certainly drops some theology on his readers. God is the Father of lights, or the father of the starry host. In the ancient world, the movement of the stars was widely known information, as it was extremely useful for keeping track of time and direction. But the movement itself was interesting, because the stars seemed to change constantly, and yet they also followed a pattern. As Father of lights, God not only knows the pattern of the movement of the heavens, but He actually created that pattern. He set it into motion, and He sustains it at all times. God created and now maintains that underlying reason which dictates the patterns of the universe…what makes acorns grow into trees, and makes the sun and moon follow their paths in the sky. The reason that assembles certain vibrations into a sweet sounding harmony, and that which makes water freeze when it reaches 32 degrees Fahrenheit. God holds the reason that dictates the patterns of the universe…He is our center of balance and peace. If we are to achieve any fulfillment as human beings, it must come from God…the giver of all good gifts…the giver of all Good…our shalom.

Kelley and I watched Thor the other night, and, strange as it might seem coming from a movie with colorful tights, shiny armor and pointy hats, I heard a very poignant quote. At this point in the movie, Thor’s father lay in a coma, Thor had been banished and several plot twists had been revealed. Thor’s mother, Frigga, explains that, “Everything [Thor’s father, Odin] does has a purpose.” In other words, every action that he takes has a clear goal in mind. Think about how powerful our actions are when they are linked with a strong purpose. I remember when I began playing chess, I used to move pieces without giving any thought as to where they should go. I had no plan. One day, I realized if I refused to move a piece without having some sort of reason for moving it, I stood a greater chance of winning the game. The longer I played, I realized that the more moves I could plan ahead, the stronger each move became. Imagine how powerful our actions become when they are linked with that reason which instilled the purposes and goals of the universe! Why we do what we do is just as important as the actions themselves.

And so we are born of the word of God dwelling within us. As we read in John’s gospel, the Spirit works within us to reveal to us the things of God…things that would otherwise be hidden from us. It creates us, fulfills us and sustains us. And here, our actions come into full significance. We can have every intention of doing something the right way, but if we don’t actually do the right thing, then what has our intention accomplished? Paul says a similar thing in Romans, when he says that he knows what he wants to do, but doesn’t do it. Maturity in our spiritual walk involves progressing towards this sincerity…this quality of being genuine, where our actions and our intentions match one another…and this happens because of the word of God dwelling within us.

James gives us a great example of how our actions can hinder this development of sincerity within us. In fact, James’ example is one of the most deeply rooted problems that can hinder us from developing according to the word of God dwelling within us. When we become angry, we give our actions free reign to do what they want, regardless of how God is speaking to us within our soul. Our will runs rampant, to the detriment of God’s will, which can lead us to wholeness. We are quick to speak, and our abundance of words drowns out God’s word speaking to us. There is a disconnection between God working in us, and what we are actually doing ourselves. Thus, our sordidness suffocates the healing word of God within us, as weeds choke out a seed trying to germinate in the ground. Our outside and our inside become disconnected, and we are unable to grow into the fullness of what God has planned for us.

If this example does not resound with you, then I encourage you to search your lives to find the weeds choking out the seed that God has planted within you. I love the first verse of our assigned reading for today, which serves as a transitioning device: “Do not be deceived, my beloved.” Really, this says everything we need to know about this passage in Scripture. The greatest danger we face as Christians is deception…the feeling of comfort or satisfaction, as though we have arrived at our destination simply because we have tread the waters of baptism. My friends, do not be deceived, because apathy and comfort are lifelong companions, and we are living as disciples of Christ now. Disciples move…they learn, and grow. We must keep watch and pray that God would grow us in sincerity…that we might grow more deeply in touch with that word of God within us…that it might challenge us to the enormous ends that God can see in our future…that we would constantly be challenged to match our outside with our inside. You have to actively listen…you have to actively seek out those things that are holding you back from growing in God, because if you let weeds in, they will continue to grow until they have choked out any hope of new growth. Do not be deceived by your own ambitions and goals. Do not be deceived by your own comforts and rewards. Do not be deceived by what YOU think is right. Do not be quick to speak, but be quick to listen to God. I believe God has been speaking to many of us, and if we do not act upon it, we will miss the chance to grow into the people He wants us to be. If we are scared to take risks, or to leave the things that we take comfort in…if we keep on doing everything our way, then we might choke out God’s word deep within us.

The Arcade Fire has a song on their latest album that perfectly portrays a problem with our cultural landscape. They sing about the “modern kids” who like to use big words that they don’t understand, like Rococo. Ironically, Rococo is an 18^th century style of art which abandoned substance for lavishness. Rococo artists were more concerned with how impressively ornate they could make their art than with the art’s purpose…much in the same way that people nowadays would rather impress the world with their big words and ideas, their knowledge…their appearance…than actually deal with things of substance. To me, Rococo is the problem of insincerity in our world…that people are disconnected from substance. James saw this in his community…he saw that people weren’t connected with the word of God living within them. When we recognize this word within us, and this word acts upon us, our lives should bear the fruit of change.

(I then go into an altar call type situation, the text of which I have not included)