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 18th 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.
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