Messianic Example

We of the wisdom of God, of the Messiah, should accept the grace of God that instructs our whole being. Our whole life changed by his power. Isaiah said of the Messiah, “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens-- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.”

The palmist sings of the kind of suffering the messiah would endure as Jesus prophesies he will go through. With an example of whole being offered to God, how can we do less?

Of wisdom and tongue

Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice.
At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

"How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?

Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you;
I will make my words known to you.

Wisdom is abundant for those who will see it. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening. Their silent voices sing of God’s wisdom in creation. The revelation of God is spectacular for those who have eyes to see it.

The Psalmist says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” James says that the mouth is the last stronghold to yield to the wisdom of God. Such a small member but the one that can control it is perfect. Yet James tells us that doing just that is a matter of our worship.

“With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.”

Virtues of Rich and Poor

This week we have three proverbs offered to us about the rich and the poor.

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all.

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail.

Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor.

Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate;

for the LORD pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them.

The psalmist declares that it is he who trusts the Lord who abide forever unshakeable.

James warns us that we should not favor the rich, honoring them and cowing to them for their continued tithe, attendance and patronage. “Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?” How many a church treasurer has become the church dictator? How many a power-player leverages their bedraggled minister by threatening to withdraw? Isn’t it the respectable that more often show themselves least worthy of respect?

Instead of taking the respectable as favorites, James challenges us to favor the down-and-out. Not a very practical way to run a ministry, I know. Yet, James makes it a matter of faith. If we had a faith-full heart, it would bubble out with action. We would not say to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet not supply their bodily needs. No we would do… compelled by faith—compelled by heart, driven to act, meeting the needs. We don’t show partiality, meet the needs of the rich and poor a like.

Faith without works is dead. In verse 26 James says it again, “The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.”

God as doer

Over and against James do we see Jesus showing favoritism to the Chosen people over the Syro-Phoenician woman? Is it a matter of election? As the psalmist says, “The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.” God is in charge, he chooses.

But Jesus chooses to heal. The psalmist also says

“Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.”

And this Almighty God of the Election also told Isaiah,

“Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you." Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped…”

The voice of the Lord rolls down through prophesies of the ages declaring I will heal. The voice rolls off the tongue of the God’s own Anointed in response to the Woman, and flows in his saliva as he touches the tongue of the deaf man. His stopped up ears hear the voice. Ephphatha!

Love songs and full hearts

Moses says, “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees?” In one breath he is extolling the precious intimacy of God and in the next exhorting the people not to let the righteous decrees slip from tender hearts. Listen, watch, keep.

The Psalmist says those who may dwell in the bosom of God are those who live rightly. James gives his famous and much debated treatment of Faith and Works, this week calling us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. As Tozer says, Faith is the adoring gaze of a soul on her God.

Works of righteousness are then the overflow of a full heart. The Sons of Korah sing a wedding song for the king with sweet fragrance and beauty. Solomon sings of his lover’s full heart as he comes to her saying “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one and come with me.”

Jesus called his disciples to him, giving them a new way. “It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it’s what you vomit – that is the real pollution.”

What is our heart full of? Will it overflow with love, beauty and fragrance, or vomit lust, hypocrisy and hate?

The season

I'm thinking I will start with James and then Jump back to Mark. If I don't preach James now, I'll have to wait another three years, and I think the road to Jerusalem will make excellent material for stewardship. To better connect with the children, I am thinking of building a set on the stage representing the dusty road to Jerusalem and put places for puppets to come up too. I think I'll try to put all the visuals I'll use durring the series out as part of the set.

I think I'll concentrate on the Epistles for Advent, focusing on Paul's prayers for the churches as the await Christ's coming.

Click here to see a chart of themes.

Looking ahead

This week I find myself at a crossroads. The lectionary offers two lectio continua choices. I could do a five week series in James possibly followed up by a seven week series in Hebrews (probably my favorite NT book). Or I am offered a 12 week course back in Mark taking us to the end of the season, chapters 7-13.

This fall I want to cover themes of stewardship and also mobilize gift oriented ministry from the laity. I have a feeling one of these options will cover these themes nicely. The lectionary has yet to let me down. I'll have to do some reading ahead tomorrow.