Are you adaptable?

 Charles Darwin, of evolutionary fame,

            did not coin the phrase, “the survival of the fittest.”

Rather, he argued, it is those species that can adapt and change that survive.

 

We, of the human species, try to figure things out.

We look for meaning that we can understand, 

that we can accept.

We are selective in what we accept,

            what fits our view of life, our world view,

but that can work against us.

For in this current time of multiple environmental crises,

            adaption can mean the difference between life and death.

 

Today’s Gospel reading is a continuation from last Sunday.

 

Jesus was not the Messiah the people of his time and place and culture 

had believed would come.

He didn’t fit this meaning frame of reference. 

Instead he said,

            “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, 

and they will kill him, 

and three days after being killed, he will rise again.”

 

This was the message no one wanted to hear; it was too hard to take in.

“They did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.”

 

So instead the disciples are hanging onto the idea of Messiah they wanted,

                                    what they thought they needed,

            and they vie each other

about who among them was the greatest of the disciples, 

who would get the places of importance and honor

                                                next to the Messiah as they expected him to be.

But Jesus said,

            “Whoever wants to be first [among you] must be last of all

            and servant of all.”

 

The disciples were going to have to change their whole way of looking at Jesus 

            and change their whole set of expectations

                        not only about him but about themselves.

And so must we.

 

Why are we here?  at church            as self proclaimed followers of Jesus

Is it for ourselves first?

            to assure ourselves of being in God’s favor?

The Gospel for today says no.

It is for others.

            Not first, but last and as servant to everyone else.

Yes, that is what Jesus said.

 

For us as a faith community, a congregation of the faithful,

            when there are newcomers, it’s for them that we are here.

When there aren’t any newcomers that day, it is for each other.

 

Lose yourself in terms of what you hope to get here, 

and turn your attention to your brother or sister across the aisle from you, 

and you will find yourself, 

you will receive more than you would have anticipated.

 

Now with that in mind,

            let us turn to the week’s reading from James, 

                        as we make our way through 

                                    this hard hitting and tell it like it is Epistle.

 

James 3:13

“Who is wise and understanding among you?  Show by your good life 

that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.”

 

This week’s selection zeroes in on what is wrong 

            with a lot of what we see going on in the world at the moment:                                                the violence of war, the conflicts and disputes

greed and ambition in the corporate business world 

                        and among nations

the envy, coveting, and craving,

all that in the face of grave natural disasters 

                                                of the environment and pandemic.

This is not only on the global scale,

            but, even more so, close to home;

                        in fact, within our own hearts is where most of this takes place.

 

James writes:

“…if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts,

            do not be … false to the truth.”

 

Whatever is going on out there on the macro level,

            we can be sure that it is a reflection of what is going on

                        in here on the micro level.

That’s where it all starts.

 

Again quoting James:

“Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? 

Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 

You want something and do not have it; [so you are murderous.] 

And you covet something and cannot obtain it; 

            so you engage in disputes and conflicts. 

You do not have, because you do not ask. 

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly,

            [in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.]”

 

That is our human situation spelled out very clearly.

 

So James gives out the free advice:

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. 

Resist the devil [resist evil], and it will flee from you. 

Draw near to God, and [God] will draw near to you. 

 

Beautiful words, true words.

But how do we really follow through with them?

How do we actually do what James is telling us?

 

We could look at this as an exhortation to a program of moral behavior

            so that we could somehow purify ourselves.

Purify ourselves…

            But that doesn’t sound very grace filled to me,

            smacks of “works righteousness” – work it out on your own strength.

 

Or maybe this is an invitation into a spiritual process,

            a spiritual process of openness of heart to the Spirit working in us

            bringing to ever greater fulfillment the work of salvation within us.

 

“Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you.”

This is a spiritual process of openness of heart,

            through, say for instance, prayer, 

                                                and what has been said about meditation.

 

Meditation is a way to submit ourselves to God

            a way of drawing near to God, 

                        and discovering God drawing near to you

                        by simply sitting in the presence of God doing nothing,

            a way toward purifying the heart

                        and moving from being double minded

                                    to being unified and integrated as a whole being

                                                                        in union with God.

 

Prayer is a way to submit yourself to God,

            for that spiritual process of inner refinement and healing and cleansing

 

“Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you.”

 

                        so that the wisdom from above might dwell in us,

                        that Wisdom who is Jesus himself, the Word of God,

            so that the fruits of that wisdom may be fully evident:

                                    peace, gentleness, willingness to yield, 

                                    full of mercy, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy,

                                    a harvest of righteousness sown in peace.

 

Practice compassion for one another 

until this becomes the characteristic that best describes 

both you yourself individually and as a parish family

Practice here so that you can be that way everywhere else too.

 

From one of the verses in James skipped over in the Epistle reading

            James 4:4

“Friendship with the world is enmity with God” 

Friendship with the world is enmity with God 

because the world mind set 

            makes distinctions, and therefore separates and divides – 

people, groups, positions held, even belief systems 

– making for exclusivity and exclusion.

This is at enmity with God 

because in God we live and move and have our being.  

All, we come to see, is in union in God. 

On the level of creation everything belongs, nothing is left out.

This is a truth that endures, that does not pass away.

 

Now remember this however:

            Being of one mind does not equal all thinking the same thing!

Being of one mind in the diverse expression of creation 

is evident in the flow of life.  

Is the flow of life experienced as rough and frustrating, 

or as easy and naturally flowing?

 

Verse 36 Then Jesus took a little child and put it among them

            and told the disciples to welcome such little ones.

 

The child who is the example of the least of them, the weakest, the last,

            not the leader, not the greatest – but the most adaptable - 

is the one whom to welcome, is to welcome Jesus himself, the servant of all.

This is a test.

This last week ALL the readings for today screamed at me, saying, “Preach me!”

 

But don’t worry – I won’t inflict a 10 point half hour long sermon on you,

            IF you will agree to do some scripture reflection of your own

                                                in this next week.

 

First, all I’m going to say about the Isaiah lesson 

            is that I pray that I could be like the Prophet Isaiah

                        to have the tongue of a teacher.

I think that my usual intent for my sermons is teaching

            with a strong desire to make the teaching relevant.

So I am going to do my best with that this morning,

            but you have to make the application, each of you for yourself.  Okay?

 

The Gospel:  Jesus said, “Who do you say that I am?”

 

This is a test.

 

This will come up if you are going to be in the discipleship school

            of this great spiritual teacher, Jesus.

 

He asks this question of the 12 in order to check out their discipleship,

            and then, according to how they answered, 

            to give them specific teaching

                        that will be crucial to their discipleship,

and not only theirs, but ours also,

            that is, if we really want to be identified as his disciples.

This discipleship stuff takes up a lot of the Gospels,

            so it really behooves us to give some effort to understanding

                                                the discipleship program that Jesus is cranking out.

 

How do the disciples do with the test question?            

 

They report first that others are into some reincarnation ideas about Jesus,

            about him being Elijah or John the Baptist come back again,

            or that Jesus ranks right up there with the prophets.

 

But as for themselves, the disciples, Peter seems to be speaking for them

            in laying the claim on Jesus that he is the Messiah.

 

And Jesus sternly ordered them, 

            or we could translate it a bit more closely:

                        Jesus strictly set them straight 

                                                that they weren’t supposed to talk about it.

That’s a perfectly legitimate translation, 

                        “that they weren’t supposed to talk about it,”

            rather than the translation 

                        that they weren’t supposed to tell about him, and here’s why.

 

What he then teaches is something different about who he is 

            than the Messiah.

He teaches that he is going to suffer, 

            to be rejected by the religious establishment and leaders, 

            be killed and then rise again.

 

You see, the idea about the Messiah was that this would be the person

            who would have the endorsement of the religious institution,

            and who would free the people from political oppression

                        just like Moses leading the Children of Israel

                        out of slavery in Egypt to freedom.

This Messiah would free the nation from the oppressor Rome

            and would then establish Jerusalem as the capitol for the nation 

                        from which they would now rule the world 

                                                                                                instead of the Romans.

            The Romans would now be subjugated to their rule.

And this Messiah would live forever.

 

That was the common take at that time 

            on what the ancient Prophets had said about a Messiah.

 

But Jesus is not talking about overcoming the oppressors,

            not referring to this huge national issue at all,

and instead he is talking about facing what must seem like utter failure – 

                                                                        getting executed.

Peter can’t take this.

He’s still hanging onto his idea of Jesus as political Messiah.

So Peter tries to set him straight, not a smart move on his part.

Don’t mess with the Teacher.

That will just set you up for getting used as an example for the rest

            about how you haven’t gotten point of the lesson.

 

Sure enough, Jesus looks around at the disciples

            and here the Greek word for see means 

                        Jesus looked at their condition at that moment

                        and saw deeply into them

                        and could see where they were at in their thoughts.

So Peter gets used as an example for the rest of the disciples.

 

“Get behind me, Satan!,” Jesus says, 

“For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

 

Jesus calls Peter Satan, a name that means liar.

He says that Peter is advocating a lie,

and it’s a lie because he is not thinking about things as God does,

            but is thinking out of his own head, his own limited perspective.

 

That’s always the truth.

What we see of truth, of reality, is from a personal perspective 

            colored by our individual experiences and history

            a perspective which is limited. 

 

In fact,

            how can we then presume to say fully who Jesus is?

What we do say is limited.

            What we know is a limited slice of the whole.

                        What we understand is a constriction of the whole of reality.

 

The reality was that Jesus was indeed headed for execution

            for an incredibly important reason.

This was the way he could save the world

                                    and not just his own people,

            and he would do that through Resurrection, not insurrection. 

 

And then Jesus continues teaching his students, his disciples;

            the Teacher gives out homework.

 

“If you are going to follow me,

            you are going to need to take up your own cross,

                                                            your own means of execution.

Let go of your life as you have known it and fashioned, and nurtured it.

            Die to that in order to live in a whole new way.

 

Now here is a good example of homework meant to help us die to self:

            the Epistle lesson for today from James.

Listen to this and read this lesson with a good modicum of introspection.

 

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, 

            for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” 

-- Oh, preaching to myself here. --

“For all of us make many mistakes. … “  

 

The examples of the bit in the horse’s mouth and the rudder of a ship

            are given as apt illustrations of the power of the tongue,

of the words we say and how we say them and what effect they can have.

 

“So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

            How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 

            And the tongue is a fire. 

 

“The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; 

            it stains the whole body, 

            sets on fire the cycle of nature, 

            and is itself set on fire by hell. …

 

“… no one can tame the tongue-- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 

            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.”

 

Reflect on these words.

            How much of this applies to you – and to me?

            Take it to heart.

            Think how important this message is to us as a parish family,

                                                as a community of faith.

            Do we need repentance?

            Is there a mess that you or I need to clean up, 

                                    apologize for, see reconciliation for?

We can turn things around.

            And in doing so we are practicing dying to self.

 

You may want to pull out this page from the bulletin and take it home with you.

 

And you may want to do the same with the Psalm for today, Psalm 116.

            Here’s the Gospel good news for today:

                        a hymn about God’s saving intervention in your life

                        that fits quite aptly with the way the world is at this present time,

            a hymn to encourage our faith 

                        when it may be lagging or we are feeling overwhelmed.

 

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *…

2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I came to grief and sorrow.

3 Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: *…

4 Gracious is the Lord and righteous; *
our God is full of compassion. …

I was brought very low, and he helped me. …

the Lord has treated [me] well.

7 For you have rescued my life from death, *
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.

8 I will walk in the presence of the Lord *
in the land of the living.

Amen. 

James Rant

 Sometimes when a person preaches directly what the scriptures are saying,

            you can get into trouble,

because there is no way to avoid the political implications.

 

If the ancient scriptures the Christian Church has been reading for 2,000 years

            have a message for today

                       as much as it did for the times in which it was written,

            there is no avoiding political implications,

because history tends to repeat itself

            since humans have a way of forgetting the past 

                                    and disregarding the wisdom of the our ancestors.

 

I am going to start with the Gospel for today

            in which two healings take place.

First you are going to have to remember what the Gospel reading was

                                                for last week.

 

The Pharisees asked a question that was critical of Jesus’ disciples, 

            - remember? they didn’t wash their hands before eating! - 

and Jesus came back at them forcefully and directly

regarding the orientation of the question around traditional rituals

            that had been elevated in practice over the heart of the Law

                        that is focused first and foremost in relationship.

He said,

            “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God 

            in order to keep your tradition!”

 

After all, the first and great commandment is to love God, 

and the second, like it, is to love your neighbor.

            The Law, the Torah, the Commandments are first and foremost

            concerned with relationship.

 

It is not the observance of laws about what we eat, 

                        what we take into ourselves, 

but what is produced in our own hearts that we then speak, 

                        what we put out there 

that shows us up.  

 

Now the rest of the story:

 

Jesus leaves the country; he goes to Tyre on the Mediterranean seacoast first,

            then back to the Sea of Galilee, but to the Roman area of the Decapolis,

                        places outside his own religion, non-Jewish.

So let’s note what is special about each of the two healings 

                        that take place in Gentile territory.

 

First the Syrophoenician woman (unclean to observant Pharasees)

            asks for healing for her daughter afflicted with an unclean spirit.

Remember from last week that Jesus said :

            it’s not keeping kosher so that you don’t eat unclean things that is the issue,

                        not what goes into the body,

            but rather what comes out of the heart, the core of our being.

And what comes out of Jesus is healing compassion.

 

And notice that the interchange between Jesus and the woman is like 

            a lived out parable for the sake of the disciples with him.

Jesus says, “it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

            Well, honestly, the woman and the disciples would understand this

                        as so typical of the attitude of the Jewish establishment 

            that they were superior to their pagan neighbors.

But notice this:

            the woman knows something about Jesus and what he has to offer

and apparently just being around him 

            encourages her spiritual discernment that healing is flowing out of him,

                                                ABUNDANTLY

because she responds in a way 

            that seems to say that she gets what Jesus is about.

By using the example of children eating at the table,

            there is no need to take their food to throw to the dogs.

The dogs are being fed already with what the children drop from the table.

                                    (Doesn’t anyone with kids and dogs know this?)

The power of Jesus was obviously falling off the table.

Healing is overflowing out of Jesus, enough to go around and even more.

 

So Jesus in the Decapolis region heals a person that was brought to him,

            and I can’t help but notice that Jesus models how to pastorally minister

                        to someone who is deaf and therefore can’t speak.

            His actions, one might say, are intimate sign language 

                        for the man to understand what was happening to him.

 

Lesson: Jesus is no “respecter of persons,” does not discriminate.

            These people are not unclean to him

            or beneath his compassion, love and mercy.

 

Now, James – 

            “My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism

            really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?”

If you favor the rich over the poor,

            you must not believe Jesus, you must be ignorant of him,

                                    you aren’t really a bona fide disciple of him.

 

Do we not see the very thing that is discussed in this Epistle reading

            played out around us today?

If a well known billionaire were to walk into Nativity on a Sunday morning,

            I can easily imagine how this rich person would be welcomed

                        and deferred to.

Now Nativity has a very good practice of offering hospitality 

            to those who come on Tuesday mornings and Saturday evenings.

What if these guests were to start coming on a Sunday morning?

            Would we accommodate them into our parish family as readily

            as those who could possibly become big donors and tithing members?

 

I want to think you folks could do that

            contrary to the way the rest of the world regards them.

 

The disenfranchised, the poor are not valued in the places of power.

They are expendable; they are the losers.

 

The rules favor those who can pay their way,

            and the rules are made by those who have been able to do well

                        and who therefore think that everyone else could do as well

                                    if they just applied themselves more,

            blind to the fact that there is no level playing field to start from.

 

James again: “Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.  

Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith 

                        and to be heirs of the kingdom … ?

But you have dishonored the poor.

Is it not the rich who oppress you?  Is it not they who drag you into court?”

 

Well, folks, if it’s a billionaire 

                        or the owners of a large, prosperous pharmaceutical company, 

            the laws seem to bend toward them

                        whether with tax advantages 

                        or the ability to retain personal wealth 

            in the face of so many lives left deeply harmed or destroyed.

 

James, the epistle writer, 

            follows the great tradition of the Old Testament prophets

                        in pointing out God’s preferential regard for 

                                    the disenfranchised, the poor, the expendables,

James echos the reading from the Prophet Isaiah this morning,

            who says to those very same disenfranchised, poor, expendables souls,

“Be strong, do not fear!

Here is your God.

He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense.”

            Vengeance – not revenge as we might think of it,

            but vindication and setting right was is wrong.

Vindication for the disenfranchised, the poor, the expendables, the losers.

 

Looking at what is up globally for the human species at this very moment,

            with demonstrated climate change

            and a pandemic that keeps mutating and staying virulent, 

our lives and well being just may depend on the poor and expendables,

            for until all global-ly have the vaccinations,

                        none of us are safe from the impact of this virus.

 

So how can we here respond in a helpful way 

            to all this doom and gloom I have been laying out before us.

To quote James again:

            “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.”

The law of liberty

            that is, the release from the hopeless striving to be perfect in observing all the commandments of God out of our own efforts,

            and the discovery of law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,

                        which sets us free from the law of sin and death.

Read all about it in Romans, chapter 8.

 

To quote James again:

            “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.

For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy;

mercy triumphs over judgment.”

            “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

 

Mercy – a beautiful word – God’s compassion, care and love 

            flowing abundantly towards us

            whether we deserve it or not, whether we know our need for it or not.

Mercy,

what flows out of the heart of Jesus, and is pure and powerful.

 

This is the Heart out of which flows the Word in creation,

            the radiance of God, the First Light.

 

This flowing from the Heart of Jesus is the flow of Life itself,

            which to be in is to be healed, that is, to be in wholeness, in salvation.