The Other Six Days

I’m preaching from James 3:13-4:3 this Sunday. For James, wisdom is defined not as intellectual brilliance, but as doing good. True wisdom helps us to discern what is good. When we look at the things we do, we need to think about “Is this good for all? Or is this just good for me?” True wisdom produces humility. 

This emphasis on humility was unpopular in first century Greco-Roman culture, just as it is in 21st century North American culture. The contemporaries of James saw humility as a groveling. Epictetus, a Greek philosopher, put is first in a list of faults to be avoided. 

Can the humble succeed in life, or will people run over you if you are humble? Don’t we have to stand up for ourselves and fight for what we want?

False wisdom leads to fighting.  When you fight for what you want, you’ll get fighting everywhere—from the endless wars in the Middle East, to the infighting of corporate boardrooms, to the cruelties of the school playground.  “What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want… you covet…, you quarrel and fight….”

Thomas is often infamously remembered as “Doubting Thomas,”  but is this an accurate label?  Indeed Thomas refused to accept Christ’s resurrection without physical evidence, but how does that set him apart from the others mentioned in the Gospel accounts? 

Mary Magdalene thought that someone had stolen Jesus’ body before she encountered Jesus in person (John 20:2).  When she brought the news to the 11 disciples, they thought she was crazy (Luke 24:11).  Jesus rebuked all of the disciples — not just Thomas — “for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe” (Mark 16:13–14).  In what might have been Jesus’ last appearance before his ascension there were still “some who doubted” (Matthew 28:17).   Other than the single attention he gets in John 20:24-25, why label Thomas in such a way?

Thomas serves as a wonderful model of modern faith.  Instead, Christians hold him up as a negative example because of his initial doubts.  His doubts had a purpose—he wanted to know the truth. He expressed his doubts fully, but didn’t idolize them. When Jesus answered them, he gladly believed. When you struggle with doubt, take encouragement from Thomas—and from countless other followers of Christ who’ve battled their doubts, and found God’s answers.

Much is implied in the Christmas story that we can miss if we don’t dig deeper into the story. There are questions to be asked. For example:

The Christmas story starts with Emperor Augustus, who is adding to his wealth, calling for a census of his subjects for taxation purposes. What does this one sentence tell us about the people Jesus would be a part of, and the people who are in charge?

Mary and Joseph are making the trip to Bethlehem as part of the census. They likely aren’t traveling alone, but with people from their hometown.  Have they been shrouded in scandal: unmarried and pregnant? How does this complicate their social and religious acceptability? Could this have something to do with not finding any room in the inn?  

Joseph, being a righteous man, intended to do the “righteous thing” by dissolving the betrothal between Mary and himself. Would other people think the “righteous thing” to do would be to avoid association with Mary as well?

Jesus ends up being born in impoverished conditions. Someone has allowed them in, at least offering their stable. Was the family who let them in doing them a kindness? Can’t they show better hospitality?

Hopefully this motivates you to do some digging into the story.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. – Luke 1:52 (Mary’s Song)

Not completely.

Mary is pregnant, and she sings about it. Mary has been approached by an angel with the news that, while still a virgin, she will give birth to the Most High. Mary sees this as a world shaking event that has huge consequences: a world turned upside-down: the roles of power and wealth are reversed.  This is pretty bold speech: a peasant girl from a small town speaking truth about the Roman Empire. Mary was already at risk of being condemned by her faith community for being pregnant outside of marriage: now she speaks words that could get someone arrested. 

Preachers go too far when they claim that the Bible or the Gospel endorses one partisan point of view. I doubt that Mary’s song is a manifesto on how nations and economies should be built.  Mary’s vision of a world turned upside down was not literally fulfilled in her lifetime. So how do we find relevance in her song? 

Embrace a Gospel that challenges modern assumptions about what and who matters. For Mary, wealth and power are transitory. It’s people that matter, particularly those who are poor and on the margins of society. People like Mary. 

I’ve read this passage so many times, but as with all of Scripture it feels like I’ve just scratched the surface. The book of Psalms is a collection, an anthology, a hymnal, a book of songs. This time I thought of Psalm 23 as a photograph album, full of pictures of places in a land of spiritual experience. It’s a record of an actual journey, which serves as our travel guide,

This travel guide doesn’t give you a detailed description of places. Sure, you can dig for information that helps you better understand the geography and the shepherd’s vocation. This is valuable, but a good travel guide invites you to imagine, and to explore on your own.

The Psalm 23 travel guide awakens all of of our senses. We can touch the soft green pasture and the refreshing still waters. We can taste the food at the banquet table . We can hear the call of the shepherd. We can imagine what’s it like to be there.

Read the Psalm 23 travel guide with confidence, knowing it was written by someone who has been there.

In his book, Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer describes functional atheists as people who claim they believe in God but function in their lives as atheists. “It’s the godless belief that the ultimate responsibility for everything rests with us.”

We may talk of our trust and faith in God, but we may doubt God will show up in time and wonder if we need to be the ones to make things happen. This results in a Christian witness and lifestyle that lacks spiritual integrity on a core level.

Functional atheism is not a new phenomenon. Sarah felt she had to take over for God and secure her lineage by giving Hagar to Abraham. Moses struck the rock instead of following God’s direction for securing water. Martha tried to inform Jesus on how he should handle Mary.

Functional Atheism is glaring in Jacob throughout his entire life (Genesis 25:19–34:27). God has promised him blessing and prosperity, but he insists on attaining it. He uses deception and manipulation for the desired outcomes in Esau and Laban. This struggle against God reaches its climax at the Jabbok River, where he wrestles with what might have been God himself. The fight seems to end in a stalemate, until Jacob still insists on control. He demands a blessing, but gets a dislocated hip instead.

Followers of Jesus and the churches that they form want big things and face huge challenges, but in reality have limited control over them. God is in control of it all. We are in control of ourselves. We control our responses to crises, conflicts and temptations. We decide whether or not to fulfill the vows made at our baptisms. We choose to place our lives in useful submission to God.

The truth is is, there is only one that can be God and it isn’t us.

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14). 

It’s a handy phrase to have in a difficult conversation about a difficult situation. I can’t do anything about this problem, so I’ve placed it in higher hands. Who can object to that?  It depends on what we need to let go. There is wisdom that belongs to God alone. Miraculous works that only God can perform. Evil that only God can defeat. Acknowledge those situations and leave them in higher hands.

The story of Israel’s Red Sea crossing is a great example of letting go and letting God. Moses sees the superior army, the sea barrier and the fear of the people. He also sees God who overcomes these.

Let go and let God implies that we are attached to things we need to let go: Possessions we don’t need or shouldn’t have. Frustration from not being in control. Fear that paralyzes us from taking a bold step of faith. Anxiety that disrupts our peace. Anger that obstructs our love. We can choose to allow these to hang on to us. Or we can release them, and create space for God to do His work.