+It may surprise you to know that as a child I was terribly shy, had school phobia and was basically afraid of my own shadow. It was a tough way to grow up and although you may not believe it, anxiety remains something I live with day in and day out. The difference is, I have developed coping strategies, which help me manage the symptoms. One of those strategies is learning what the lay of the land is before I embark on something new. As a young professional looking for work, I would drive to the site of an interview the day before so I could scope out the route, look at the parking lot and get a sense of how long it would take me to get to the interview and how to get into the building etc.
When I was traveling to Israel earlier this year I poured over the website of the places we would be visiting, to get an idea of what it would be like. I don’t like surprises; I like to know what I’m getting into. It’s one of the reasons I like rules so much. I may not follow them all the time, but I like to know what the rules are before plunging in. Knowing what the expectations are—knowing what is acceptable and what is not---is a coping strategy I utilize to manage my chronic anxiety. It works and my life got a lot easier once I figured this out.
That’s what rules, expectations, guidelines do for us…. they help us to manage our behavior so that nothing gets out of hand. My checking out the lay of the land before I go to an unfamiliar place is a functional coping mechanism but, if I needed to go to the place sixteen times before feeling comfortable then this coping mechanism would go from functional to dysfunctional. It’s a matter of degrees.
So when the Pharisees in today’s Gospel get upset over the cleanliness practices of the disciples they are putting the cart of guidelines ahead of the horse of living. As Jesus says, if what comes out of your mouths is vile, than what goes into it doesn’t really matter. If your “coping mechanism” your “rule” your “guidelines” get in the way of being a compassionate, loving, responsible, caring person, then really what is the point?
Which brings us to our reading from the Epistle of James. A very short book, and one many people think should never have made it into the Bible in the first place, the excerpt from today is brilliant: “22 Obey God’s message! Don’t fool yourselves by just listening to it.” James is really onto something here---don’t just spew commandment after commandment, rule after rule, rather allow these guidelines to lead you into living a good, a Godly life.
According to James all we do that is good---the big stuff like helping the poor and the needy, standing up against injustice and caring for our environment, to the small stuff like holding the door open for someone-- comes from God.
Think about this: when you’re driving to work or to school and wave a car into the lane ahead of you; when you help a classmate or a co-worker with a problem, when you lend your Wegman’s or Tops card to the person in front of you in line; when you thoughtfully choose the candidate to vote for based on what they say they will do for the needy of our community---every single good thing you do comes directly from God, directly from, as James’ puts it: above.
We are all as I’ve said before, INSTRUMENTS of God’s Love, of God’s Grace, of God’s Goodness. All of us. In all we do. All the time. Wherever we find ourselves— work, school, volunteering, recreating, socializing, God is at work, through us.
In all we do, God is there, USING us to further God’s purpose: to bring the entire world --all 7 billion of us-- within God’s Loving and enduring embrace. This is James’ message. Specifically he tells us behaviors to avoid: not listening, being quick to lose our temper and lavishing in sordidness and behaviors to embrace, to cultivate:
-- be quick to listen, slow to speak, and eager to care for those most vulnerable.
The good news about James’ message is this---all of these things are within our reach. What parent doesn't want to be slower to anger with his or her children? What friend doesn't want to be a better listener? Aren't all of us in a position to offer help and support to those in need? James encourages us not just to think the faith, but to do it.”(David Lose) To allow the cart of guidelines to help, not hinder the horse of faithful living.
James is reminding us that our faith isn’t something to be exercised once a week on Sunday, within these walls but is, instead, something to be lived 24/7.
Which makes this such a good reading for Labor Day weekend. Because of faith is at work in all we do, including our labor. As theologian David Lose states: Sunday is not the pinnacle of the Christian week, it’s intended to serve and support our Christian lives the rest of the week–Monday through Saturday. On Sundays we’re refreshed and renewed through the Word of God, the Food of God, the forgiveness of God and the Fellowship of God. Then, once refreshed and renewed, we’re called, commissioned, and sent back into the world to work with God for the health of the people God has put all around us.” (David Lose)
God gives us work to do, tasks both large and small, so our Labor Day message, our everyday message is this: go out into the world, seeking and serving God in all whom we encounter. We must Labor On, doing this work that is divinely inspired, God Driven and Holy. For only then will we hear our Creator sing, “Faithful servants, well done.” (“Come Labor On, Hymnal 1982)+
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