THE IMPLANTED WORD September 2, 2012 James 1:17-27 Adam D. Gorman, The Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York

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1 THE IMPLANTED WORD September 2, 2012 James 1:17-27 Adam D. Gorman, The Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York Loving God, grant us your eyes to see, Lend us your ears to hear, Give me your words to say, Bless our hearts with your heart so we may love others, bind us with your compassion so that we may heal others, fill us with your Holy Spirit. Lord, help us to not just hear what you are telling us; rather motivate us to actually do what you are telling us to do. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. A few weeks ago when I preached the sermon entitled Who Are You Calling Imitators?, Len Carrell delivered the children s message for us. In that message he brought up the fact that the text for that Sunday was in essence a rulebook that we needed in order to remind us of how we are supposed to act. Len compared it to the rules a child is taught on the first day of school and then he reflected that we ourselves as adults need constant reminders of how we are to act, too. Today s lesson is similar to that message. In the text that Thomas just read for us, James begins with an explanation of where all generous acts of giving come from. He reminds us that gifts are not generated by us but rather from God. All gifts that are given or received first begin from above. It is not right for us to give a gift to someone and to then tell ourselves look at the good I have done, because, in actuality, that gift is from God. It is important for us to recognize that that gift was first a gift from God to us, and then a gift from God to that person. It was a gift meant for all of us. This is true of a present but even more so of the other kind of gift; the kind of gift that is for someone who is in need, like lending an ear or a hand, like a food donation, or a monetary donation to a shelter or other good cause. As we think of these righteous gifts, I would like you to use your imagination for a minute. I love the imagery that James uses here. In particular, the title that he uses - 1 -

2 for God, the Father of lights. Maybe when we feel compelled to give a gift to someone in need we can imagine that gift coming down from the Father of lights. We can picture the stars, or the sun, or better yet, we can purposefully picture sunrays in the sky coming down through the clouds. This can help us to remember that God was the original creator of that gift, and that because of God, and through God, we are now blessed to be passing that gift on to someone else. James is clearly reminding us of God s abundant generosity. God has created the earth and all that is in it as a gift. That gift is not just for us but is for everyone. We are not called to hoard that gift, but rather share it. We are a gifted and blessed church. Many of us who are here today are what the secular world would call very blessed in regards to our material wealth. But I don t think that is what James is getting at here. This is not another sermon about us being the haves and others being the have-nots ; rather I believe James is talking about something a little different. An article I found online, and for the life of me could not find a second time to reference it appropriately, said: It isn t a sharing of haves with have-nots. Every good and perfect gift, every last one of them comes from God and God s gifts are poured out lavishly on all of us. We are rarely needy people. We are more often gifted people who haven t yet seen the possibilities in all of the giftedness in us and in the people around us. We are quick to speak and sometimes quick to anger about our perceived needs. We may be slower to listen about the generous gifts we have or have at hand. So, who, where we are, embodies being quick to listen for what God is already providing abundantly in our midst, and helping others recognize and be blessed by it? Well, we here at Brick Church are gifted abundantly. You see, here at Brick we have committees upon committees of amazingly talented and gifted people. We have everything from Trustees to Youth Committee members, Session members to Christian education committees, Deacons to the Women s Association, Personnel to Worship Committee members. We also have ushers and Elders, greeters and scripture readers, musicians and bakers, as well as people who pray for us honestly, the list is endless. And then on top of all those utilized gifts, we have - 2 -

3 members and non-members who come here and listen for God s voice in their lives. And then they go out into the world and use their God-given talents and gifts to help bless and improve this impoverished world in many other ways. In Scripture, these gifts and talents have been called fruits of the Spirit. That is what James is reminding us. He tells us that we have been born from the word of truth so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. That We must rid [ourselves] of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save [our] souls. What beautiful imagery of birth, planting, formation, and growth he uses here. We have been born from the Word of truth; we are Christians, born from the Word, which is Jesus and the Holy Scriptures. That Word is already in us and we need to welcome that word with humility. We are to get rid of any kind of rank growth, to get rid of the weeds that hinder the Word from growing inside of us. We need to rid ourselves of that which is bad, unpleasant or evil growing in us so that the good of the Word can grow more fervently in us. Because, as James says, that Word has the power to save our souls, as well as many other souls. God s word is implanted within us, it is engrafted in us, but many times we deceive the word. We deceive the word when we hear it and do not listen to it. We cannot just hear the word and be done with it; rather we need to be doers of the word. It is so easy in today s society to go to church on Sunday morning and then feel that we have done something good and that God will bless us for it. But that is not the case here. This is a call to action. Yes, many of us come to church on Sunday morning and hear the word. We hear scripture read and we hear sermons. Many times they are full of powerful and moving words but do we then actually move? Do the words just move us during the time we listen to them or do they move us into action? This can also be said for our daily devotions. Do we wake up and read scripture to feel better ourselves or do we listen to what it is telling us to do that day and then do it? These are tough questions but they are questions this text is telling us to ask ourselves. Literally telling us to take a good hard look in the mirror and change - 3 -

4 who we are. James is telling us to hear and do and that by doing we will then be blessed in the doing. He posits another tough question here; he forces us to ask, how do we as a congregation experience and express true religion that is pure and undefiled in our lives away from church? Well, tomorrow is Labor Day and is a good opportunity for us to reflect on ways that we can bring true religion with us into our schools, our jobs, the community and our homes. Here at Brick Church we do a pretty good job of ensuring that the weak and vulnerable are connected and protected. But if we do more than just hear the Word, and we actually listen to it inside of our bones, then we will find many more ways to do these same kinds of things outside of the church. I have one example that hopefully we can all take with us this Labor Day weekend. When I was growing up, my dad was an extremely hard worker. He had to spend many hours away from home, so sometimes he or my mom would take me to his office. When we were there he would always introduce me to everyone. As a child I remember that he treated the janitors with the same respect and honor he would the CEO, maybe even more so. My dad knew their stories, he knew about their families, their hardships and their blessings. He listened to them, he was slow to speak, and did not get angry when he could have been doing what his company would have titled more important things. Sometimes it is difficult to take time out for others because we are so focused on the tasks we have to do. And then we get frustrated listening to another person because it is eating into our task time. People. Others. Listening to them. That should be more important than tasks. This, of course, is easier said than done and that is why we need to work at it. This is the kind of thing James was talking about when he tells us to keep ourselves unstained by the world. He is not telling us to completely separate ourselves from everyone else like monks, rather he is telling us to not allow the world to dictate how we treat others. The janitor should not be treated like the lowly one on the totem pole, they should not be pushed to the side or ignored; instead they should be treated with the same respect and care as the CEO, the teacher, the principal or the minister. In the same way, all those who are marginalized, those who are poor, or widowed or orphaned, should be treated with - 4 -

5 respect and care. The world typically pushes these people to the side just as they did in Jesus time. They are treated more like they are a burden than a person. They are sometimes treated as though they have no value in our society. Just think how often people grumble in this city when a lame or elderly person is walking slowly in front of them. As an alternative to grumbling, we ought to stop and see if we can help that person instead. It s only a couple of minutes out of our day. Is what we are doing or where we are going really that much more important than helping a less fortunate person, a person who could really use your help? James is telling us to be counter-cultural and to be advocates for those who are vulnerable and voiceless. To listen to them and to give them a voice or lend them a hand when they are in need. For many people it is difficult to visit the sick, the sad, or the downtrodden, let alone go anywhere near a hospital. But I say do it, get your hands dirty in the metaphorical sense. Till the soil of the word that is implanted in you. Get dirty for Jesus by actually doing something. The word has been implanted in you and engrafted in your bones. Are you going to listen to it and do something, or are you going to let it be choked out by weeds? As you begin the new school year, or head back to work after a day off, let the implanted word spread. Do something. Be different. Be counter-cultural. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen! - 5 -

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