Mark 7:31-37, James 1:17-27 Panzer Liturgical Service
Martin Luther, church theologian of 16th century Germany
interpreted one of the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. The split of the
Catholic Church in the 1500s came partially as a result of Luther's increasing
dissatisfaction with how the Catholic Church dealt with sin. The selling of indulgences or pardons to
people in their congregations, for themselves and their already departed loved
ones, had become common practice. Giving
money or service to the church would supposedly lessen the time that they had
to spend in purgatory, a kind of holding place where people paid for their sins
before they got to heaven. Luther hated
what he saw the church doing, stressing what people could do to gain salvation
rather than God's grace as salvation.
He was a Catholic priest, but when he could take it no longer, he tacked
on the front door of his church in Wittenburg his "95 Thesis," his
understandings and interpretations of God, Christ, Church, Sin, Grace, Faith,
etc. And at least part of the Protestant
Reformation was born.
In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus runs into a similar
problem. Some of the Pharisees have been following Jesus and his disciples
around, and they take this opportunity to police their behavior in regards to
Jewish purity laws. They were accused of not following the letter of the law –
yes, they wash the dishes properly, but not everyone was good at washing their
hands before they ate. The argument wasn’t “Hey, wash your hands so you don’t
get sick.” From this reading, we can’t be sure if this was an honest inquiry or
not. At this point in the relationship, we haven’t seen a lot of animosity
between Jesus and the leaders of the Temple. But the question here seems to be
– why are you ignoring the rules that are an important part of our tradition?
Jesus’ response is equally adversarial… he calls them
hypocrites. He calls them out for their worship of the rules and traditions
that have been passed down through the generations rather than the intent of
God’s commandments, which are grounded in the love of God and neighbor. We
forget, or maybe we never knew, that Torah was a gift to humanity so that
people could get close to God, but eventually, people began to worship the law
rather than God. Jesus does not dismiss their concerns, he redirects them. He
intensifies the demands of the law by reminding them of its framework for
helping people live out inward, deep obedience to God. Jesus warns the crowd
not to fixated on the externals of religion but to focus on the internals. Are
we authentically representing the gospel with our lives, not just our words?
From now on in Mark’s gospel, Jesus’ arguments with the Pharisees will be about these kinds of things… Jesus is preaching and teaching about a kind of faith that unites beliefs, actions, and the transformation of the human heart in ways that allow the Holy Spirit to work within us. This Spirit work enables us to internalize the faith so that what we say we believe about God and Jesus it is reflected in the ways we act, but also in the ways they are active in our hearts. Our faith is three-fold in nature – held in tension together - heads, hearts, and hands.
Today’s lesson from James echoes Jesus’ point. We are
called to be “doers of the word.” Now, it’s a well-known fact that our friend
and scholar Martin Luther was not a fan of the book of James. He didn’t go so
far as to lobby to have it removed from the canon, but he didn’t think we
should spend much time with it… too much works-righteousness for his tastes.
The book of James is not written to any community in
particular but is instead a collection of helpful teachings and reminders about
how being a follower of Jesus is different living any other way. It comes close
to being a New Testament version of Wisdom literature, much like Proverbs and
Ecclesiastes. When I read the book of James, it helps me in my understanding of
the Christian faith and what it means to be the church.
Living our faith authentically means remembering who God
is and who God calls us to be. In verse
17, James begins by saying, "Every gift comes from above." This is who God is, loving provider, constant
companion... at our lowest moments and the times when we experience the most
joy. God is with us and provides for us, whether we feel close to him in our
joy or far away in our despair.
In verse, 18, he reminds us that we are God’s creation, born
in truth and love. And in that light, we are called to bear that same truth and
love to the world. How do we do that? In
verses 19-21, James reminds us to "Be quick to listen, slow to anger slow
to speak”, setting aside anger and wickedness, and ends his directions with
this direction “be doers of the word" in verse 22.
It looks like people building housing for other people,
or sitting with the new kid at lunch or on the bus.
It looks like farmers and volunteers gleaning a second
harvest from a field of tomatoes or potatoes, or an orchard of apples so that
those who live with food insecurity can have more than canned foods on their
table as often as possible.
It looks like Emergency Response Teams from all over the
US sitting on standby, waiting for Hurricane Ida to pass through Louisiana and
Mississippi to help people start rebuilding their lives, or volunteer
firefighters or paramedics who answer a call day or night.
It looks like people who wear masks even though they are
vaccinated to protect others who aren’t and folks who go through their closets
to collect clothing and blankets and coats for refugees who leave home with
nothing, and have little expectation of ever seeing their homeland again.
It looks like communities all over the world donating
baby items and craft supplies and holding furniture drives to fill donated
apartments to welcome these same refugees to their new homes.
It looks like making casseroles for a sick friend, or
taking a friend to the doctor, or playing with your neighbor’s kids so that she
or he can make a quick trip to the store or take a shower, all alone.
It turns out that everything we do fits the bill if it
is done in love.
And putting ourselves out there – using our gifts –
discovering new gifts – pushing our boundaries and sometimes even coloring
outside the lines – these things will not only help us grow in faith but change
our lives in ways we never imagined before.
Before I went to seminary, I went to Salkehatchie. It
was a youth mission camp sponsored by our Annual Conference. Youth and adults
went into rural communities and repaired houses for a week. In 2019, there were
36 camps set up all over SC, with over 3000 volunteer workers. It’s a big part
of who I am today. It’s why I drive a truck – because you can’t fit a sheet of
plywood into the trunk of a 69 Cutlass. Most families appreciated that we had
been there. It wasn’t just that their roof didn’t leak anymore, but that people
came and said, “I care.”
But
there was an even deeper benefit. Salkehatchie’s ministry says to its
volunteers, "You count. You make a difference." And once youth and
adults have begun to live that way for a week, they want to keep on doing it. They
go back to their churches saying, "I met Christ there. I saw him at work.
I felt him in my heart. He's real to me in a way I never knew before." I
think that’s what we all desire from our relationship with God and Jesus… we
want to matter and make a difference, however, we can.
People
who claim the name of Jesus are called to be doers of the word.... to be
intentional in their witness, to learn to count on one another, to learn that
they are returning a portion of God's love to the world. As we start a new year
of ministry together, let us each be willing to use our gifts so that we can
grow together in faith, and work together to make God’s Word, Jesus Christ,
real in the world. Never forget that the Word is within you waiting to come
forth in abundant love, mercy, and grace. And it is lived out in everything we
do.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Peace, Deb
(c) Deb Luther Teagan, August 2021
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