Sermon for July 16th, 2017 - Revision history

Iraneal at 05:24, 16 July 2017

2017-07-16T05:24:54Z

Iraneal at 02:57, 16 July 2017

2017-07-16T02:57:12Z

Iraneal at 02:54, 16 July 2017

2017-07-16T02:54:10Z

Iraneal at 02:41, 16 July 2017

2017-07-16T02:41:01Z

Iraneal at 02:15, 16 July 2017

2017-07-16T02:15:58Z

Iraneal at 00:18, 16 July 2017

2017-07-16T00:18:26Z

Iraneal at 23:44, 15 July 2017

2017-07-15T23:44:30Z

Iraneal at 22:23, 15 July 2017

2017-07-15T22:23:35Z

Iraneal at 17:32, 14 July 2017

2017-07-14T17:32:34Z

Iraneal at 16:49, 14 July 2017

2017-07-14T16:49:03Z

@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 So to recap the message of James:
--In adversity, in challenges, in trials and temptations...be patient, and if you can, be joyful.
+#In adversity, in challenges, in trials and temptations...be patient, and if you can, be joyful.
--All truly good things come from above...and are meant to be shared.
+I want to close with a story, an old parable that I think brings together all of these things in a way that is, perhaps, easier to remember.
--Ultimately, you will be known NOT for the things you say, and not even for the things you believe...but for the things you actually DO.
+A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:57, 16 July 2017
Line 97:		Line 97:
	-All truly good things come from above...and are meant to be shared.		-All truly good things come from above...and are meant to be shared.

−	-Ultimately, you will be known for ~~what you DO, not what~~ you say, and not for ~~what~~ you believe.	+	-Ultimately, you will be known NOT for the things you say, and not even for the things you believe...but for the things you actually DO.

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 Over and over again, James warns his audience to put these things in the right order.  Verse 19: "Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger."  Verse 22: "Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves."
-Words, beliefs, and actions are particularly important when it comes to religion.  Again, consider the context in which James writes:  On one side of him are the Jewish Pharisees, the traditional religious leaders in Jerusalem who teach that observing the correct rituals and following the right rules is the essence of religion.  If you think that notion died out with the Pharisees, guess again.  How many people in our world today think that religion means showing up for an hour on Sunday morning, singing the correct songs in the correct style with the correct instruments, standing up or sitting down at the correct time, saying the right words at the right time, and being a basically good person, following the laws of the land, paying your taxes, mowing your yard, and stopping at traffic lights?
+Words, beliefs, and actions are particularly important when it comes to religion.  Again, consider the context in which James writes:  On one side of him are the Jewish Pharisees, the traditional religious leaders in Jerusalem who teach that observing the correct rituals and following the right rules is the essence of religion.
-On the other side of James is Paul, and the growing influence of non-Jewish Christians, who say that believing the right things is the essence of religion.  Once again, this school of thought is alive and well today:  How many Christians in our world today think that religion means going to the right church, saying the "magic words" to accept Jesus into your heart, believing the right interpretation of the Bible, believing all the right doctrines and teachings and condemning all the wrong ones and anyone who doesn't believe what you believe (which of course, is what God believes!)?
+If you think that notion died out with the Pharisees, guess again.  How many people in our world today think that religion means showing up for an hour on Sunday morning, singing the correct songs in the correct style with the correct instruments, standing up or sitting down at the correct time, saying the right words at the right time, and being a basically good person, following the laws of the land, paying your taxes, mowing your yard, and stopping at traffic lights?
-And then there is James, who says practice whatever rituals you want, believe what you want, but "religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
+On the other side of James is Paul, and the growing influence of non-Jewish Christians, who say that believing the right things is the essence of religion.  Once again, this school of thought is alive and well today:
-Or to put it another way, you can follow all the rules, you can believe all the right things, but if you aren't taking care of the people who need it most, if instead you're chasing all the things the world values most, that's not religion.  That's just deceiving yourself.
+How many Christians in our world today think that religion means going to the right church, saying the "magic words" to accept Jesus into your heart, believing the right interpretation of the Bible, believing all the right doctrines and teachings and condemning all the wrong ones and anyone who doesn't believe what you believe (which of course, is what God believes!)?
+-Ultimately, you will be known for what you DO, not what you say, and not for what you believe.
-−
-−
-. PATIENCE IN ADVERSITY
-−
-. GOOD THINGS COME FROM ABOVE (generosity, wisdom, wealth) for the purpose of blessing others
-−
-. HEARING, SPEAKING, DOING (as opposed to being deceived)

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:41, 16 July 2017
Line 79:		Line 79:
	Over and over again, James warns his audience to put these things in the right order. Verse 19: "Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger." Verse 22: "Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves."		Over and over again, James warns his audience to put these things in the right order. Verse 19: "Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger." Verse 22: "Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves."

−	Words, beliefs, and actions are particularly important when it comes to religion	+	Words, beliefs, and actions are particularly important when it comes to religion. Again, consider the context in which James writes: On one side of him are the Jewish Pharisees, the traditional religious leaders in Jerusalem who teach that observing the correct rituals and following the right rules is the essence of religion. If you think that notion died out with the Pharisees, guess again. How many people in our world today think that religion means showing up for an hour on Sunday morning, singing the correct songs in the correct style with the correct instruments, standing up or sitting down at the correct time, saying the right words at the right time, and being a basically good person, following the laws of the land, paying your taxes, mowing your yard, and stopping at traffic lights?
		+
		+	On the other side of James is Paul, and the growing influence of non-Jewish Christians, who say that believing the right things is the essence of religion. Once again, this school of thought is alive and well today: How many Christians in our world today think that religion means going to the right church, saying the "magic words" to accept Jesus into your heart, believing the right interpretation of the Bible, believing all the right doctrines and teachings and condemning all the wrong ones and anyone who doesn't believe what you believe (which of course, is what God believes!)?
		+
		+	And then there is James, who says practice whatever rituals you want, believe what you want, but "religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
		+
		+	Or to put it another way, you can follow all the rules, you can believe all the right things, but if you aren't taking care of the people who need it most, if instead you're chasing all the things the world values most, that's not religion. That's just deceiving yourself.
		+
		+
		+

@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 I mean no disrespect to Paul--death, resurrection, and salvation were his signature emphasis, and they have greatly shaped Christianity.  But right there among all the volumes of Paul's writings stands this one, small letter, the letter from James, the brother of Jesus, who knew Jesus longer, better, and more completely than anyone else who set pen to paper.
-And what fascinates me most about this short book (and convinces me that it is indeed written by the brother of Jesus) is how much it tracks with the core teachings of Jesus in the gospels, embodying them without ever actually referring to them or quoting them.  In fact, there are some scholars who believe that the letter of James represents the oldest, earliest written teachings in the New Testament--predating even the gospels by several decades, and perhaps even influencing them.
+What fascinates me most about this short book (and convinces me that it is indeed written by the brother of Jesus) is how much it tracks with the core teachings of Jesus in the gospels, embodying them without ever actually referring to them or quoting them.  In fact, there are some scholars who believe that the letter of James represents the oldest, earliest written teachings in the New Testament--predating even the gospels by several decades, and perhaps even influencing them.
-So.  If you really want to understand who this Jesus person was, before all the hype, before all the doctrines and dogmas that evolve in any movement; if you really want to understand what "Christianity" looked like in its earliest, simplest form...this brief letter (just five chapters which we will read in their entirety) from one who knew Jesus well, is a great place to start.
+So if you really want to understand who this Jesus person was, before all the hype, before all the doctrines and dogmas that evolve in any movement; if you really want to understand what "Christianity" looked like in its earliest, simplest form...this brief letter (just five chapters which we will read in their entirety) from one who knew Jesus well, is a great place to start.
 I have often thought that if (God forbid) anything ever happened to me--if I were to die, and my children someday wanted to know who their father was, what he was like, what he believed, how he might have changed through the years--the best place for them to start would be to get to know my two brothers, Jeff and Joe.
-In the same way, I've often thought that James, writing this letter late in his life, almost gives us a picture of what Jesus would have been like had he lived to the ripe old age of 60 or 70, gaining wisdom and maturity from the experience, putting his teachings into practice in the life of a community.
+In the same way, I've often thought that James, writing this letter late in his life, after three decades of putting the teachings of his brother into practice in the life of a community, almost gives us a picture of what Jesus would have been like had he lived to the ripe old age of 60 or 70.  It is a picture of profound wisdom, spiritual maturity, and unfailing love.
-. CONTEXT
+For some Jews, the solution to the Roman occupation was violent rebellion. For some followers of Jesus (like Paul) the solution to opposition from Jewish leadership was to leave Jerusalem and preach elsewhere.  And for some early Christians (again like Paul) the solution to economic hardship was to seek out wealthy, Greek patrons.
--growing church in jerusalem
--instability in jerusalem
--James gives us an idea of what Jesus might have been like at the age of 60.
-. GOOD THINGS COME FROM ABOVE (generosity, wisdom, prosperity) for the purpose of blessing others
+In other words, be patient.  Be cheerful.  Play the long game, because the Lord has promised the crown of life to all who love him.
 . HEARING, SPEAKING, DOING (as opposed to being deceived)

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 Longstanding tradition holds that he is the author of the Epistle that bears his name, which we are studying for the next five weeks. Unlike the letters of Paul, James' letter is not addressed to a particular church or situation, but instead is addressed to the "twelve tribes in the dispersion" -- or in other words, to all of the children of Israel who are out there dispersed in the Roman Empire.
-  What fascinates me most about this short book is how much it tracks with the core teachings of Jesus in the gospels, without ever actually quoting or
+I mentioned the letters of Paul, which actually dominate most of the New Testament, and which have shaped the core theology of Christianity (especially Protestant theology) since the 2nd century.  But as important as Paul the Apostle is, I find there is something really important missing from his letters and his theology:  The life and teachings of Jesus.
 . CONTEXT

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 James is the first one mentioned in that list, indicating that he's probably the oldest among those named, and therefore the closest brother in age to Jesus (Mary and Joseph's firstborn son).
-I imagine that if anyone in the world truly knew Jesus better than any other, watched him and followed him from the time they were children together to the very end, it was his brother, James.   We know from many different sources that after the death of Jesus, James became the undisputed leader of the Christians in Jerusalem, where he was known as "James the Just."
+I imagine that if anyone in the world truly knew Jesus better than any other, watched him and followed him from the time they were children together to the very end, it was his brother, James.   We know from many different sources that after the death of Jesus, James became the undisputed leader of the earliest followers of Jesus in Jerusalem, where he was known as "James the Just."
-He was so much loved and revered that when he was killed in __AD,
+After three decades of his leadership, he became such a beloved and revered figure in Jerusalem that when he was finally killed by the religious authorities, the entire city rose up in revolt, causing the Romans to intervene and ultimately leading to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
 Longstanding tradition holds that he is the author of
 . CONTEXT

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:23, 15 July 2017
Line 19:		Line 19:

	==James 1: Wisdom from Above==		==James 1: Wisdom from Above==
		+	It was the first day of school, and the teacher was asking the new student about his family:
		+	"What does your father do for a living, young man?"
		+	"He's a magician, Ma'am."
		+	"That's very interesting! And what about your mother?"
		+	"She's my father's assistant."
		+	"A family act, I see! And what's their favorite magic trick?"
		+	"They saw people in half."
		+	"Oh my! And do you have any siblings?"
		+	"Yes Ma'am. Two half-brothers and one half-sister."
		+
		+	There's an episode in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, where Jesus comes to preach in his hometown, and people ask each other "Who does this guy think he is? Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother called Mary? Are not his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us?"
		+
		+	The point of the story is the famous line that a prophet gets no respect in his own hometown, but what we also learn from the story is the interesting fact that Jesus came from a pretty big family. I'm not sure if you were keeping count, but that's four brothers, at least two sisters plus Jesus himself, so all in all Mary and Joseph had seven children, possibly more. Big family.
		+
		+	James is the first one mentioned in that list, indicating that he's probably the oldest among those named, and therefore the closest brother in age to Jesus (Mary and Joseph's firstborn son).
		+
		+	I imagine that if anyone in the world truly knew Jesus better than any other, watched him and followed him from the time they were children together to the very end, it was his brother, James. We know from many different sources that after the death of Jesus, James became the undisputed leader of the Christians in Jerusalem, where he was known as "James the Just."
		+
		+	He was so much loved and revered that when he was killed in __AD,
		+	Longstanding tradition holds that he is the author of

	1. CONTEXT		1. CONTEXT

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 ==James 1: Wisdom from Above==
-Faith and Wisdom 2-8
-Poverty and Riches 9-11
+. CONTEXT
-Trial and Temptation 12-18
+-growing church in jerusalem
-Hearing and Doing the Word 19-27
+-instability in jerusalem

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
-My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
+My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
-If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 6 But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; 7, 8 for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
+If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 6But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; 7, 8for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
-Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, 10 and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.
+Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, 10and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. 11For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.
-Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. 14 But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15 then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved.
+Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. 14But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. 16Do not be deceived, my beloved.
-Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
+Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
-You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
+You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
-But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
+But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
 ==James 1: Wisdom from Above==