Sermon 15th November 2015

Today, one of our Lay Readers, Adrian Parkhouse, continues our study of the book of James. The reading is from James 5 verses 1-12. 

Money and Trust

“Be patient then, my friends, until the Lord comes.[GNB] /  Be patient then , brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming [NIV]”  James 5:7

1.     ‘Yes, all his horses and all his men,’ Humpty Dumpty went on. ‘They’d pick me up again in a minute, they would! However, this conversation is going on a little too fast: let’s go back to the last remark but one.’ ‘I’m afraid I can’t quite remember it,’ Alice said very politely. ‘In that case we may start afresh,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘and it’s my turn to choose a subject –’ …  ‘So here’s a question for you. How old did you say you were?’ Alice made a short calculation, and said, ‘Seven y   ears and six months.’

‘Wrong!’ Humpty Dumpty exclaimed triumphantly. ‘You never said a word like it.’ ‘I thought you meant “How old are you?”’ Alice explained. ‘If I’d meant that, I’d have said it,’ said Humpty Dumpty. Alice didn’t want to begin another argument, so she said nothing. ‘Seven years and six months!’ Humpty Dumpty repeated thoughtfully. ‘An uncomfortable sort of age. Now if you’d asked my advice, I’d have said, “Leave off at seven” – but it’s too late now.’ ‘I never ask advice about growing,’ Alice said indignantly. ‘Too proud?’ the other inquired.

2.     Until Friday evening I was really struggling to find my way into today’s passage.  Whether I have done so yet, is for you to judge!  But why the problem?  I think in part it was the fact that the passage is really 3 passages - almost 3 separate sermons-worth.  An early idea was that I preach from within a sandwich-board that carried the themes of the two main section:  “The wages of sin …!” one side would have declared, reflecting the first sections declamations against risks of wealth;  while the other board would have taken up the theme of the second section and announced in bold letters:  “The Lord’s coming in near!”.  The plan faltered on two bases:  how to deal with the third sermon – the teaching against oaths?  And the absence of any large white-goods purchase, providing sufficient cardboard.

More worrying was the thought of preaching 3 sermons.  How to understand and then communicate these three chunks of life-teaching in a coherent manner - and then doesn’t this problem anyway reflect the whole problem with James’ letter:  isn’t it a series of unconnected lessons, theme-less (save perhaps by a loose mirroring of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount)?  Actually and while we are at it, it didn’t help that I did not want to study James anyway;  and that you lot have all reported that you have found the practical teaching really helpful!

3.     Then on Friday I realised the way in:  today is my birthday.  Another year.  It came to me watching an episode of Simon Shama’s “Face of Britain”.  Among the portraits he looked at were photographs taken by Charles Dodgson (who we know better as “Lewis Carroll”) of first the little girl, Alice, and then Alice as an 18 year-old .  Quoting the passage from Through the Looking-Glass quoted earlier, Shama suggested that the photographs were part of Dodgson’s attempts to capture forever the innocence and simplicity of childhood:  to prevent in Humpty Dumpty’s world, 7 becoming 7½:  or perhaps in Peter Pan’s, ever growing up.

4.     I have a lot of time for Peter Pan and Charles Dodgson.  Do you feel “grown up”?  I don’t.  Oddly this week contained two pre-birthday shocks that drove that very point home:  one child asking me to review their pension documents and another to look at photos of their allotment!  Surely not?

Growing-up;  maturing:  that’s the way in.  Not just to today’s passage but perhaps to James’ letter as a whole.

5.     If you flick back to chapter 1 (Gill’s sermon in the late-summer), in the scene-setter vv2-5 you will see (J B Phillips trans.):

 When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realise that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become [people] of mature character with the right sort of independence.

“People of mature character”:  maturing as believers was a concern for other NT writers - for Paul and for the writer of the letter to the Hebrew churches.  Paul speaks sternly to the Corinthian church (1 Cor 3:1ff), lamenting that the jealousy and squabbling among them (echoes of James?) meant he could feed them only “milk” as they not yet ready for the “meat” of his teaching.  And the same analogy is repeated in Hebrews (5) – when the writer also describes those who should be teachers, as still needing to be taught the ABC of their faith.  They cannot discriminate between good and bad for themselves and so are not ready for any understanding beyond repentance, forgiveness , the life to come and judgment.

6.     For James maturity follows from the way we treat life-experience and his letter could almost be read as a 1^st-century magazine quiz of “How mature is your faith?”.  And the questions he poses fall into the various sections we have studied over the last two months:

·       When you hear the Word of God, do you:           

A         just listen; or

B          look in the mirror of yourself but then forget what you saw; or

C          put it into practice? 

            [You know the right answer because Cameron told you.]

·       When you gather for worship, do you:

A         make a special fuss of those who fit your personal and cultural norm;  or

B          let those who are used that sort of job, do the menial stuff;  or

C          do you welcome all equally?  

            [You know the right answer because Ben told you.]

            And we could on week by week and then see what are respective As and Bs and Cs were and so how we rate on James’ “mature faith” scale:  the next scenarios would how our faith generates our actions;  then how it influences our self-control; and then lastly, the section that Adjoa started last week and really carries through into this week, which poses the question as whether our faith influences how we cope with living with the worldliness around us;  do we own the world’s values, do we criticise others, do we boast?  And then (at last!) to our passage today which opens with some observations on wealth and then teaches about the place of faithful patience (or “perseverance”).  It closes with advice on the giving of oaths (on which I will say nothing save to invite you to read Jesus similar words in the Sermon on the Mount – Matt 5:53).

7.     The section on wealth is not really aimed at the church – but contains comments aimed generally at the wealthy.  James has already spoken to the rich people in the church (see 1:10 – be glad to see your spiritual poverty and know that your ways will fall into decay;  and 2: 7 – isn’t it the rich who are bossy ones?).  That said, those of us who are rich and in the church may still hear what James has to say. 

I could don my imaginary sandwich board at this point and bang the lectern emphasising the wickedness of wealth.  Or the word s could as easily be read quietly and sadly – as statements of truth:  wealth is transitory;  wealth exploits;  it takes from those who have least;  wealth and injustice will have their own reward.

These words might almost set up a contrast with the next section:  here, my sandwich board declaring that “the Lord is coming soon” would just provide a backdrop:  James’ point is that mature faith produces patience waiting for the precious/valuable crop.  The faithful are long-term farmers, not short term looters.  And more than that, the faithful show “perseverance”, or “patient endurance”. 

8.     Possibly further revealing my immaturity, I confess that I have never really thought about perseverance or its place in our faith.  As the alternative translation (“patient endurance”) suggests it involves more than just sitting by the field waiting for the crop:  it engages also persistent, determined and repeated commitment, notwithstanding the tests and trails that come our way:  the farmer who goes out time after time to find the lost sheep.   If you are familiar with the story of Job you will know that his was an odd form of “patience”.  He struggled to understand why he was suffering  - he wanted to face God and learn the answer.  He never doubted God – his faith persevered – but within that compass he explored every crevice of his situation wanting to learn why he had come to the straits he was in.  And then he met God who asks:  “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation.  Tell me that.”  And Job’s questions are addressed;  his perseverance is rewarded.

Cameron reminded us of the trials that faced those who read James’ letter.  Not only he, but Paul (Rom 5), Peter (2 Peter 1) and the writer to the Hebrews (12) commend the virtue of perseverance as being an essential element of the character of a mature faith in Jesus.  Stickability;  the ability to ride out the challenges.

9.     In truth perseverance is an amazing virtue of humanity as a whole.  The people of Paris – and their multicultural, cosmopolitan lifestyle will survive the events of Friday night – just as has New York and London.  For most, the terror and the trauma will recede and what is important will resonate again in their lives.  And so it is all for most of us:  whatever faces us, we more than cope.  What is peculiar about Christian perseverance then is that what is hung onto – even when the testing comes just because of our faith -  is the faith in the one whom James describes as “the Lord, full of mercy and compassion”.

10.  Birthdays are a good time to be thankful.  Today I am thankful that I have had and continue to have the joy of having a family of mature Christians who show scores against James’ self-administered test would encourage him also.  Year after year, week by week, I learn of more tests of faith that you experience – and in which you persevere.  Thank you for providing me with so enviable a family within which to learn my faith.