CALL TO WORSHIP | Psalm 63:1-8
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Song #1 – Praise to the Lord, The Almighty by Traditional
Song #2 – This is How I Thank the Lord by MosaicMC
Dismiss Kids
INTRO |
Thigmomorphogenesis. I am sure we are familiar with that word. Right? Well, for the few of us who did not take botany in college, Thigmomorphogenesis refers to the observed phenomenon in plants in which
“physical disturbances such as wind and touch generally respond through reduction in the rate of stem elongation and shoot height, and they increase in stem diameter... [When a plant experiences external stimuli, calcium ions and ethylene production are activated, especially at the core and base of the plant.] This response is purely adaptive and allows individual plants to compensate for the different levels of stress that occur in their natural environment. The advantage of this is that… stronger plants are less easily damaged by natural mechanical stresses (especially wind) than their… counterparts.”[1]
Essentially, the idea is that if you want sturdier plants, and thus, by extension, plants that live longer and have a more fruitful existence, you should not shelter them from the disturbances of the natural environment, and perhaps, to various degrees, induce stresses to ensure their sturdiness.
The idea that persevering through stressors builds strength and increases the potential for fuller longevity has been applied to parenting. Several years ago, we brought in Keith McCurdy, a well-respected licensed professional counselor and marriage and family therapist who specializes in helping parents, in his words, “raise sturdy kids,” by guiding them through disturbances and placing them in context to build resilience. In fact, you can find his book by that title here.
McCurdy is not alone. Jonathan Haidt’s “Anxious Generation” highlights the deficiencies and damages of overprotective parenting on children’s development, especially in recent generations. This widely popular book concludes with an exhortation to let your kids struggle and face stressors to develop resilience, a trait necessary for them to mature and succeed in life outside the home. The presumption is that humans, like plants, mature amid stressors through exposure to the disturbances of daily living. Something within us is activated and developed so that we might become complete and reach the end of our potential.
What has been observed in the natural philosophies and chronicled in the social sciences has its roots in our scriptures. There is an old wisdom that recognizes a right wholeness that comes from facing and overcoming trials of various sorts, and the twistedness that comes from failing to do so.
“for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” (Proverbs 24:16)
A wisdom that knows that, when facing disturbances in our natural environment, especially in the context of our relations and responsibilities, something within us is activated and developed so that we might be complete and reach the end of our potential. A wisdom that James, the author of our text for the summer, encourages us to lean into.
Let’s read the opening words of James’ letter together, and then we will walk through what he invites us to recognize and take up as we enter summer together.
PRE-SERMON READING | James 1:1-18 (ESV)
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved sisters and brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
SERMON | Complet (ing) Faith
For all the flak the Letter of James has gotten over the centuries, especially since the Reformation, and especially for its emphasis on “works” (in a religious sense) in the life of faith, I believe James’ main concern is for his faith family to live a complete faith. Rather, he desires a faith that completes them. That is, he desires his brothers and sisters in Christ to let faith do its work, to see faith at work, a work that brings them to full maturity as individuals and brings our life together in Christ to our telos, our purposed end. James, in rather succinct and pointed allusions and admonitions, grounded in the earthiness of daily living, aims to show us how faith completes us (maturation and telos).
Completeness—maturation and perfection (telios)—of and through faith permeates the opening lines of James’ letter. Let’s re-read his words to see if we can discern James’ intentions.
“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…” (1:1a)
In the opening phrase, James not only provides us with evidence of a mature posture before God but also affirms a mature, complete doctrine of God. Only in this verse does the title “servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” occur in our scriptures. James is not merely confirming the belief that Jesus is both God and Lord; rather, by combining these titles and separating them from “of God,” he acknowledges the foundation of his faith, namely that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the long-awaited deliverer King who would bring to completion God’s purposes through his people and for the world. For Jesus is not merely the savior but Lord, the master of our daily labors, one who not only delivers but is to be followed, a title that makes its first appearance at Pentecost, when, through the Spirit, Peter proclaims,
“God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36)
James’ faith is a complete vision of God and his purposes. A robust theology, which he doubles down on in the next phrase of the greeting.
“To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.” (1:1b)
Amid the exile, Israel’s expulsion from the promised land and dispersion of its peoples across the ancient world, God, “through the prophets [like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah, to name a few], promised he would gather the exiled people…and so reconstitute the twelve tribes once again. This was the common expectation,”[2] argues theologian Douglas Moo, especially in the intertestamental time as attested to by pseudepigrapha known as The Testament of Benjamin,
“But in your allotted place will be the temple of God, and the latter temple will exceed the former in glory. The twelve tribes shall be gathered there and all the nations, until such time as the Most High shall send forth his salvation through the ministration of the unique prophet.” (T. of Benjamin)
For James, the time of this reconstitution had come: the salvation brought by the ministry of the unique prophet, Jesus, the Lord and Christ. Because God’s purposes were complete, reaching their end in Jesus’ work to reclaim His people for the blessing of the world. Because we are caught up in that work, completed for all time through Jesus as Jesus’ body, his brothers and sisters in the family business. Because this was what James had faith in, he could contend with wisdom, old and new, that we can,
“Count it pure (unalloyed) joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials (process of testing) of various kinds (all sorts), for you know that the testing (purifying) of your faith produces steadfastness (perseverance, resilience). And let steadfastness perfect its work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (1:2-4)
James is inviting us to enter the process of life, the process of faith at work within us to ensure that we reach our maturation and telios, that indeed we can, as Paul encouraged the Thessalonians,
“Aspire to live quietly, resting from the labor that is not yours, attending to the work made for you. You’ve heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, able to live dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)
James argues that we should “let” what is activated within us during life’s disturbances (i.e., faith) produce perseverance and let perseverance do its work, meaning that we mature not in one moment but over many, many moments. Our completion, though finished in Christ the Alpha & Omega, is nevertheless a process, a process of facing the disturbances of our natural environment (daily wind and touch, not just storms) and being strengthened by our faith through them. This is the old wisdom. A wisdom that James presumes we might at times lack, either because we do not ask for it or because we are double-souled. And so, James not only invites us to see faith at work but also shows us how the process works. Look at verses 5-8 again quickly.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives singularly (simply, undividely) to all without reproach [without finding fault], and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting [without division], for the one who [is divided] is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind [never finding its shore or reaching its crest]. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded [double-souled] man, unstable in all his ways [not just in his faith, but in his identity and purpose… how could you know what is wise if you have no compass… no true north].” (1:5-8)
So, activation of faith through the disturbances orients us amid the chaos and whims of daily labors of living; giving us the strength to experience what comes from the process of living by faith, a mature and purposeful life. One commentator describes the life lived with enduring faith as “spiritual integrity, or wholeness,” and a life lived divided, tossed between believing and not believing, as “spiritual schizophrenia… a basic division in the soul that leads to thinking, speaking, and acting that contradicts one’s claim to belong to God.”[3]
The trials we face, whatever they might be, are not meant to destroy, but rather activate and strengthen what is given to us, what is in us, the Spirit of Christ for the Father’s glory and our good. So we can say with Calvin,
“Since we see that the Lord does not so require from us what is above our strength, but that he is ready to help us, provided we ask, let us, therefore, learn, whenever he commands anything, to ask of him the power to perform it.”[4] (John Calvin)
With such faith in the Wisdom of God, that what God starts in history and in us, he finishes in history through us, in the very circumstances, including disturbances and trials, of this very day, then we begin to discern that we are living off abundance (all that we need – bread for tomorrow) rather than striving for it—that indeed, who we are is a gift received in humility not the product of appearances. Let’s keep reading, verse 9:
“Now let the brother of humble (lowly) disposition boast of his high position [heavenly realm from which the Spirit descends and Christ ascended], but the rich person [the fully resourced person via external things] in his humiliation [ironically, lowly, fleeting condition], because he will pass away like a flower of the grass. For the sun rises with its burning heat and dries up the grass, and its flowers fall off, and the beauty of its appearances is lost. So also the rich person [the person fully resourced via external things] in his pursuits [his journey of making money, doing business] will wither away.” (1:9-11)
When faith does it work, it allows us to persevere through “the natural” (worldly) rhythms, that “annual death of vegetation,” which always concludes with the fading of appearances. For the one who loves the wisdom of the Lord,
“He is like a tree, planted by streams of living water that yields its fruit in its seasons and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:3)
Indeed, as James continues in verse 12,
“Blessed is the person who perseveres under trial (the purifying of faith), because having been approved (their faith validated), he will receive the crown that is life (the reward of a race completed) that God has promised to those who love him [not who produced something or got everything right].” (1:12)
Lest we think that is some kind of emotional or religious game, and not the Wisdom-of-God-created means of maturing and reaching our telios; not a test to determine if we have faith, but an accutation of the faith we have been given, the life that is ours by gracious, self-giving, love—James differentiates the difficulties and disturbances of living in a world full of stimuli that happen to us, from the temptation within us towards decay and ateles (imcompletion). Verse 13 reads,
“No one who is being tempted should say, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.” (1:13)
In other words, God cannot be tempted or enticed to act against life and the good (i.e., Himself, His nature and purposes), and so does not entice or try to get us to do the same. God is not out to get us, to prove our failure, or to see if or when we will fail. It is not a test from the Lord to want something wrongly or that is wrong; it is, as James contends, a matter of our heart. Verse 14,
“But each one is tempted when he is dragged away and enticed [led] by his own desires. Then, desire, after it is conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is brought to completion, gives birth to death.” (1:14-15)
There is a difference between trials and temptations. One is external (even if intimately so). The other is internal, a heart unsubmitted, unsettled, restless. One leads to maturation and perfection, to completion because of what has rebirthed us. The other has a natural order as well, but it is a movement backward, against life, toward decay and nothingness.
The strengthening of our faith is also the development of our discernment, the ability to distinguish between trial/test and temptation. To recognize that amid the testing of our faith, like Jesus in the wilderness, we too might be tempted to choose something less than the Wisdom of God for life, to end our persevering faith and settle for something we desire that is wrong (whether because it is not what God has for us at the moment or because it is wrong).
We are either, through faith at work, being completed (maturing, telos) or moving toward incompleteness. There is no neutral state. We are in a perfected position or a withering position (either high or humiliated, eternal or transient (temporal, terminal)). So, verse 16,
“Do not be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters [either by the nature of sin or by misunderstanding the nature of God]. Every good giving [there are a lot of things that give, but not all are good] and perfect gift [that which leads to our purposed end] is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of change. By his will he gave birth to us through the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” (1:16-18)
One commentator draws this conclusion from James’ opening sentences,
“Endurig trails of various kinds is naturally essential to maintain [develop] spiritual wholeness [integrity]… remembering that God… never seeks our downfall. Indeed, James concludes, God is the source of every good gift we enjoy—including the new birth that Christians enjoy and that makes up the first step in God’s plan to bring “wholeness” to all of creation.” (Douglas Moo)
Before we take a moment to reflect on James’ invitation, let’s hear it in its entirety one more time, this time paraphrased by Eugene Peterson to help us hear it afresh. May the Spirit allow it.
JAMES 1:1-18 (THE MESSAGE)
I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello! Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that’s a picture of the “prosperous life.” At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing. Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer. So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.
REFLECTION |
Process with the Lord any emotions, thoughts, doubts, or affirmations that arise as you reflect on the following:
James contends that the disturbances of life help ensure our maturation and completion. Indeed, God-orchestrated exposure to the trials of makong life, good, activates and purifies our faith, ensuring we reach the end of our potential: the work of God being complete in history through our maturation.
CORPORATE CONFESSION & COMMUNION[5] |
(Celebrant)
The table is ready,
here waiting for your arrival.
It is the table of company with Jesus,
and all who love him.
It is the table of sharing,
with the poor of the world,
with who Jesus identified himself.
It is the table of communion with the earth
in which Christ became incarnate.
So come to this table,
you have much faith
and you who would like to have more;
you who have been here often
and you who have not been for a long time;
and you who have tried to follow Jesus,
and you who have failed;
come.
It is Christ who invites us to meet him here; on the day made for us, at the table he prepared for us.
People to the Table to Receive the Communion elements
(ALL)
Loving God,
through your goodness
we have this bread and juice to offer
which has come forth from the earth
and human hands have made.
May we know your presence
in this sharing,
so that we may know your touch
and presence in all things.
We celebrate the life that Jesus has shared
among his family of faith through the centuries,
and shares with us now.
Made one in Christ
and one with each other,
we offer these gifts
and with them ourselves,
a single living act of praise.
Amen.
Song #3 – All You Do is Good by Nathan Partain
Song #4 – Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor by Matt Boswell
BENEDICTION | James 5:7-8
As we rest in the day made for us, we prepare to enter into the work for which we are made [LIGHT THE CANDLE], remembering to…
Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.