SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2024 | AFTER PENTECOST - Proper 20 (B)

Texts

Jeremiah:

We are to be like gentle lambs - retribution is Lord’s

James:

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Revised Common Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2009).

Mark:

A leader must be mindful, humble, and become last.

Good morning,

Congrats, you made it through another week! Make no mistake that is not a small feat - living in our times is complicated and takes a lot out of you. And while the Bible is not merely a self-help book, it does provide a certain guide to life. After all, living was hard in any times, really.

Take our reading in James for example - according to the passage, we are to show by our good life that our works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. A wisdom that comes from above that is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And it finishes by saying that “And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”

A lot to unpack here, so let’s take it slow. In our society today, these ideas seem very countercultural and I am sure there are not a part of a standard “how to succeed” guide or leadership guidelines, well unless it is in seminary!

These values are complicated in our world - for example, I thought that maybe we are going in the right direction following the rise of the Black Lives Matter protests after the horrific and unjust deaths of George Floyd or Breonna Taylor - many big companies vowed to take up DEI trainings and pay attention to diversity and representation, but just 4 years later and only the most dedicated keep up the promise. As for the rest, they gave in to the pressure of old money business people and their lobby that have vested interests in keeping us from progressing as a society - minimum wage jobs are harder to fill without desperate, underprivileged people and fear and division are easier methods of influencing others than actually doing something for them.

Jesus is addressing this reversal in his own way in Mark: “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” A stark contrast to highly paid CEOs that earn millions of dollars zipping around in jets and having an entourage of assistants catering to their every need.

Then we have this vision of the Kingdom of God, where you cannot make things happen by force and coercion and you will not be voted the best in any contests by being the most aggressive and mean boss. And I think putting forth a child as an example is very clever - personally, I’d love to have Lily as my boss. She is very gentle, mindful, constantly learning how to better connect with those around her, curious, caring, and fun. And her demands in return are not unreasonable - sustenance, attention, and nose booping! Sure, the hours would be probably quite odd and she would probably occasionally steal your glasses, your pens, or mouse making it harder to work - oh well, it is not a perfect analogy.

You know, I often wish we would live in a gentler and more mindful world - one where pagers are not rigged to explode (no matter who owns them)., where schools and hospitals are not bombed, where concerts and festivals do not end in a bloodshed, where we do not have to commemorate horrible school shootings or where there is no more preventable despair and starvation in general. But rather one, where we can spend more time marveling at the beauty of God’s creation, creating and enjoying art, helping each other, and perhaps sitting under a fig tree reading books. Alas, we are living in a world full of conflicts and disputes, stemming from as James put it “cravings that are at war within us,” wanting something we do not have, something we cannot obtain…As individuals, but also whole cultures, nations, and states.

James calls on us to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, draw near to God, to cleanse our hands, and purify our hearts. All, we may add, through the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to do so.

The good news is that again, Jesus modeled it for us, so we cannot say we do not know how to do that - he attended to the needs of others, stayed true to the values of the Kingdom of God, led with gentleness and mercy, and was willing to yield where necessary. In short, he showed us how to lead by serving others and not being served. He didn’t look to fulfill his greed and pleasure first, but attended to the needs around him. He showed others (and us) that God listens, cares, and provides and not just commands, demands, and punishes. That responsibility is now passed onto us - we are to show the world the loving and merciful God. To be the servant leaders that channel God’s love and mercy to others. As we receive, we are to pass on. Amen.