Sermon
I can't decide whether James loves the people he wrote to, or if he thinks they are truly depraved.
Between the letter to the Ephesians and the letter of James that we are reading through now, we have been reading some strong language about how we are to behave and think. It was quite common for the letters written to new followers of the Jesus movement or to gentiles, to have specific instructions for their hearers to follow. The letter of James has language that is much more dramatic and insistent than that of some other letters, such as Ephesians. Remember last week, the language James used to describe our wicked tongues? a restless evil, full of deadly poison stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell.
The drama didn't stop there, describing the power of our tongues. In today's text James compares wisdom from above with wisdom not from above. Wisdom that is not from above is earthly, unspiritual and devilish, and it creates disorder and wickedness of all kinds. All of this is such strong visceral language to describe how humans behave and believe. Is this really who James thinks people are?
On the other hand, the language we read today about wisdom from above is really beautiful. James knows that wisdom is not a thing in itself that we can have, and hold, and show people our wisdom, but that wisdom is something that colors our decisions. Wisdom is something we display when we make choices and decisions. Our choices and decisions will lead to peace or to conflict.
Our level of wisdom and the source of our conflicts are the two questions James asks us about today. First, he asks, who is wise and understanding among you? Second, he asks, where do those conflicts and disputes among you come from?
Let's talk about wisdom first. Wisdom is not a thing; it is not a collection of facts or a level of knowledge. It's not the same as smart. It is more like a quality. Merriam-Webster calls it a noun. I think of it as an adjective. What's interesting to me is that it is a quality that is measured by the quality of what happens next. It's not something that can be measured on its own. James tells us that you can tell that a statement, decision, or choice was wise by what it leads to – 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. From wisdom, we will gain good fruit, a harvest of peace.
Wisdom that is pure is wisdom that is not contaminated with our own personal or cultural biases; it is not contaminated with our partiality or our secret desires for personal gain. Wisdom that is peaceable is not heading for revenge or attack. Wisdom is willing to yield – wisdom is what happens when we can invite another into the conversation, not shut anyone out. Wisdom is gentle and full of mercy – in other words, it is not that voice that demands that we are perfect, that we never stop working, that we know ourselves and others completely. And wisdom understands that while life is full of irony hypocrisy is not welcome.
And so James says to us that as we try to answer the question, who among you is wise and understanding, the first thing we need to pay attention to is a good life. “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.” Remember James got a bad rap from Martin Luther for his focus on works – so it's important to note here that James is not saying that if you appear to have a good life then you must be living a life of gentleness born of wisdom. Good works are not what bring about a good life. But if you can map your life using wisdom that is gentle and pure and from above, you will manifest a good life. It's a matter of which came first. The good works are a result of using wisdom from above, a result of setting aside bitter envy and selfish ambition, of setting aside partiality and hypocrisy.
All of the aspects that James uses to describe wisdom from above or wisdom that is not from above are aspects that show themselves most when we are in relationship with others. Whether we are with others in our families, our churches, our interest groups or clubs, schools, neighborhood events or with coworkers, the best relationships will develop when we are wise; and will break down and lead to conflict and disputes when we show partiality, are hypocritical in our thoughts and actions, covet something we do not have, to use James' words.
All of this can be very confusing though if we were to just leave it all right there. If wisdom from above is all that, and leads to peace, does that mean that having a conflict means that wisdom was not employed? If I don't have a good life that shows that my works are done with gentleness born of wisdom, does that signal that I am not good enough? No it doesn't. As a matter of fact sometimes the wisest thing to do is to stay engaged – stay with the conflict or dispute in order to become a tighter community or a more intimate relationship.
There are two books I know of that are perfect examples of this kind of relationship. Whether with a group or with an individual, relationships will have conflict and dispute often on their way to another level of relationship. The books “Crucial Conversations” and “Crucial Confrontations,” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler are books about communication. They are used in groups of any kind, and reinforce the fact that sometimes we need to move through uncomfortable conversations in order to communicate effectively. While these books don't use religious terminology, they cover some of the same skills that James suggests we need to have in order to live good lives whose works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.
James talks about those cravings that are at war within us. Maybe we crave power, we want to be the one who calls the shots, we want to look like the hero, we crave peace at all costs and so never voice our concerns or desires, we crave justice, fairness, a healthy body. The things that are at war inside us are inner conflicts we all have. I want to be safe and secure all the time, so I don't ever take risks. I have my personal list of causes that I prioritize and find it difficult to compete with the important causes that others have. I want to appear generous but I don't like to give anything up. Think of all the large and small conflicts you have inside you that lead you to have disputes, sometimes only inside yourself. I wish I was more this but….I wish I wasn't so that but…..
While James uses dramatic language to describe just how terrible we can be, he is still very clear to say that our own personal dichotomies that we wrestle with inside ourselves can be tempered by always seeking God.
James is pretty frank about how strong he feels about his audience – “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” – he is not the first Biblical writer to be so forceful. Even Jesus referred to his audience as a brood of vipers at one point. And even so, the love God has for us and the grace God shows to us is always present for us to reach for and accept. God's desire for us to be whole, to know God's love, to be better humans is always at the forefront of the message. The grace of God is a gift for us that stems from such a love. We owe it to ourselves to respond with open hearts and listen for God's message for us.
Amen.