BE DOERS OF THE WORD
by Bob Wickizer
Scripture: Psalms 45:1-2, Psalms 45:7-10, James 1:17-27, Mark 7:1-8, Mark 7:14-15, Mark 7:21-23
Title: Be Doers of the Word
Author: Bob Wickizer
Text: Song of Solomon 2:8-13, Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10, James 1:17-27, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
It is either an example of divine wisdom or just pure coincidence that we started our confirmation class today with the fourth section on "praxis," that is how we put our faith into practical applications or as James, the brother of Jesus says, how do we become "doers of the Word."
Most Episcopalians really do take Jesus' teaching to heart. I find that most of us across the country try to be fair and compassionate. We follow the Golden Rule in our daily lives. We establish various outreach ministries at church feeding, clothing, housing, teaching, counseling those who are suffering. I'm not sure any sermon of mine would ever motivate you to do more, and that's ok. You're already doing it.
But, as I mentioned in class, in John's gospel, Jesus tells us that "You (plural) will do greater things than these" meaning the miracles Jesus performed. This is the most astonishing assertion in the Bible, and I would say our collective scorecard on this task is terrible. I would like to speculate on an alternative world where, as a whole, we succeed in doing greater things.Accomplishing these things will take a collective effort - all of us.
We have created false idols, which become the rewards for bullies.
We idolize the wealthy. We give top pay to our bishops, CEOs, athletes and movie stars. In reality they are the servants, and we are their all-important customers. But we have allowed the relationship to be reversed to the benefit of the bullies, the physically tall, attractive, socially dominant types.
What if we did not reward bully behavior with obscene, immoral amounts of compensation?Could the church make a statement by reversing how we compensate bishops and rectors of big churches? We could tell the world why we were doing that, and risk backlash from the rich and powerful.
Imagine a world where the bigge ...
Author: Bob Wickizer
Text: Song of Solomon 2:8-13, Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10, James 1:17-27, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
It is either an example of divine wisdom or just pure coincidence that we started our confirmation class today with the fourth section on "praxis," that is how we put our faith into practical applications or as James, the brother of Jesus says, how do we become "doers of the Word."
Most Episcopalians really do take Jesus' teaching to heart. I find that most of us across the country try to be fair and compassionate. We follow the Golden Rule in our daily lives. We establish various outreach ministries at church feeding, clothing, housing, teaching, counseling those who are suffering. I'm not sure any sermon of mine would ever motivate you to do more, and that's ok. You're already doing it.
But, as I mentioned in class, in John's gospel, Jesus tells us that "You (plural) will do greater things than these" meaning the miracles Jesus performed. This is the most astonishing assertion in the Bible, and I would say our collective scorecard on this task is terrible. I would like to speculate on an alternative world where, as a whole, we succeed in doing greater things.Accomplishing these things will take a collective effort - all of us.
We have created false idols, which become the rewards for bullies.
We idolize the wealthy. We give top pay to our bishops, CEOs, athletes and movie stars. In reality they are the servants, and we are their all-important customers. But we have allowed the relationship to be reversed to the benefit of the bullies, the physically tall, attractive, socially dominant types.
What if we did not reward bully behavior with obscene, immoral amounts of compensation?Could the church make a statement by reversing how we compensate bishops and rectors of big churches? We could tell the world why we were doing that, and risk backlash from the rich and powerful.
Imagine a world where the bigge ...
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