Finding True Wisdom

For 9/30/2012

James 3:13 – 4:3

In today’s scripture the writer of James’ Epistle speaks to the nature of true wisdom – God’s wisdom – and as he similarly wrote of faith (faith without works is dead) tells us that wisdom is also revealed by our actions.

• How would you define wisdom? How do you know it when you see it?
• Why should we seek wisdom? How will wisdom make us better off?
• Is the degree of wisdom a person possesses necessarily in proportion to their level of intelligence?

Read on in our scripture for today and see what the writer tells us constitutes wisdom.

James 3:13-16 Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.

• What about a person would cause you to feel that they were wise and understanding? How do you see wisdom described above, what are some specific ways we might see wisdom demonstrated?
• How does your list and those identified in the scripture compare? Are there any above that you question about or disagree with? Is there anything connected with faith or a relationship with God in them?
• He makes a broader point that trying to make ourselves look good ends up causing lots of problems. Can you think of instances from the news of people who were devious, gathered recognition and wealth, and in the end hurt themselves and others? This can also happen in little ways as when we get caught in a lie – have you witnessed events that make the point?

In considering the first scripture we looked at what could be some generally accepted descriptions of wisdom, now we read about real wisdom.

17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

• Where does wisdom begin and what comes from it? What are some characteristics of real wisdom?
• Have you seen this kind of wisdom? What are some examples of people you think had real wisdom?
• The focus of living wisely is developing healthy relationships. Is it always easy to do this with someone with whom you have a loving relationship? Where does wisdom come into play in maintaining relationships and what should our faith bring as a resource for maintaining them?
• But this wisdom is to apply to all of our relationships in the community, even with some whom we may not feel a personal connection. What wisdom have you accumulated about maintaining relationships with folks whom you do not relate? What causes fractures? Has your faith played a role in overcoming issues that cause fractures in these types of relationships?
• But how does our faith bring wisdom, where should we turn to find it? Some scripture from Hosea for contemplation:

Hosea 14:9 If you want to live well,

make sure you understand all of this.

If you know what’s good for you,

you’ll learn this inside and out.

God’s paths get you where you want to go.

Right-living people walk them easily;

wrong-living people are always tripping and stumbling

• What are some resources for identifying God’s path in any given situation? Are the paths always easy to find especially when our emotions are involved? Have you ever been involved in a relationship crisis when you allowed your personal hurts overcome any desire to find an equitable resolution? How about the opposite, when you found a way to peace and overcame those urges? What made the difference? Was any wisdom involved?

Some last thoughts on what happens in the absense of wisdom:
4:1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.

• You might find this scripture offensive and feel that it does not apply to you but where in the news and throughout history have we seen the truth of these words? Do these words reach down to some of the basic causes for wars, crime and violence?
• But on the other hand can they also apply in diminished strength to the polarized society we seem to find ourselves in today, the unhealthy political climate, and the incendiary rhetoric? What wisdom do you have for bringing peace and community to our body politic? What must happen for us to move forward on God’s path?
• How would you sum up what you have learned about wisdom from James?

Closing Litany

The revelation of GOD is whole

and pulls our lives together.

The signposts of GOD are clear

and point out the right road.

The life-maps of GOD are right,

showing the way to joy.

The directions of GOD are plain

and easy on the eyes.

God’s Word is better than a diamond,

better than a diamond set between emeralds.

Amen

Next Week’s Scriptures: Job 1:1; 2:1-10 or Genesis 2:18-24, Psalm 26 or Psalm 8, Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12, Mark 10:2-16



Going Backwards - Being Last is a Good Thing

For 9/23/2012

Today’s scripture from chapter 9 of Mark's Gospel follows Jesus’ admonishment of the disciples in verses 9:33-35 as they discussed among themselves who had the greatest stature: The silence was deafening—they had been arguing with one another over who among them was greatest. He sat down and summoned the Twelve. “So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all.”

Jesus teaches the need to be a servant of others on many occasions, with his washing of the disciple’s feet being the best known.
• Are you surprised that this discussion was going on among the disciples?

• How does the desire to be “first” manifest itself in our culture, what are some common things we see people competing for in their work and personal lives? Does this kind of jockeying for stature and status take place in faith communities and in the clergy? How have you seen this take place?

• How do we balance the pressures of the secular world with the call of our faith life to live as Jesus teaches here? Do we give up working to better ourselves?

We start with the set-up for the discussion in Mark 9:38 John spoke up, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn’t in our group.” 39-41 Jesus wasn’t pleased. “Don’t stop him. No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath cut me down. If he’s not an enemy, he’s an ally. Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on our side. Count on it that God will notice.

• Down through the ages religious authorities at all levels and in every part of the past and present faith community have placed restrictions on who is “qualified” to carry out many different types of religious activities. What are some that you can think of and what reasoning might have been used to rationalize these restrictions? Do you think that there are some that should be maintained, are important to only be carried out by someone who is qualified?

• Bitter theological disputes plague Christianity as denominations and sects have sometimes violently confronted one another over differences throughout history. What causes this passion and what does Jesus suggest as an antidote?

• Mormons, Quakers, and the Amish proclaim Jesus’ name yet are seen by some Christians as not being ‘in our group’. Why is that the case? Again how does this illustrate Jesus’ words?

• Based on what Jesus says should a not for profit or church have any compunction about accepting aid from a casino, a convicted felon, or other “questionable” sources in support of a faith based initiative?

Mark 9:42 “On the other hand, if you give one of these simple, childlike believers a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck.

• What is Jesus talking about when he warns against being a problem for others? What are some examples of ‘childlike believers” we might encounter? Have you ever felt put-off or discouraged by the words or actions of other believers? How might we be well intentioned but yet an impediment for others?

Mark 9:43-48 “If your hand or your foot gets in God’s way, chop it off and throw it away. You’re better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owner of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You’re better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.

• How do you react to this scripture? Some have taken this literally down through the ages, what does it mean to you? What are some examples of things in our lives that are very important to us but might get ‘in God’s way’? Can you think of anyone who has radically changed their lives in order to be closer to God?

• Are there changes that come with living faithfully that might cause us to appear to be handicapped for life in the secular world?

• Paul gives us some advice about eliminating spiritual impediments – what do you think about them?

Romans 12:2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Back to Mark 9:49-50 “Everyone’s going through a refining fire sooner or later, but you’ll be well-preserved, protected from the eternal flames. Be preservatives yourselves. Preserve the peace.”

• How can living faithfully cause us to go through ‘a refining fire sooner or later’? Is something missing if we do not have any faith related ‘fire’ experiences? Have you had any which caused your life to seem different?

• How does all that we have discussed pertain to preserving the peace? What words in today’s scripture contributes to your understanding of being a peacemaker?

• What do you take away with you from today’s discussion, what have you learned?

Closing Litany (Psalm 19)

God’s Word warns us of danger

and directs us to hidden treasure.

Otherwise how will we find our way?

Or know when we play the fool?

Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!

Keep me from stupid sins,

from thinking I can take over your work;

Then I can start this day sun-washed,

scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.

Amen

Next Week’s Scriptures: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22 or Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29, Psalm 124 or Psalm 19:7-14,James 5:13-20, Mark 9:38-50

Get Real!

For 9/2/2012

James’ epistle had a tenuous journey before being included in the canon and seems to have some of the same characteristics of Proverbs – wisdom for a meaningful life. The writer speaks to us of the real meaning and obligations of living a spiritual life seven days a week. If for no other reason than for us to pause and reflect on the way in which our real life is affected by our faith we read today’s scripture:

James 1:16-18 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.

• What is the origin of the desirable and beneficial blessings of life? What do you think about his description of these gifts? Does that include good things and good deeds initiated by non-believers?

• What difference does being a person of faith make in being an effective conduit of God’s desirable and beneficial? Should/does our faith make us more effective givers of good things? How and why?

• How is God described? What are some attributes? What words would you use about God when thinking of gifts and life?

• Do you think that the writer has our physical birth in mind when speaking of God bringing us to life? What words are clues to what is meant? Read this from Ephesians 2 for some ideas about life and acting as God’s creation:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

• In what way does this creation of us to do good works happen, how are we equipped, what should make us effective?

More from James' epistle
19-21Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.

• What does the writer suggest to us about suppressing anger? What is your experience; what brings anger to the forefront for you? What has helped you avoid angry reactions? What gets left out when anger takes over? How often have you looked back on an angry exchange with regret? When did you feel that it was appropriate?

• What is his suggestion for insuring angry reactions straggle along in the rear? In what attitude should we seek acting righteously and what should we use as a guide for change? Has your spirituality helped reduce the anger in your life?

22-24Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. 25But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

• How good are your listening skills? Are there times and conditions when you listen well and not so well? Do you think that he is limiting our spiritual education to just listening or might this also apply to reading and observing? How do you learn best?

• What has been the source of your most useful spiritual wisdom? Where have you turned in times of doubt and confusion about the practical aspects of living a spiritual life?

• How has your spiritual journey been enriched and guided by practical application, testing, risking? Do you agree with the writer that acting and action are where we find “delight and affirmation” of our faith? Must the action have a happy ending to bring either delight or affirmation?

26-27Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

• How many times have we heard words like this? Do you think that talking about the ‘good game’ is a bad idea? Has hearing about events on the faith journey of others been helpful to you?

• But what is the bottom line on hearing – when does it become an empty game? What keeps us from moving past the talking to action?

• Are there action scriptures that have had particular meaning for you, helped you take action, and gave you inspiration for the experience of ‘real religion’?

• This might be both the essence of and most familiar words from this letter:

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Closing Litany (Psalm 15)

God, who gets invited to dinner at your place?

How do we get on your guest list?

"Walk straight,

act right,

tell the truth.

"Don't hurt your friend,

don't blame your neighbor;

despise the despicable.

"Keep your word even when it costs you,

make an honest living,

never take a bribe.

"You'll never get blacklisted

if you live like this."

Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 or Isaiah 35:4-7, Psalm 125 or Psalm 146, James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17, Mark 7:24-37