"The Divine Mirror"
A sermon preached by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) based on Mark 7:5-8 and James 1:19-27.
One of my favorite stories from Greek Mythology is that of Narcissus. One day, after an unhappy love affair, Narcissus wandered into the forest and stopped by a crystal clear pool for a drink of water. As he knelt down to drink, he discovered his own reflection. He was mesmerized by the beautiful face looking back at him. So enraptured by the appearance of his own face, he forgot about his thirst and leaned ever closer. He was so moved and fascinated by the face in the water that he desperately wanted to kiss it, but each time he tried to touch the beautiful face, it would disappear in the ripple effect that was caused by his hand touching the surface of the water. From then on, he never loved anyone else again! For no one could match up to the beauty of the face he saw in the water.
I think we all know people like that – so absorbed and consumed with their own self. In fact, we all have a little bit of Narcissus in us. Amber frequently accuses me of being a little narcissistic, as she often reminds me: “Chris, it’s not all about you, you know!”
In our Scripture Lesson this morning, James speaks of a mirror. Now, it may surprise some of you to learn that there were actually mirrors in biblical times. But they did have mirrors, mostly polished metals that bore the reflection of the one who gazed into it, as mirrors do today.
The Letter of James is one of the anomalies of the New Testament, because it makes very few references to Jesus and the identity of its author is the basis of much speculation. In fact, it was one of the very last writings to be included in the New Testament scriptures. I also think it is interesting to note that while there has been much speculation as to who wrote this letter, in more recent studies by several scholars and the discovery of an ossuary bearing the name "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" has reopened a vigorous debate. It may well be a collection of the sayings, or perhaps the writings of James, Jesus’ brother as once thought. It is estimated to have been written in the early 60’s C.E.
But despite its controversy, especially with the theologian and reformer, Martin Luther who referred to it as “the epistle of straw,” it is still, perhaps, one of my favorite letters in the New Testament. It has been appropriately labeled, A Self-Help Book for Christianity, because it offers practical, useful and helpful advice when it comes to living the Christian life and faith.
The letter of James invokes a “faith-in-action” philosophy and this is where Luther had difficulty. He taught such doctrines as sole fide or “only faith” and sole gratia or “only grace” – that it is only by faith and God’s grace that we are saved and not by works or actions. But we must keep in mind, James is not teaching against that. James does not teach that salvation comes through actions or works. That is where Luther was mistaken! You see, James knew that one cannot work for one’s salvation, but only by God’s grace are we saved. But James does teach that works and actions are the result or product of one’s faith. Faith and works are not enemies. True faith and righteous works go hand in hand. They are two parts of God’s work in us. Faith brings a person to salvation and works bring that person to faithfulness. Faith is the cause and works are the effect.
In his sermon, When Religion Becomes Real, Brooks Ramsey shares a story of the queen of Sheba who came to visit Solomon, and one day she put him to the test. She brought artificial flowers so perfectly formed that no human eye could detect them from real flowers. She put them in a vase on Solomon’s table, in his throne room next to his flowers. As he came in, the queen of Sheba is reported to have said, "Solomon, you are the wisest man in the world. Tell me without touching these flowers, which are real and which are artificial." It is said that Solomon studied the flowers for a long time and spoke nothing, until finally he said, "Open the windows and let the bees come in for they will know which ones are real and which ones are artificial." James writes a little later on in his epistle: “But someone will say, ‘you have faith; and I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:18).
Let me ask you, when was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror? Now, I am not talking about a quick glance to make sure your hair was in place or that you didn’t have anything in your teeth. I’m talking about a good, long look at yourself! You see, mirrors don’t lie! Sure, they may not reveal what we want them to, but they don’t lie. And, perhaps, like James said in our Scripture Lesson this morning, some of us may choose to forget what we see when we look into a mirror, because we don’t like what we see. But when was the last time you looked into a mirror and studied the reflection that you saw?
I’ve shared with you before a quote from Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, who once said: “In terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient.” He went on to say; “There’s a lot more I could be doing on Sunday morning then sitting in church waiting on God.” And perhaps many people feel this way. I mean, after all, there is a lot more we could be doing with our time then sitting here in church this morning. Certainly, there are a lot more productive things we could be doing with our time.
So why do we come to church - for what purpose – for what reason? Someone once said, “We come to church to be awakened.” You see, through worship we are invited to gaze into God’s mirror to be awakened to the reality of who we are and whose we are. We come to church to wake up. Now, I am not talking about literally, I am talking about being spiritually awakened. Sure, it is true, that some use this time to catch up on some sleep. Maybe you’ve heard about the pastor who was happy with his sermon because he ended by saying: “Many have yawned but few are dozin’.” A Sunday school teacher once asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping." But, the reality is, we worship to come alive and to take notice of the presence and power of God both in our lives and in our world.
The Latin root word for “religion” means “to bind,” and it’s not used in a negative sense, as one might think of when they think of being bound or to bind. It also means “to link together” or “to link with.” Interestingly enough, the same root word for “religion” is also the same root word for the words “ligament” and “league.” And certainly, our faith binds us and links us and groups us and connects us to each other and to God.
But I also found it interesting, when doing a study on the word “religion” that some scholars have traced the root word for religion to also mean “to pay attention to.” Sometimes our lives become mundane – our every day routines are acted out without even thinking about them. We lose consciousness to the wonders that surround us. And certainly, this can happen in our faith, as well. It was G. K. Chesterton, one of the most important writers of the last century, who wrote: “The world shall perish not for lack of wonders but for lack of wonder.”
Our faith should awaken us to the reality of who we are and whose we are! When we gaze into God’s mirror we are confronted with the reality of who we are, but we are also awakened to the reality of whose we are.
Our faith is unlike any mirror because it has the ability and the power to change us. Paul wrote: “And we… are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (II Corinthians 3:18).
To gaze into God’s mirror means that we are willing to allow God to change us – to change our hearts, to change our minds, to change our wills, to change our image so that it conforms more closely to the image and likeness of Christ. You see, that’s what our faith should do!
The great Christian theologian and philosopher, Paul Tillich, who spent the last part of his teaching career in the Orient, compared the religions of the Orient with the philosophies of the Orient. His great burning question was, "What do all major religions have in common?" He thought about Buddhism and the teachings of Zen; he thought about the philosophies of the East and compared them to Christianity. And he came up with the conclusion that there are three things common to all religions. First of all, there is a sense of reverence, and awe and wonder; a sense that you’re living in a world where something bigger, something greater than yourself is in control. Secondly, there’s a prophetic challenge in all major religions. That is, we have to try to change the world and make it better place. And thirdly, is an ethical understanding of life, a reverence and a prophetic challenge, unguarded by ethical teachings.
And certainly, Jesus’ words in our Gospel Lesson this morning, are really an expression of all of these things. First of all, Jesus recognized that his adversaries were not standing under the authority of God. Their reverence for God was not the controlling part of their life. They were controlling God to maintain their religion. They, like so many today, were trying to fit God in a box of their own thinking and manipulation. Prophetic challenge was also very evident in Jesus’ teaching. If you worship tradition, if you do what the Pharisees were trying to get Jesus to do, God’s movement will be locked in the past. God becomes the God of only the past, and not the present and the future. Jesus reminded us that traditions are important, but they are not to be worshipped. And finally, Jesus recognized an ethical understanding which is governed by love – love for God and love for one another.
Jesus said, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men” (Mark 7:6-8).
James puts it this way: “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the word of freedom and love, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he had heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:21-25).
As both James and Jesus remind us God’s Mirror reflects the heart – it shows what is on the inside. But such a reflection will become visible in our actions… When was the last time you took a long look into God’s mirror? What does that mirror reflect about your life, your heart? May our faith open us to the reality of who we are, and whose we are – that our lives may reflect the one into who’s mirror we gaze!
I think we all know people like that – so absorbed and consumed with their own self. In fact, we all have a little bit of Narcissus in us. Amber frequently accuses me of being a little narcissistic, as she often reminds me: “Chris, it’s not all about you, you know!”
In our Scripture Lesson this morning, James speaks of a mirror. Now, it may surprise some of you to learn that there were actually mirrors in biblical times. But they did have mirrors, mostly polished metals that bore the reflection of the one who gazed into it, as mirrors do today.
The Letter of James is one of the anomalies of the New Testament, because it makes very few references to Jesus and the identity of its author is the basis of much speculation. In fact, it was one of the very last writings to be included in the New Testament scriptures. I also think it is interesting to note that while there has been much speculation as to who wrote this letter, in more recent studies by several scholars and the discovery of an ossuary bearing the name "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" has reopened a vigorous debate. It may well be a collection of the sayings, or perhaps the writings of James, Jesus’ brother as once thought. It is estimated to have been written in the early 60’s C.E.
But despite its controversy, especially with the theologian and reformer, Martin Luther who referred to it as “the epistle of straw,” it is still, perhaps, one of my favorite letters in the New Testament. It has been appropriately labeled, A Self-Help Book for Christianity, because it offers practical, useful and helpful advice when it comes to living the Christian life and faith.
The letter of James invokes a “faith-in-action” philosophy and this is where Luther had difficulty. He taught such doctrines as sole fide or “only faith” and sole gratia or “only grace” – that it is only by faith and God’s grace that we are saved and not by works or actions. But we must keep in mind, James is not teaching against that. James does not teach that salvation comes through actions or works. That is where Luther was mistaken! You see, James knew that one cannot work for one’s salvation, but only by God’s grace are we saved. But James does teach that works and actions are the result or product of one’s faith. Faith and works are not enemies. True faith and righteous works go hand in hand. They are two parts of God’s work in us. Faith brings a person to salvation and works bring that person to faithfulness. Faith is the cause and works are the effect.
In his sermon, When Religion Becomes Real, Brooks Ramsey shares a story of the queen of Sheba who came to visit Solomon, and one day she put him to the test. She brought artificial flowers so perfectly formed that no human eye could detect them from real flowers. She put them in a vase on Solomon’s table, in his throne room next to his flowers. As he came in, the queen of Sheba is reported to have said, "Solomon, you are the wisest man in the world. Tell me without touching these flowers, which are real and which are artificial." It is said that Solomon studied the flowers for a long time and spoke nothing, until finally he said, "Open the windows and let the bees come in for they will know which ones are real and which ones are artificial." James writes a little later on in his epistle: “But someone will say, ‘you have faith; and I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:18).
Let me ask you, when was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror? Now, I am not talking about a quick glance to make sure your hair was in place or that you didn’t have anything in your teeth. I’m talking about a good, long look at yourself! You see, mirrors don’t lie! Sure, they may not reveal what we want them to, but they don’t lie. And, perhaps, like James said in our Scripture Lesson this morning, some of us may choose to forget what we see when we look into a mirror, because we don’t like what we see. But when was the last time you looked into a mirror and studied the reflection that you saw?
I’ve shared with you before a quote from Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, who once said: “In terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient.” He went on to say; “There’s a lot more I could be doing on Sunday morning then sitting in church waiting on God.” And perhaps many people feel this way. I mean, after all, there is a lot more we could be doing with our time then sitting here in church this morning. Certainly, there are a lot more productive things we could be doing with our time.
So why do we come to church - for what purpose – for what reason? Someone once said, “We come to church to be awakened.” You see, through worship we are invited to gaze into God’s mirror to be awakened to the reality of who we are and whose we are. We come to church to wake up. Now, I am not talking about literally, I am talking about being spiritually awakened. Sure, it is true, that some use this time to catch up on some sleep. Maybe you’ve heard about the pastor who was happy with his sermon because he ended by saying: “Many have yawned but few are dozin’.” A Sunday school teacher once asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping." But, the reality is, we worship to come alive and to take notice of the presence and power of God both in our lives and in our world.
The Latin root word for “religion” means “to bind,” and it’s not used in a negative sense, as one might think of when they think of being bound or to bind. It also means “to link together” or “to link with.” Interestingly enough, the same root word for “religion” is also the same root word for the words “ligament” and “league.” And certainly, our faith binds us and links us and groups us and connects us to each other and to God.
But I also found it interesting, when doing a study on the word “religion” that some scholars have traced the root word for religion to also mean “to pay attention to.” Sometimes our lives become mundane – our every day routines are acted out without even thinking about them. We lose consciousness to the wonders that surround us. And certainly, this can happen in our faith, as well. It was G. K. Chesterton, one of the most important writers of the last century, who wrote: “The world shall perish not for lack of wonders but for lack of wonder.”
Our faith should awaken us to the reality of who we are and whose we are! When we gaze into God’s mirror we are confronted with the reality of who we are, but we are also awakened to the reality of whose we are.
Our faith is unlike any mirror because it has the ability and the power to change us. Paul wrote: “And we… are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (II Corinthians 3:18).
To gaze into God’s mirror means that we are willing to allow God to change us – to change our hearts, to change our minds, to change our wills, to change our image so that it conforms more closely to the image and likeness of Christ. You see, that’s what our faith should do!
The great Christian theologian and philosopher, Paul Tillich, who spent the last part of his teaching career in the Orient, compared the religions of the Orient with the philosophies of the Orient. His great burning question was, "What do all major religions have in common?" He thought about Buddhism and the teachings of Zen; he thought about the philosophies of the East and compared them to Christianity. And he came up with the conclusion that there are three things common to all religions. First of all, there is a sense of reverence, and awe and wonder; a sense that you’re living in a world where something bigger, something greater than yourself is in control. Secondly, there’s a prophetic challenge in all major religions. That is, we have to try to change the world and make it better place. And thirdly, is an ethical understanding of life, a reverence and a prophetic challenge, unguarded by ethical teachings.
And certainly, Jesus’ words in our Gospel Lesson this morning, are really an expression of all of these things. First of all, Jesus recognized that his adversaries were not standing under the authority of God. Their reverence for God was not the controlling part of their life. They were controlling God to maintain their religion. They, like so many today, were trying to fit God in a box of their own thinking and manipulation. Prophetic challenge was also very evident in Jesus’ teaching. If you worship tradition, if you do what the Pharisees were trying to get Jesus to do, God’s movement will be locked in the past. God becomes the God of only the past, and not the present and the future. Jesus reminded us that traditions are important, but they are not to be worshipped. And finally, Jesus recognized an ethical understanding which is governed by love – love for God and love for one another.
Jesus said, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men” (Mark 7:6-8).
James puts it this way: “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the word of freedom and love, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he had heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:21-25).
As both James and Jesus remind us God’s Mirror reflects the heart – it shows what is on the inside. But such a reflection will become visible in our actions… When was the last time you took a long look into God’s mirror? What does that mirror reflect about your life, your heart? May our faith open us to the reality of who we are, and whose we are – that our lives may reflect the one into who’s mirror we gaze!
posted by Pastor Christopher @ 11:48 AM
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