Labour Day: Mercy and Compassion

 

What great scripture texts to start off a new school year!

 

Deuteronomy has Moses speaking to the people, “I now teach you the statutes and ordinance for you to observe… observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples.”

Jesus debates with the Pharisees about the Commandments and quotes from Isaiah that the faithful have turned from God’s covenant to teaching human precepts as doctrines.

And we begin a month of readings from the Letter of James referred to by some as an instruction book for godly behaviour.

 

Each text introduces us to a faith community who has a set of teachings. The teachings include the Ten Commandments and interpretations of ‘love God’ and ‘love your neighbour.’ The teachings are being taught and passed from one generation to the next, and from faithful followers to seekers and new members. The faith communities are wrestling with their teachings and discerning how to live their teachings with moral and ethical integrity in their every day lives.

 

Writers of the texts share a concern that the world – with its powers and governance, attitudes and influence -- will swallow up faith community such that the community will succumb to the behaviours of their surrounding population and the dominate culture. Who then would teach ‘love God’ and ‘love your neighbour?’

 

The Letter of James (the brother of Jesus) received a bad wrap from reformers like Martin Luther, because of a lean towards ‘works righteousness’ rather than, as argued in Paul’s letters, justification through faith. Although such a debate may be the kind of hardy and heady thinking you like to participate in, this morning let us consider that both James and Paul, Jesus and the Pharisees, and preceding covenant peoples, have simply understood and articulated the theology differently. Varied theology does not change the fact that each group, as illustrated in the texts for the day, shares a basic principle: knowing God affects how faith communities live and the ‘how’ is noticed by the surrounding population.

 

What is great about the Letter of James is that it teaches faith communities how to discern what it means to be a Christian community in a troubled world. The Letter takes from the Hebrew scripture: the Torah, the prophets, the Psalms; it takes pieces from the Jesus’ tradition, from Matthew and Luke; it references Paul’s teaching. It takes a variety of perspectives and interpretations, from different times and places, and creates an instruction booklet of faithful living for the early Christian community in Jerusalem focusing the community on moral and ethical integrity and loving actions. The surrounding population notices their ethical integrity and loving actions; neither of which are received kindly. This faith community is at odds with the ideology and practices of the wider community. Shortly after the writing of this letter, James is stoned to death in the public square.

 

The Bible is abundant in illustrations of faith communities, God-followers, wrestling with how one lives a faithful life. No subject is off the table – favourites include money or wealth, wages, taxes, charity, social systems, tradition, war, power, civil and religious authorities…

These favourite biblical topics are front and centre still. As a faith community how are we to live?

 

It is Labour Day weekend. I have been thinking about unions and movements who have stood together to cause change in working hours, workplace conditions and safety, employee contracts and benefits. Community worked together for the common good and to realize social change.

I think about current employment of people I know who are stuck in part-time work without benefits, no job security, dodgy safety standards, no choice of schedule, doing work they are not trained to do. We live in a climate where a living wage in Halifax is $28.30 and minimum wage is $15.20. Is it not time for community to work together to realize social change?

 

Lenny Duncan a former ELCA pastor and racial justice advocate addressed a letter to members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America about the upcoming American presidential election. Ducan advocates that as a church the ELCA is perfectly placed to make a difference in the outcome of the election. It is time for the church to live with ethical integrity and loving action; to work together outside of political lines for the common good of the US and the world. He argues that there are four States with traditionally slim margins, that’s .3%- 1.5%. There are a lot of Lutherans in those states: Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. ELCA churches have a choice to teach, discuss, wrestle with issues, to invite neighbours and friends, to pray, to advocate for the community to vote – not for a party- but against totalitarianism, violence, coercion. It is guaranteed if the ELCA churches committed to this action, the surrounding people would notice.

 

It is easy to point fingers at examples in America. But I have also been thinking about the Lutheran World Federation, the ELCIC, and this congregation.

Does the surrounding population notice that we are a living faith community?

 

It is certainly noticed that Lutherans live out knowing God in the running of refugee camps and welcoming displaced persons; Lutherans are known for their emphasis on God’s grace and expressions thereof;

the Prime Minister’s Office knows us as a faithful living church because Bp. Susan, on our behalf, and with our Full Communion Partner, the Anglican Church of Canada, writes letters, advocating for justice on a variety of specific issues.

 

The Letter of James concludes chapter one, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the father, is this; to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Throughout the Bible the care of orphans and widows is the most ethical and virtuous of services. Orphans and widows represented the marginalized and the forgotten; both only survived through the mercy and compassion of others.

 

As I hear news from around the world, and look around Halifax, there is a growing population of marginalized and forgotten, individuals and groups who find themselves without status, resources, or options. These are the orphans and widows of today, ones who will only survive through the mercy and compassion of others.

And this is what the scripture texts are asking us to wrestle with…

 

I had a conversation with a person this week, who was adamant that faith, that knowing God, made me different; that it was obvious to them that faith influences how I see the world and how I live in the world. I have purpose and hope, a kindness; a grace. The same can be said for you.

 

The surrounding population notices: they notice open doors and conversation circles, prayer boxes and welcome tables. They notice our comings and goings, how we honour sabbath and God, how we treat each other and our neighbours. As we go ‘back to school,’ come ‘back to church,’ may we be teachable. Ready to learn, wrestle with, and discern how to live out knowing God through ethical integrity and loving actions. And may both our ethical integrity and loving actions realize the social change our surrounding society so desperately needs.