But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.
James 1:22-24
I found this shirt on our summer vacation. It was on the clearance rack at MassMoCa - a contemporary art museum in North Adams, MA because apparently this shirt is about as popular as the letter of James. Martin Luther referred to it as a 'right strawy epistle' which means that it was light on content and meaning. Certainly in the world of theology a letter dedicated primarily to doing work in the world could be looked down upon.
Consider how we view laborers in this economy. Expendable, replaceable, a necessary evil. We seek to boil every task to its most mundane components, train individuals to do the bare minimum and look at them with contempt when things go awry.
This past week we had a tradesman come to the house to help us repair a step in our entryway. As you are I'm sure aware, any home built in the 1800s is going to have its share of challenges, and some require an expert to repair. It is still labor, but it also requires thought, training, preparation, focus, skill and humility.
What if we saw laboring for Jesus the same way? We often try to fit in our work for the Lord between other busy tasks. Stopping to pick up some canned food for the food drive or a present for the Christmas drive, responding to a nameless or faceless request for assistance. We aren't sure where it goes but the ability to do something makes us feel marginally better for a moment, even in the face of terrible inequality at home and violence abroad.
What if we believed that we could labor for the Lord with the kind of love, care, attention, focus and passion that a mason brings to a stone building, or a marble stair? That an artist brings to a canvas, or a seamstress brings to a gown?
The book of James talks about going out to meet the people of God and discovering how we can serve them not with our words first, but with our actions. Instead of collecting items, what about knocking on doors to make connections, assess needs, and respond. Our actions can cause trouble! But it is good trouble. The trouble of new relationships, new priorities, new challenges to power, and new ways of seeing the world. So let's give James' call to action a chance.
The last line of the scripture above talks about a man walking away and forgetting what they look like. When we read, or think, or contemplate an idea it is easy to forget. Just ask someone who tried to remember the dream they had last night after they had two cups of coffee. But action builds muscle memory. If we live out what we say we are about with our hands and feet, then we know who we are, with or without the words. More importantly everyone else does too.
I hope this weekend you will be able to come out and join us for the Back to School Party. And get your hands dirty.