” Be Doers of the Word.”
Labor Day weekend is not a religious day, but it might be an opportunity for us to reflect on how we live and labor, how we rest and restore; how we work and how we play.
Are we working to live or living to work?
Are we working to live meaning to secure and support our family and a comfortable living. Are we working so we can do other things too: have some time off, travel, rest and just live?
Are we living to work with emphasis on an exciting career, big dreams, long hours, and a belief that money can buy you everything: even happiness and time.
It is not always easy to set up that distinction, because we cannot all make that choice due to circumstances and abilities. And some jobs are rewarding and fulfilling while others are burdensome and boring. And that is not always reflected in the paycheck.
But Labor day might be a good day to ponder about how we work and why we work. And if we work to live or live to work?
To ponder about how we can make better work and living conditions for families who are struggling to make ends meet: to try to work for more fair and just payment for work that needs to be done.
Be doers of the word, it says on the Bulletin. It is from the Book of James in the New Testament, and it emphasizes the importance in both hearing and doing the word of God. How we transfer and implement the word of God into everyday practical life and living. Both in our private and personal lives, but even more in our work and professional capacities.
In the Gospel today we witness a confrontation or conversation between Jesus and a group of Pharisees. It is about handwashing. Not just any handwashing like you mom would remind you or your pastor last Sunday before baking bread – no religious handwashing.
Jesus calls out a group of Pharisees and scribes who are more concerned about religious rules around handwashing than how they live and what they do in the name of God. Jesus once again attacks the hypocrisy.
Laws are good and laws are needed. Laws govern society. They keep peace, regulate commerce and actions – churches have rules too as do households. We need regulations, we need government for safety, protection, education, equality and … to ensure minimum wages and opportunities.
Jesus did not criticize the custom of washing hands or the religious laws, but he accuses his opponents of loving the law more than people. Keeping to the letter of the law more than seeing and caring for people, acknowledging different and changing circumstances.
With regulations of all kinds, there is always a risk that we lose sight of real people to implement laws and regulations. Life does not always fit into the boxes of laws and regulations, does it?
Be doers of the word, the Book of James said. Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
In the book Of James, we have teaching and wisdom condensed into a short but powerful work. The goal is not to teach us new theological information or to give us new religious regulations to follow; rather the Book of James tries to get in our business and challenge how we live. How we listen and how we do. The words of James are calling us to live according to Jesus’ summary of the law and prophets: to love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Be a doer and not just hearers.
You know the old saying that we do have two ears and only one mouth, which should imply that we need to listen twice as much before we speak.
We also have two eyes.
We have two hands and two feet.
So, our ears, eyes, hands and feet call us to listen more, see more, feel and do more… and walk the extra mile – before we start speaking!
Listen to James advice again:
Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.
Good advice on a Sunday morning, but Better advice in a time and in a society that often prioritizes speaking over listening. A political polarized contentious time that often forgets the significance of profound, attentive and intentional listening.
Both the old saying “ We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak” and the words of James to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger, serves as a very timely reminder to engage in thoughtful listening rather than overindulging in our own voices.
These quotes and wise words appear quite straightforward. Our physical construction with two ear and one mouth, with two eyes, two hands and two feet, - do imply that we should pay more attention to what others have to say, what news and facts may teach us, what nature speaks to us, than constantly expressing our own thoughts and opinions.
Jesus was also asking the pharisees to listen more, to see more and to broaden their perspective and lift their eyes of the letters of the law.
But more specifically, these quotes and wisdom delve deeper into how we live together, how we communicate, how we converse and build consensus. It is not just about listening twice as much and counting every spoken word, and then when it is your turn – then speak even louder: no, it is about the quality and the intention of our listening. When we listen intently, we offer others space to be heard, the time to express themselves, a possibility to be understood and even validated. We create a conversation of empathy, compassion, and connection. Far from the shouting match our polarized time often delivers.
To listen requires time, practice and commitment. It is all too easy to halfheartedly listen while our minds wander, eagerly waiting for our turn to speak. When we genuinely listen, we not only comprehend the words being spoken but also the emotions, the nuances, the context, the background.
Contrasting with the wisdom of the quotes is the stark reality of today’s communication landscape. In an era dominated by social media, where everyone has a platform to voice their opinions from everything from dresses, cooking, political candidates, conspiracy theories, the art of listening has taken a backseat. Shouting matches and heated debates are increasingly the norm instead of enthusiastic, respectful conversations. This quickness to speak, slow to think twice and slow to respect shows us an increasing inability to listen and it has fueled a culture of disconnection, polarization, division and misunderstandings.
So going back to the Book of James, we need to be reminded of the wisdom of his teachings and how we should try to live our lives as hearers and doers:
1. Generosity is a gift and a grace: every good gift is essential coming from God.
2. How to live: be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.
3. Be humble.
4. Do not be hearers who forget but doers do act.
5. Pure and true religion is to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
These are powerful reminders to live out our faith through actions and not just words. To be a Christian not only on Sundays but every day of the week.
“We speak with more than our mouths. We listen with more than our ears.” The wise neighbor Fred Rogers once said.
“The purpose of life is to listen - to yourself, to your neighbor, to your world and to God and, when the time comes, to respond in as helpful a way as you can find ... from within and without.”
Fred Rogers Wisdom from the World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember,”