Worship service at First Presbyterian Church in Lebanon, Tennessee. Rev. Sherard Edington, pastor.
www.fpclebanon.org
Versailles. Originally a simple hunting lodge built by King Louis 13 in 1623. Transformed into a grand palace by his son, Louis 14, the Sun King.
Moved the seat of government from Paris to Versailles in 1682.
Versailles became a symbol of royal authority and a center of European culture and diplomacy. The palace's lavish gardens, opulent interiors, and extravagant court life were renowned throughout Europe.
Came to an end in 1789 with the French Revolution.
Versailles has been restored and is one of the most visited museums in France.
We spent a wonderful day there. We toured the palace and the gardens. In the palace, I remember the great Hall of Mirrors, the kings’ private apartment, and more.
Tapestries: But one thing that really stuck in my head were the tapestries-magnificent works of art adorning the walls of various rooms. If Louis 14 wanted to display his wealth, there was no better way to do it than with tapestry.
Tapestry is a form of textile art traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Typically, a tapestry has an image instead of a repeating pattern. In Versailles, the tapestries depict landscapes, historical events, and mythological scenes, and more.
JAMES
I got to thinking of these tapestries as I was reading the Epistle of James this week, and how our lives are like tapestries.
A tapestry is made up of threads - the warp and the woof. The warp threads run top to bottom and the woof threads are woven between them.
In a tapestry, the woof threads are woven into images. Different colors, sizes, and textures.
Every thread is important. A missing thread affects the entire work.
Our lives are made up of countless moments. Call them threads. Each is important. Each affects another. A broken thread weakens the entire work. A thread that is the wrong color can disrupt the image.
17. Our reading begins with the words: Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. This is a reminder that every good thing that we do is not our own. It comes from God. We might be proud of our acts of charity, but in reality, it is God who is responsible.
Without God, our lives would be chaos. Our tapestries would be an unrecognizable mess.
The passage opens with that statement of faith. James then offers us a list of moral maxims, proverbs, and instrucition. The one that is the most well-known tells us to be Doers of the word. This is a strong thread in James. It is the one that inspired Martin Luther to famously dismiss this book as “an epistle of straw.” He did not like its emphasis on works righteousness, or the idea that we can earn our salvation by our actions. He fought the church over this in the Reformation having been inspired by Paul’s words in Romans that we are saved by grace. Luther was greatly offended by James’ claim that faith without works is dead.
True faith requires actions.
But these good acts, these works, as James stated earlier, are not our own. Every generous act comes from God. If we do something good, it is not to earn God’s grace, but in response to it.
James calls Christians to be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. How many people hear God’s word but refuse to actually listen to it. The word of God is like fried eggs in a Teflon pan-it just slides on out. It doesn’t stick. Those people may even be able to quote the scriptures but they don’t let it into their hearts.
These people, James tells us, are like those who look at themselves in a mirror and when they walk away forget what they have seen.
On the other hand, those who hear God’s word and act on it, who are changed by it, they will be blessed in all that they do.
Our reading for today begins with the assertion that every generous act of giving originates with God.
It then offers instructions on how to live as Christians:
--be doers of the word
--be quick to listen and slow to anger
--do not deceive your heart. In other words, don’t lie to yourself about what you believe.
James is clearly focused on how we act out our faith.
He defines our faith in action as “religion.” And that is what religion is. It is the outward demonstration of what we believe.
Shouldn’t our religion match our faith?
Jesus was critical of the religious leaders who acted with hypocricy:
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. (Matt 23:2)
After giving the instructions on living as Christs, James concludes this section by telling his people: Religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this: to care for the orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. In other words, 1)perform acts of compassion and 2) do not be defiled by the ways of the world.
8 окт 2024
