A Break in the Action
With the haiku contest standing at 1-1, Wendy and I are taking a short break to blog real blogs.There's something that's been bugging me for a while. Has "blog" become a verb? I understand that this is a blog, or maybe a 'blog, since the term originated as a contraction of web log. But do we "post on our blogs" or do we now "blog on our blogs"?
This week has been equal parts enjoyment and frustration. I'm trying to unlock James 1: 12-18 for Sunday morning. The sermon will be about blame and temptation. I'm doing okay on the blame part. But the temptation part has me running in circles. I'm on vacation this week and I've even had the house to myself for the better parts of two whole days. And yet the sermon remains half written. Every time I try to get serious about part two, I find myself making lunch, or watching DVD extras, or, y'know, blogging. Somewhere in this mix is the fact that Sunday is both the kickoff to VBS (which means the stage will be dressed as a broken-down carnival) and Father's Day. Neither of those things have anything to do with temptation. But we speakers at College are an honest bunch. We try to deal with our topics on a personal level. I'm sure that part of the problem is that I don't really want to lay all of my temptations at the congregation's feet. "Here. That's my stuff. Ugly, isn't it?" But how do I get people absorbed in a topic that we all want to avoid? How do my temptations relate to their temptations? And how do I help others deal with stuff that I do such a lousy job with myself? It's possible that the sermon will be made up of that type of question. It's also possible that I just have too much time to think.
Speaking of which: what's this whole "crown of life" thing about? James says:
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."
Is the crown symbolic of eternal life? Does everyone receive the same crown? Are there levels of reward in heaven and, if so, are the levels determined by the types of trial we undergo? Isn't all this sounding like a return to "saved by works" theology that we have tried so hard to get past? And why a crown? Is this more kingdom language? And finally, am I thinking too much?
At least now you see why I'm enjoying the haiku break so much.
posted by Thurman8er @ 10:20 AM
8 Comments:
I think the crown is symbolic of eternal life. And when I get my crown, I will not care if it is because I have been through trials, or if someone has a nicer crown, or whatever the case may be. I will have my crown and I will be a happy camper! I don't have any theological degress, just life lived for almost 68 years. Love your blog, Steve.
I did take typing, however, and I was always good at spelling. I meant, of course, degrees.
I may be a stickler for correct grammar, but I am also a firm believer in verbing nouns that need verbing.
As for the verse...it seems that it is saying that those who love Him will find themselves under trials, and will be rewarded for withstanding the testing. Whenever I make conscious decisions to, I don't know, study more, or pray about something specific, it seems Satan comes by to poke me a few times, testing my commitment. I don't always do as well as I'd like, but I still know that crown will be mine.
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My "on summer vacation brother" - You are thinking way too much but that is easy for me to say since I'll just be driving a bus of 30 teens on Sunday to "Wild and Wonderful" West Virginia and not preaching as you will be.
I'm with Sue on the "Crown" talking about eternal life but I also wonder if the Crown has some meaning for us in the here and now?
It seems that those who are able to deal with their temptations through the power of the Holy Spirit on a consistent basis live a joyful life despite their circumstances. Just a thought from a (being nice to Randy) "you know what."
Steve,
I noticed you visited my Blog earlier today and so I started looking at the links on Randy Wray's blog and found yours and then couldn't resist comenting on your most recent post.
First, I'm a huge Green Lantern fan so I already like you even though I do not believe we have ever met.
Second, whether blogging is a verb (and I believe it is or should be) is only the first question. The tougher question is what activity does it describe? Does it refer to posting on your own blog? Commenting on someone elses blog? Setting up your blog's appearance? Reading blogs? My problem is not that you shouldn't say "I spent all day blogging instead of working", but that I still wouldn't know what you meant. This must be settled.
Finally, here are some half-baked thoughts on your very insightful questions about James.
1. I believe that the "Crown of Life" is not merely Heaven or the after life, but rather salvation, which begins in this life and extends to the next. The crown of life is not only the gift of life itself (as opposed to the death and slavery we lived in when separated from God), but it is the gift of fullness of life. We not only are made alive through Christ, but we are placed in a position to suck the marrow out if it. After all, Jesus said He came not only so that we could have life, but that we could have it in abundance.
In other words, I believe I am already wearing the crown of life given to me when, with His Spirit, I conqured death in my baptism. Just my read.
On the slightly broader topic of temptation and the passage in James, it makes me think of Soren Kierkegaard. In books like Fear and Trembling he discusses his view that true faith or religion comes only in those times when we are tested with an impossible choice.
On a less dramatic level, temptation is like game time for a Christian. The reading, the prayers, the time in Church, the choice to do good when it suits us and the ones we love, are all important but in some ways just practice for the game. The game, when it really counts for something, is when we are faced with those moments when we truly want something in opposition to God's will. When you are faced with the motive and opportunity (to use legal terms), and you choose God, you have "perservered under trial."
In the end, this is how God knows that we love Him and this, I believe, is what He longs for the most. So, in that sense, temptations, as much as they are to be avoided because of our weakness, are the best opportunities we have to show true love for God.
To use yet another analogy, no one wants to go to war, but only in battle can a warrior become a hero. Without temptation our faith would be hollow.
I don't believe this passage is talking about rewarding "works" or punishing "bad works," but rather the rewards that come from choosing God when you least want to. When you do that, you exert power over your life, your world, your existence. Only in this, can you live life to the full. When every fiber of your being says download pornography, steal from your company, lie to your spouse, be hurtful to your brother, and instead you choose to do what is right, you have allowed God's Spirit to work in you and together you have received a glimpse at a new life, full and rich and eternal.
It isn't about rewards for doing good and punishment for not doing good. It is God telling us that when we are strong enough to tell Him we love Him in those moments when we least want to, that declaration is the highest form of worship and the clearest path to enjoying our salvation, in this life and the one to come.
Ok, back to work. sorry to ramble on. i get worked up easily on matters of faith.
David Letterman said once that he believed in heaven. He said he saw it as a really big stadium and that he had really bad seats.
Just as there are different gifts, different levels of spiritual maturity, different capacities, there is nothing to indicate that "heaven" will be the same thing for everyone. God has a pretty good imagination, so, the sky is the limit!
What's this HONESTY thing you were writing about? I may have to get a replacement…
Steve...I was informed by someone very wise that the book of James was the basis for the enduring 12 Steps of (choose your dysfunction - AA, ACA, NA, Al-Anon, etc), which was created by Bill W. The issue of "blame" and "temptation" may be addressed in these "steps" with the concept that all of us must take our own inventory and not everyone elses when contemplating our lives and the consequences of our actions. Temptation may also be dealt with in many of the steps...if we are truely letting God control our lives, and if we are committed to being responsible for our actions, perhaps temptation will become easier to overcome. That's not to say that we will always be able to overcome temptation, but if we recognize OUR responsibility in succumbing to temptation, and KNOW that God will hear our prayers to forgive us, and to make us stronger, that focus toward God will enable us to resist future temptation. It's hard to always "turn over" our lives to God...we have this silly idea that we can control our lives better than God can...but the process of "turning it over", "taking it back", and ' turning it over again" repeats itself throughout our lives, and after a while, we see how much better our powerless lives are when we let God take over! This is just my interpretation...not perhaps the most scholarly, but I know how it works for me. That's why I love the song, "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus".
After all, temptation takes on many forms...and if "The 12 Steps" is anything, it certainly is all about temptation, and temptation destroys lives and shakes ones faith. These steps are really "Christianity In Action". One doesn't have to have an addiction to follow them.
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