Mennonite Weekly Review

If only it were that easy — the one-two-three of following James’ recipe for godly behavior, living responsibly. As the Adult Bible Study Teacher writer David M. Morrow summarizes: Stop fussing, stop fighting, stop grabbing. Just receive God’s gifts. There is such plenty that no one needs to fight over them. Do this and become people of “godly behavior.”

Muriel T. Stackley, a member of Rainbow Mennonite Church in Kansas City, Kan., is a retired editor and pastor. Her e-mail address is murielts15 (at) gmail.com.

First-century James’ worldview appears simplistic to us. It is clearly divided into that of God and that of the devil. It’s either wisdom from above or wisdom from below. Choose envy and selfish ambition and head for destruction. Or, submit to God and you will “come near to God” (verse 8).

My world is more ambiguous than that. Gray areas abound between one side and the other. It’s uncomfortable to have to consider more than one point of view. My lifelong learning is that “it’s not that simple.” I want simplification. But just when I categorize someone or something, and make a judgment, I receive new information and have to rethink my conclusion.

But I also hear James and take his words to heart and aspire to heed his advice: “Surrender your desires to God.” I have, for a lot of years, used a song, with words by Marji Hazen, as a mantra: “With Thy help would I purge all desire from my heart save desire of Thee” — this with mixed results. But the prayer continues.

From prophet’s voice to pastor’s voice

Listen to the change in tone. Compare verses 1-6 (the prophet’s trumpet) with 7-12 (the pastor’s encouragement). That approach can, I believe, make these verses a touchstone as we aim to “live responsibly” and behave in godly fashion. Living by God’s wisdom —discerned from the Scriptures and from participation in a faith community — will nourish our sense of wholeness, a wholeness so needed in our competitive culture.

An athletic coach of necessity embodies both voices — the prophet and the pastor — as that coach’s team (for example) is melded into a working unit. This is the year that the Boston Celtics taught the world an African word: Ubuntu. It means “I am because of you.” Or: We’re a team, not an assortment of stars. Or: We stand on the shoulders of giants. Or: The whole is more important that the parts. Ubuntu became the Celtics’ mantra, all the way to a championship. The word is also consistent with a proverb from Botswana: “A person is a person through others,” or “We are what we are through others.”

I think our letter writer James would have liked the word ubuntu. I connect it with his call to “wash your hands,” “purify your hearts” (verse 8). James’ words are as current as the morning news. A philosophical saturation with these verses could be medicine for our current epidemic of walls — separating Israelis and Palestinians, separating the United States from Mexico, separating gated communities from the rest of society.

Much-needed medicine

James’ words could also be an antidote for the seven deadly social sins as articulated by Mohandas Gandhi, who said, “I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians,” and “If Christians would obey their Christ, I might join them.” Here is his list of seven: politics without principle, wealth without work, commerce without morality, pleasure without conscience, education without character, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice.

Is it possible that living responsibly and behaving in godly fashion, copying the life and ministry of Jesus, could bring about world peace? In this century? Some are dreaming that this should be possible.