Be Ye Doers of the Word

In yesterday's sermon, in which Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a sower sowing seeds, I drew attention to Jesus' penchant for concluding parables with the saying, "Let those who have ears hear." The phrase points to the reality that among Jesus' hearers some "got it" and some failed to understand the meaning of his words. In the time allotted yesterday I couldn't fit it the question, "What does it mean to understand the words or teachings of Jesus?'

In James 1:22 the bible says, "...but be doers of the word and not just hearers..." This indicates that action in response to the teachings of Jesus is one indicator that a person understands the message. In John 13:35 Jesus is reported to have said, "By this will all people know that you are my disciples, that you love one another as I have loved you." Here love is the action that marks the disciple or student of Jesus.

So, to hear with understanding is to appropriately respond to Jesus' message. The appropriate action will be rooted in Love, as God is love, and could take many forms. In my own life the appropriate response to a message about the kingdom of God has led me to seek forgiveness and reconciliation with someone (often begun by acknowledging my fault), give more generously of myself, time, or talent, opening my heart and mind to a new understanding or insight or direction from others, and humbling myself and turning from pride.

As one member of the Vision Team I believe our hope is that in the coming months, at the appointed time, our congregation will respond in three ways. First, that every member of Trinity will gather at one of the designated meetings for a holy conversation around the questions "Who are we? What is God calling us to be and do? Who is our neighbor?

Second, that people will come with a sense of togetherness rooted in the reality we are all linked together and so collectively we can avoid the all too common practice of blaming and scapegoating. Third, each person will speak honestly from his or her unique perspective. In my experience this will require several important dynamics to be at work: (1) the assurance that it is safe to speak honestly (2) that persons choose not to defend the Dean or tradition or the majority position by attacking minority viewpoints.

A conversation rooted in honesty that leads to understanding, be it in the form of two people (marriage), 10 people (family gathering), 75 people (church gathering), or 541 (total members of Congress), is a rare thing. The safest place to begin such a practice is in your everyday conversations with Self and God. People who practice such honest conversations daily will surely increase the odds that Trinity can have such a conversation.

Shalom, Gregory