The Making of a Christian

Song of Solomon 2: 8-13
James 1: 17-27

A good friend of mine is not a Christian. He’s not Jewish, or Muslim, or even a Buddhist. He told me that he had once read quite a bit about all of these religions, but he wasn’t sure he could believe in any of them. For awhile, he considered himself an atheist. After all, if he couldn’t believe in any religion in the world, he must not believe in God. However, the more he thought about it the more he realized he did believe in God. What he didn’t believe in were people.

There is a vast difference between believing in religion and believing in God. We tend to not make the distinction, assuming that if you believe in one you certainly believe in the other which is why my friend thought for so long he must be atheist. Religion is fallible. God is not. Religion was created to help organize the chaos that surrounds our lives and it was created to put shackles on God.

Are you uncomfortable with that idea? I am. How can our belief in Christianity put a shackle on God? Our beliefs start out pure and with good intentions. The disciples and Paul helped to build the Christian religion with their desire to spread the Good News. They instituted rituals and customs because it is what they had in their Jewish faith and it is what people need. We need the comfort of knowing what to do and what to say and when to do it.

Let me give you an example. If I told you that as of now, we would only do Communion on Christmas and Easter, what would your response be? And what if I said that Consistory has decided that we no longer need candles or altar cloths because a barren church better represents Jesus? What if I said we will no longer have bulletins because we’re going to let the Holy Spirit lead church?

It’s unsettling. These are things we know are coming, they are tools to help guide us as we worship. The candles represent the fire God has lit inside our hearts, the altar cloths tell us what season and occasion it is while giving a homey, comforting feel to the sanctuary. Communion is supposed to bring us closer to God and to each other. Each one of these things has a meaning and a purpose to help us worship God.

But do they?

My friend who does not believe in religion is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. He has devoted his life to helping others by becoming a children’s psychiatrist. Each friend he makes he keeps in close contact with and his wife of two years knows how much he loves her because he makes sure to not just tell her but to show her. My friend may not believe in Christianity, but he lives a Christian life. How is that possible?

Well, if we get back to the idea that religion can sometimes put shackles on God, I see how it is possible. We become so ingrained in our beliefs and systems and our committees we forget that God exists outside of all of these things. God existed long before we created and God will exist long after they are gone. God does not begrudge us our many committees or paperwork to make sure all is well and smoothly run in the church. God does not begrudge us the money it takes to keep a building up to date or the money we spend on toner and paper to create bulletins every week.

The problem is us. When we get so caught up in what HAS to be because it has always BEEN, we stifle the creative power of our Lord. Yes, we have always had Communion once a month. Yes, we have always had bulletins and candles and altar cloths. Does this make us more of a Christian church to have these things? What makes a person a Christian? What makes a church a holy place?

James tells us that, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” We are told to be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry. James makes it very clear that this is what makes up a Christian because God is working in us to correct our faults. We do good things not because it gets us into heaven, but because good things have been given to us and our response is to love like we have been loved.

But how many of us do it? For as much love and blessings as we all have been given, we all know in our hearts that we do not respond with equal love and generosity. Sometimes we do not respond at all. We take the things given to us as our due. We often feel self-entitled and we can allow ourselves to become narrow-minded.

James tells us that this is not God’s way. According to James, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” God does not change like shifting shadows. God does not get caught up in rules and committees and when it is time to have Communion. These things are not what are important to God. They are helpful, they are useful tools, but they are not what make up a Christian or a church.

Actions. It would annoy my friend to know I called him a Christian because he has known way too many that do not live like Jesus lives. I remember the day I told him I was going to become a pastor, strangely enough, he was the only one I told that supported me unconditionally. Even my family had deep reservations about it but he said to go for it. Then he made me make a promise to him. He asked, “Please, do not ever force your beliefs on someone and if you say something, mean it and do it. Promise me you will not become a hypocrite.”

That stuck with me through all three years of seminary and now the two years I have spent here. Do not become a hypocrite. When we say do not judge lest you be judged, when we say love others as God loves you, these things are powerful if we stick to them. One of my favorite quotes is by Francis Assisi and it says, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

Actions. We can say we are a Christian or we can say we are not. It is our actions that prove our words to be truth or lie. We can say we are here to help people, to give back to the community, but it is our actions that tell the most about why we are here. We can say we love others and do not judge, but when we gossip and complain about everyone around us, we make a mockery of those words.

We all will fall short of the glory of God. We’re human. We weren’t made perfect, we are in the midst of being perfected. We will make mistakes. We will fall and crawl and find ourselves lost at times. That is human nature. But if we keep these words of James in mind, if we remember the life that Jesus lived on earth - we have a guide to follow, we have a way to pick ourselves back up, to brush ourselves off and get back onto the way of being the person and the people that God desires us to be.

It is time we let the shackles fall away so that we all may be free to love unconditionally. That we may be free to see God in the many ways God exists in our lives. We are not perfect, but God has made us a promise. Follow Him, and we will be given eternal salvation. We need to follow Jesus more than we need to follow our manmade rules. Jesus didn’t always follow the rules and yet he said, “I came not to abolish the law, but to perfect it.” Our history has shown us we weren’t always right in how we worshipped God. When we oppressed black people and justified it with scripture. When we refused women leadership positions and justified it with scripture. We have been wrong before. We will be wrong again.

Jesus reminds us that sometimes we must break the rules to follow God. Rules are not perfect, but God is perfect. If we follow Jesus, then we will be doing what is right and good and true. Our actions will align precisely with our words, and everyone will know we are Christians in both word and deed.

Amen.