Rooted in Amos 5:6-7, 10-15, Tim Reardon, preached on James James 1:22-27; 2:18-26. Tim begins with a story of the desert fathers — or better yet, “desert parents” — a dialogue between Abbot Lot and Abbot Joseph, his elder. The question ultimately posed by Abbot Joseph, “Why not be completely changed into fire?” is contrasted to the way Nicodemus might have heard Jesus’ directive, “you must be born again.” These are interesting, ridiculous, and meaningful sayings. Both imply that they need not just to do certain things, but to have something done to them — allowing something to be done to them by God. Yieldedness.

Returning to James, we are told to not be only hearers of the word, but doers. We need to take the time to hear God. But we also need to look into a mirror, and see what is reflected back. In James’ day, the mirror was a place of self-reflection. The truly wise person looks into the mirror and sees something that confronts them — something that spurs them on to change. This is a metaphor for how we are to look into the word of God. It is a mirror that we stand before — where we ourselves are read — by a royal law of love. Are we listening? Hearing?

Those who walk away without seeing, forgetting what is seen — are like those who live in bubbles (30 Rock!) They are those who project onto the mirror their own view of the world. What bubbles do we live in? What bubbles does our society create that keep us from seeing what needs to be done around us? What helps you get out of your bubble?

To help us think about the bubbles that we all live in — Tim reminds us that we are all born into bubbles. They are like water to fish. Do you notice the water that you’re swimming in? This is what James means when he talks about the world. Do you notice the water. What helps you see the water? What are the mirrors that help us to see? And how do we read the mirror of scripture? It is a divine dialogue that we are privileged to participate in. We continue the divine, messy dialogue. The world needs people pushing at the borders, reflecting Jesus the doer — pushing at the status quo. Why not yield yourself completely?

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