"Working Undercover"

 James 2:1-5, Mark 7:32-37

Faith, by itself, without works, is dead, says the writer of James.  We learn in Ephesians that we have been saved through faith alone,  and that works will not gain us faith. But, we also hear repeated by Paul and other followers of Christ that the response to our faith in Christ is to do good works.  To help the poor, but not to make a name for ourselves. Rather, as a way of giving thanks to God for the gifts of grace and love in our lives.

Jesus sees the act of being humble as a true measure of one’s devotion to God.  The writer in James says if someone comes into our assembly dressed in the richest garments and someone else comes in dressed in rags and we show favor to the one in the fine garments, we are judging and showing distinction and dishonoring the poor.  He says that God has chosen the poor in the world to be rich. 

I think alongside that Jesus is also suggesting that we be humble in deed and word and action. That we not make a show of our faith. It is interesting to note that the many times Jesus heals people or performs a miracle of some sort, most every time he orders the disciples to not tell anyone.

It reminds me of the idea of the Random Acts of Kindness movement.  Doing a small gesture for a stranger.  Sharing a kind word with a neighbor. Anything really. Just showing kindness rather than cynicism and anger in the world around you.

Jesus healed. And said, “Shhh.”  So, what do we do to share the love of Christ with a savior who is imploring us to “shhh?”  Perhaps we think about how we share the love of Christ, why we see it as important to share, and what it means for those we share it with, without once giving a thought to what it might mean for us. 

All month we are going to be looking at humility as a Christian virtue. We will look at various passages that address the order of Christ to not tell others of his miracle-working and to be humble in our own faith.  And we will struggle with what exactly all that means.

What are your thoughts on being a humble follower of Christ while being an enthusiastic follower of Christ?  What are your thoughts on these passages?  What kinds of random acts of kindness or miracle-working do you like to be a part of? Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below.