An Unnecessary Conflict

That True Religion

Philippians 2:1-11; James 1:27; Mark 12:41-44

A struggle in the life of faith is found in the congregation when people of ideas encounter people of action. Often, they think themselves right, but as we will see, there is really no need for conflict at all. St. Paul, a man of ideas, can very peacefully coexist with St. James, a man of action. A poor widow shows them how.

Mind of Christ

St. Paul defines faith fairly directly—have the mind of Christ. He makes clear what he means with the hymn used in this text—the mind of Christ is the commitment to self-emptying love for others. The mind of Christ is setting our life on the axis of seeing the world before us as it is, but with a refusal to leave it as such. The mind of Christ is the recognition that we exist in communities, and that the needs of every person within those communities are important. The mind of Christ takes a stance of sincere humility within those communities, seeking no aggrandizement or self-congratulation, but rather finds joy in serving others, getting promises kept, and helping others realize their own actualization as children of God.

The mind of Christ stands in contrast to most forms of conventional wisdom. It refuses to define success in any form of self-gratification or “me first” principles. The mind of Christ tends to view the world and success within the world in terms of “us” rather than “me.”

The mind of Christ flows through our moments of generosity, compassion, and simply thinking of others as encounter them, remember them, or walk with them.

It becomes faith as we accept that the mind of Christ is actually the revelation of the being and nature of God. We see that these are not simply positive attributes in human interaction, but rather they flow from an ultimate foundation, a core of being, that transcends their material expression in the here and now. They are the root of who we are as children of God, and they define life as it is to be lived before God.

Pure Religion

St. James was a man who believed in action. He appears to have had little patience with people who talked a lot, but whose lives revealed no real acceptance of what they talked about. One of his most famous statements resoundingly issued a warning to the Church—Faith without works is dead. In other words, faith is only as good as the life lived through it. We become what we believe. We bring it to life. The Living God flows through our living faith. 

Sometimes we do not know how to interpret his strong emphasis on action. Here is a simple way into his thinking—James differentiates between faith and religion—religion is the human means through which to express our faith—i.e., religion is a tool, faith the object to be built into being. 

To be sure that religion remains faithful, James gives a simple guideline—is our religion an expression of compassion? A pure religion will be a religion that people engage through works of compassion, mercy, and the alleviation of suffering. In short, true religion lives the mind of Christ. 

The Widow’s Mite

Mark shares a moment from Jesus’ life that reveals both the mind of Christ and a true religious expression of that mind—

As Jesus sat outside the Temple with his disciples, they watched others making their offerings to the treasury. Some were impressive contributions of great value made by rich congregants. Others were simple gifts made by simple people. Then a widow, a person who embodied the very least within society, came to the offering box and dropped in two pennies. 

You know what happened next—

Jesus exulted! “She has given more than anybody! She gave everything she had!” 

And many a stewardship sermon was launched!

But what we need to see is the coming together of mind and action. The widow has the mind of Christ—she gives sacrificially, thinking of the needs of others, realizing she has plenty to share, and she does so in complete service to God. Her religious practice is simply an embodiment of what she believes. It reveals the character of God, who we are before God, and what will further the Kingdom of God on earth—no wonder Jesus exults—she got it!

Do we?

Think about what believe about God—about God interacts with us; about how God wants us to interact with each other; and how those two things are inseparable.

The more we are able to see that our religious practice is the means by which to fully express what we believe, the more we take in the example of the widow. 

And the more heaven rejoices.

Go, and do likewise.