Praising Wisdom

Post-Preaching Notes: I preached off of a simple outline this week. I knew what I wanted to say but didn’t write it all down because *excuses* the video has much more details than the notes.

Message Title: Praising Wisdom
Theme: Words of Wisdom
Season: Ordinary Time
Main Text: Psalm 146
Scripture Reading: James 2:1-17
RCL Scripture: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Isaiah 35:4-7a; Psalm 125; Psalm 146; James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17;  Mark 7:24-37
Focus: Psalm 146 is a psalm of praise to God.
Function: To make God our priority and adjust all life around our faith.
Other Notes: Grandparent-isms

SCRIPTURE READING: James 2:1-17 – My brothers and sisters, when you show favoritism you deny the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has been resurrected in glory. ² Imagine two people coming into your meeting. One has a gold ring and fine clothes, while the other is poor, dressed in filthy rags. ³ Then suppose that you were to take special notice of the one wearing fine clothes, saying, “Here’s an excellent place. Sit here.” But to the poor person you say, “Stand over there”; or, “Here, sit at my feet.” ⁴ Wouldn’t you have shown favoritism among yourselves and become evil-minded judges? ⁵ My dear brothers and sisters, listen! Hasn’t God chosen those who are poor by worldly standards to be rich in terms of faith? Hasn’t God chosen the poor as heirs of the kingdom he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the wealthy make life difficult for you? Aren’t they the ones who drag you into court? ⁷ Aren’t they the ones who insult the good name spoken over you at your baptism? ⁸ You do well when you really fulfill the royal law found in scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself.^[a] 9 But when you show favoritism, you are committing a sin, and by that same law you are exposed as a lawbreaker. ¹⁰ Anyone who tries to keep all of the Law but fails at one point is guilty of failing to keep all of it. ¹¹ The one who said, Don’t commit adultery, also said, Don’t commit murder.^[b] So if you don’t commit adultery but do commit murder, you are a lawbreaker. ¹² In every way, then, speak and act as people who will be judged by the law of freedom. ¹³ There will be no mercy in judgment for anyone who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy overrules judgment. ¹⁴ My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it? Claiming to have faith can’t save anyone, can it? ¹⁵ Imagine a brother or sister who is naked and never has enough food to eat. ¹⁶ What if one of you said, “Go in peace! Stay warm! Have a nice meal!”? What good is it if you don’t actually give them what their body needs? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity.

WORDS OF WISDOM:

1. Audience Engagement: What were the special treats you shared with your grandparents?
   1. Facebook answers: blueberry dumplings & zebra cakes
2. Billie Tigner — “That’s my favorite”
   1. My grandmother loved sweets but she wasn’t partial. She loved all sweets.

TRANSITION: Words of favoritism changes our outlook on life.

MAIN TEXT: Psalm 146 Praise the Lord! Let my whole being praise the Lord! ²I will praise the Lord with all my life; I will sing praises to my God as long as I live. ³Don’t trust leaders; don’t trust any human beings—there’s no saving help with them! ⁴Their breath leaves them, then they go back to the ground. On that very same day, their plans die too. ⁵The person whose help is the God of Jacob—the person whose hope rests on the Lord their God—is truly happy! ⁶God: the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, God: who is faithful forever, ⁷ who gives justice to people who are oppressed, who gives bread to people who are starving! The Lord: who frees prisoners. ⁸The Lord: who makes the blind see. The Lord: who straightens up those who are bent low. The Lord: who loves the righteous. ⁹The Lord: who protects immigrants, who helps orphans and widows, but who makes the way of the wicked twist and turn! ¹⁰The Lord will rule forever! Zion, your God will rule from one generation to the next! Praise the Lord!

EXPLAINATION:

1. Psalms as a wisdom literature
2. This particular psalm
   1. Author—not specified
   2. Dating—unknown
   3. Context—not specified
   4. Form of praise/worship to God

INTERPRETATION:

1. Wisdom tells us we are called to praise God.
2. Our daily, everyday life, actions are to point to God and praise God.

APPLICATION: To make God our priority and adjust all life around our faith.

1. Is God our favorite (our priority)?
2. Audience Engagement: What does it look like to have God as our priority?
3. Disclaimer:
   1. This is not about earning brownie points
      1. We don’t do things to EARN God’s love
      2. We RESPOND to God’s love with action
   2. I am NOT shaming people who are not attending church regularly.
      1. I AM defining the Christian walk.
      2. IF your faith is more than just a label, it will transform your life. You WONT be the same as you continue to grow in your faith.
4. My answer:
   1. Finding time for spiritual development- individually & in community
      1. Prayer
      2. Scripture
      3. Worship
   2. Transformation looks like:
      1. Developing the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5)
      2. Developing your spiritual gifts & talents (1 Cor 12, Rom 12, Eph 4, 1 Pet 4)
      3. A changed way of interacting with others (2 Cor 5:17)

CONCLUSION