“The Example of a Good Life”

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday September 20, 2009

Proverbs 31: 10-31

Psalm 1

James 3: 13 – 4:3, 7-8a

George Herbert was a Welsh-born clergyman and poet who lived from 1593-1633.  Although he served, for a period of time, in the British parliament, the last years of his life were spent as a priest in a small parish in England, where he distinguished himself for the care and compassion that he extended to the congregation that he served, and to anyone that he encountered who was in need.  In many ways, Herbert’s example served as a model for parish ministry in the Church of England for many centuries after. 

As well as being a parliamentarian and priest, George Herbert was a poet, whose writings influenced a host of subsequent English poets including Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  Some of Herbert’s texts continue to be sung as hymns of the church, including the hymn “Come, my way, my truth, my life” that we will sing in a few minutes.

Throughout his life, George Herbert also collected wise sayings and proverbs, which were compiled and published in books such as the Outlandish Proverbs and the Jacula Prudentium.  And it is one of Herbert’s sayings that I would invite us to ponder this morning. 

It is this.  “Living well is the best revenge.” 

Those of you who listen to one of Toronto’s most prominent classical music stations will recognize that saying, since it is used as the tag line by the broadcaster Libby Znaimer for a series of radio spots focusing on the concerns of a subset of the Baby Boom generation who consider that the appellation “zoomer” sounds a bit more zippy and exciting than “boomer”.  I am not entirely convinced that Znaimer uses the phrase in exactly the way that Herbert intended, but it is the same nonetheless. 

Living well is the best revenge.

At first hearing, such a sentiment seems less than completely noble; to speak of revenge seems rather mean-spirited and vindictive, and less than the standard to which we are called by the One who invited us to turn the other cheek, and not to avenge ourselves but to leave vengeance to God.  But when we ponder this phrase a little more, we begin to realize that there is, in fact, a deep resonance between the sentiment that is expressed in Herbert’s proverb, and the message that we read in today’s suggested passage from the Letter of James.

The letter of James is one of the most practical texts in the entire New Testament, as it offers a wealth of good and wise insights into the qualities and actions that should be reflected in the Christian life.  It is from James that we get the famous reminder that faith without works is dead; it is in James that we are reminded that true religion requires that we care for orphans and widows – that is, the defenseless and the vulnerable; it is from James that we are reminded of the important challenge to keep control of our tongues; and it is from James that we read this morning’s reflections on the beneficial role that wisdom and understanding should play in the Christian life.

“Who is wise and understanding among you?” asks the author, and then states, “show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.”  Gentleness, wisdom and understanding are thereby presented as the identifying characteristics of the good life.  Moreover, the example that is provided by a good life, it is suggested, is the best response to anyone who would question the wisdom or understanding of a person of faith.  This noble ideal of the good life is further celebrated beginning in verse 17, in which the author writes, “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”

It is a great summary of some of the most noble qualities evident in a life well lived.  Gentleness, wisdom, understanding, purity, mercy, peace, impartiality, integrity – all are qualities worth striving for.  But the passage also contrasts those commendable attributes with the detrimental and destructive effects of bitter envy and selfish ambition.  In verse 16, we read, “for where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.”

Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.  How often have we all seen situations – in our own or other people’s lives, in the business world, in politics and in so many parts of life -- where envy and selfish ambition have actually led to disorder and wickedness?

The letter of James, therefore, as with much of the wisdom literature in the Hebrew Scriptures, seeks to set before us two very different pathways in life.  On the one hand, we have a description of a disorder and destructive existence – rooted in envy and selfish ambition; and, on the other hand, we have a description of the qualities of a far more noble existence – rooted in wisdom, understanding, gentleness and peace.

Such is the nature of the good life.  Such is the nature of what it means to live well.

What is sad, of course, is that the Church has sometimes been reluctant to speak about the “good life”.  And this reticence to speak about the marks of a ‘good life’ is often particularly true for those of us in the reformed tradition.

To speak of qualities which mark a good life seems to fly in the face of the reformed conviction that we are justified by grace and that our works, our actions and our attributes are quite irrelevant in the presence of God’s grace and love.  And even if we manage to avoid the pitfalls of the grace and works debate, the reformed tradition then presents us with its rather enduring preoccupation with the fact that we are all depraved sinners who are stained and corrupted by original sin – a preoccupation which has a pronounced tendency to minimize any celebration of human beings actually living good lives.   Anyone who talks too much about people living good lives, in fact, is quickly reminded that we are all sinful and that even our best actions are tainted with selfish motivations.

The Church’s reticence about talking about good lives is not shared by modern culture, however.  Unfortunately, our modern culture has almost entirely co-opted and redefined what is meant by the phrase “the good life”.   Most of us, when we hear some reference to a person “living the good life” know that the phrase is a shorthand way of describing a person who is living a life of ease and pleasure, who is usually free from any financial, familial, or work-related constraints, and who is able to pursue a care-free – and sometimes responsibility-free – existence.  To “live the good life” is often used as a synonym for luxurious, self-centered and often even hedonistic pursuits – many of which have very little to do with goodness at all!

These differences concerning the qualities and characteristics that define the ‘good life’ are not the only differences that stand between faith and culture in our times, however.  But as we recognize and reflect on the differences – and sometimes the emerging conflicts – that exist between faith and culture in this present time, it may be wise for us to continue to ponder James’ call to live good lives.

We are, at the present time, in the midst of an historic cultural transition, in which the place of faith in our common life is changing in quite profound ways.  We frequently hear critics of the Church, and of faith in general, who seem to take great pleasure in pointing out the flaws and perceived hypocrises of organized religion.  And this critique of religion has been going on for a long period of time.  The past century witnessed many of the effects of Marx’s attempt to dismiss religion as the opiate of the masses.   Advances in scientific understanding are too often misperceived and misconstrued as irreconcilable challenges to the claims and insights of faith.  We are all aware of the troubling effects of that rising brand of secularism which seeks to mute any voice which suggests that a person’s spiritual beliefs can have a legitimate place in public discourse. And we have all heard, and likely read, a slate of recent bestsellers written by authors who have proudly decreed that God is not great, who have decided that God is merely a delusion concocted by feeble minds; and who continuously and self-righteously repeat the patently ridiculous and indefensible nonsense that religion is responsible for most of the violence in the world.  In these, and in so many ways, the place and role of faith are often being subjected to attack and outright ridicule in the modern world.

And such criticisms have probably touched almost every one of our lives.  Every one of us has encountered people – in our workplaces, our social networks, sometimes even our own families – who not only choose to absent themselves from the practices of religion, but feel the need to make offensive and disparaging remarks about anyone who seeks to follow a spiritual path.  Most of us can remember situations in which the very mention of our participation in the church has changed the tone of a conversation – and often not in particularly positive ways.  Which is rather humourous, at times, when one considers that in our society, there is very little left that is ‘off limits’ in public conversations.  We can discuss all types of social and ethical behavior, the grocery store checkout lines can be plastered with the most scandalous details about the most private moments in people’s lives, but mention that you go to church, or admit that you actually derive benefit, enjoyment and encouragement from participating in the rhythms and rituals of religion, and it will not be long before someone looks rather strangely at you, or subtly mentions that such topics should be kept absolutely quiet and private.

So how should we, as people of faith, respond to the cynics, the skeptics, and the critics?  How should we respond to the sometimes aggressive accusations that are leveled against the church and against a life of faith?

Sometimes it is good to call to mind the wisdom of George Herbert when we find ourselves being subjected to such ridicule and attack.  Sometimes living well is the best revenge.  That is, sometimes the greatest rebuttal to such accusations, the greatest response to such criticisms; and the greatest defense against such attacks -- is simply to live lives shaped by goodness, kindness, and love.

And such a response can, in fact, be quite powerful.  After all, the example of one life, lived well, is often sufficient to counter a host of cynical criticisms.  Elaborate arguments rarely change people’s minds or silence skeptical voices; but the example offered by a compassionate person living a faithful, wise, understanding, gentle, and peaceful life can have a transforming effect.  “Who is wise and understanding among you?” asked James. “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.” 

And all of us are called to live such lives.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ reminds us, of course, that even our best attempts to live such lives will be marked by failures.  We all sin.   But this awareness of our inevitable failings is not a prescription for complacency.  The Gospel does not permit us to remain focused on or paralyzed by our failures.  To the contrary, the Gospel sets us free from those failures and sins; it calls us back to a vision of life completely open to God and completely shaped by compassion; and it inspires us to strive ever further towards the embrace of the good and noble qualities that James commends.  The Gospel reminds us that Jesus did not come to this world to berate us for our brokenness; he did not come to convince us just how bad that we really are; he did not come to condemn us; he came to show us the way to live well.  He came to show us how to live the good life.

And so, both as a response to Christ’s call, and as a rebuttal to a world that sometimes questions the benefit of faith, may we simply seek to live our lives in such a way that they might serve as examples of lives well lived. 

To put it another way, may it be our prayer that each and every one of us will live the good life.