Doers who Act- James 1:17-end & Mark 7:1-8, 14-15,21-23
‘But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget, but doers who act – they will be blessed in their doing.’
I have to confess to you that I began writing a completely different sermon for this ‘humdinger’ of a Gospel reading, but then something happened on Wednesday evening which made me tear it up and start again. What I saw brought back a memory that made such an impact on me – and it was a joyful experience. You see, the memory I had was the time I witnessed ‘doers who act’ – ‘doers’ who made 80,000 people cry, scream, and shout with the most overwhelming joy and pride – I saw ‘doers’ who were quite frankly inspiring. On Wednesday evening the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Paris took place, and I was reminded of the time I went to the London Paralympics in 2012.
I remember being inspired by what I saw - and on Wednesday I also remembered that there is a Disability Awareness Sunday in the church calendar. So I looked up when it’s this year, praying that it was today, but it’s actually 22nd September – and next to the date were the words – ‘but any Sunday can be Disability Awareness Sunday’ – so, I took that as a sign that I was meant to talk about the Paralympics. The Gospel reading set for this Sunday is a bit of a challenge and I thought how am I going to connect it to the Paralympics. But James letter speaks about being ‘doers who act’ and I thought what an apt description for those Paralympians – ‘doers who act’. ‘Doers’ who show us just what can be achieved when you make the choice to be all that you can be – not what you can’t.
And I think that’s what Jesus was saying too in today’s Gospel – it doesn’t matter what you eat – it’s what’s in your heart that matters – eating doesn’t defile you – you have to remember that he was talking to the Pharisees who adhered to the letter of the strict dietary laws of the Jewish people – no, what defiles you – what prevents you from being all that you can be is what’s in your heart. And with that statement a choice is implied. You can choose to adhere to the letter of the law and tradition you’re used to, to the extent that you lose sight of what’s really important and still imagine yourself to be righteous, or, you can chose to adhere to a different kind of law – the law of love – loving God with all your heart, and loving your neighbour as yourself. Choosing that law will lead you into action – it will strengthen you in the race St Paul speaks of – the race where the prize is a crown of righteousness – you become ‘doers who act’. But you make the choice.
Earlier this month, the Olympic games brought together the fittest, strongest, healthiest people in the world to compete in a wide range of sports. The original Olympic games in ancient Greece were also a festival of the highest ideal people. For the Greeks, the ideal person was young, male, fair-skinned, clean-shaven, healthy and athletic. So, if you were no longer young, you were less than ideal. If you were female, you fell further down the ladder. And if you were dark-skinned or had a beard you were quite frankly a barbarian! Those who were not in good health or had some kind of physical or mental impairment were right off the scale. The ancient Greeks would have found the concept of the Paralympics where people compete despite their impairments totally incomprehensible.
I think we’re improving today when we think of disability. But there are still some who view disabled people as ‘having a problem’ which needs ‘fixing or cured’. The emphasis is on what’s ‘medically’ wrong with them and they need to be treated as in terms of healing, or in need of pity and having to be cared for. This has often led to disabled people loosing control of their lives – for example having to go to bed when their carer can put them to bed rather than when they choose to go to bed.
Then there’s the approach that I imagine most disabled people choose, which look at the environment to see what can be changed to allow them to take an active party in life on equal terms with non-disabled people. A wheelchair user is not disabled if their environment is appropriate. And speaking of wheelchair users – have you seen the basketball at the Paralympics? It’s brutal – but it’s also amazing to see how the players can manoeuvre their chairs so quickly – they can get themselves up after they’ve been knocked down quicker than I can get out of a chair!
On one Friday in 2012 I spent most of the day in the Olympic Park with my husband Chris. There were thousands of people there, and there was an such a wonderful atmosphere. I didn’t see anyone who didn’t have a smile – well, except for one petulant teenager – her father said to his wife - ‘don’t worry about it – she’s allowed to have a strop if she wants to’ and he led his wife away, leaving a very shocked teenager standing on her own. But seconds later she smiled, shrugged her shoulders and joined her mum and dad, apologised and was happy again. In fact, everyone at the event was so ‘bloomin’ happy. And we were all so polite. With several people strolling around you inevitably bumped into someone – you heard apologies everywhere. And I was astonished that there was no litter – EVERYONE was using the bins! Who said miracles don’t happen anymore!
Eventually we made our way to our seats in the stadium – and think everyone who was on our level deserved Gold Medals for climbing the never-ending steps – I think the organisers should have provided oxygen to be honest. The noise from the crowd was unbelievable – we cheered just about anything that moved on the track and field. Our biggest cheers were for those athletes who had obviously come to the games to finish their race. Those who came in several minutes behind the winners – their determination, their drive…..their spirit was inspiring. And perhaps it made some of us feel slightly guilty thinking of the times when we’ve given up because we found something hard. All the athletes inspired us, and they continue to do so today. They are ‘doers who act’ – and as a result it seems that they bring out the best in us.
Much has been said about the legacy of the Olympics and Paralympics Games. The enormous amount of money that’s spent on them isn’t just about the few weeks of sporting entertainment. It’s about the nations of the world coming together – united in the spirit of ‘togetherness’ – putting aside differences – being competitive, yes, but not negatively. It’s about celebrating who we are and what we can be. For people with impairments the focus shifts from what they can’t do t what they can do. And I think that can apply to all of us individually. We can’t change everything that’s wrong in the world – but we can make a difference where we are – in our homes, in our relationships, in our community. The slogan for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games was ‘Inspire a Generation’. Well, let’s take that on board for what it means in sporting terms, but also in our Christian lives too. Let’s be ‘doers who act’ out our faith and become all that we are created to be, reflecting what’s in our hearts – united by hearts that have been filled with the love of God - a love which cannot defile.