A Bride of Noble Character
James 3:13-18 & Proverbs 31:10-31
How true is the opening question of the Proverbs passage? A wife of this echelon of noble character, who indeed can find? She is most certainly the woman that nearly every man would want to marry. And she is the wife that most women aspire to be. She is confident and trustworthy. She is a hard worker and yet also compassionate. She works in the house and in the public arena. Her children call her blessed and her husband praises the work of her hands. In short, we might call her Superwoman or perhaps Wondermom for in all honesty isn’t this the description of a super hero? Who can possibly be so competent in all areas of her life?
It makes me tired reading the accolades of this noble wife and it makes me ashamed of how lacking I seem to be in so many arenas – especially in the domestic, spinning thread and making garments arenas! I wonder what one person can possibly live up to the standards of this noble wife?
Earlier this week, as I struggled with this idea, I continued with my usual sermon prep and went on-line to see what and how others were preaching from this passage. And what I found almost surprised me. Of the 100+ sermons I scrolled through on Monday afternoon, none of them were given by a female pastor. Many of them were preached, by men, on Mother’s Day and were used to encourage women to be less petty, less focused on external beauty and to strive to be the Wondermom described by this passage. They were words from male mouths (sorry, guys) encouraging women to live to this caliber of nobility in order to bring glory and praise to her husband and children. I would say this was by far the most common usage of this passage. But there was a close second, and it was using this passage as the scripture for the funeral meditation of a faithful, family-centered matriarch. Well, in all honesty, I didn’t really see either of these themes applying to our time together today. And so I continued to meditate on what God wanted and needed for us (men and women – the body of Christ in the world) to hear and to learn from this scripture…
And then it dawned on me, perhaps this passage is not simply about one woman and the work that a singular wife is supposed to carry out while her husband sits at the gate of the city. But maybe there is a larger picture to be seen. Maybe there is a message in this passage that is not just for the women of the world, but rather a message for the Church – the bride of Christ in the world. What if we look at this passage and the passage from James and seek to hear a message about the wisdom and work needed in order for the church universal to function as the noble wife, the virtuous wife, the wife of good character, the bride of our Savior to whom we give all honor and praise.
Listen to the description again, but instead of thinking of one person fulfilling all these qualities, think about the role of the Church in the world…
Christ, her husband, has full confidence in her, for the Church brings him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. The Church works with eager hands, providing food for her family and for the servants. The Church sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for the tasks and her lamp does not go out at night. The Bride of Christ opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. She is clothed with strength and dignity, she speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Many do noble things, but the Church surpasses them all.
Suddenly this list of seemingly impossible tasks for ONE person is now a very doable lifestyle for the bride of Christ.
We as the Church are to be a people united in working for the glory and praise of our Bridegroom. We, as the Church of Christ, are to be less concerned with what the world thinks of us and more concerned with living a noble life in accord with our Lord. Too many congregations are in competition with other congregations. For some reason we have begun to lose sight of our common mission as the bride of Christ to bring glory not to ourselves, but to God who created us and sustains us.
Success for the Church is not about which congregation has the most members nor is it about which building is the most state-of-the-art. Success of the church, much like the success of the noble wife, is not measured by vanity and outward appearances, but rather success as the church universal (and individual congregations thereof) is measured by how well we live out the qualities of the intrinsic values. The bride of Christ is called to be the noble wife in Proverbs 31. The church universal is called to live, as James says, by the wisdom that comes from heaven. The wisdom that is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, impartial and sincere. These are the measures by which congregations and the Church as a whole should be judged in the world.
As William Temple said, “The church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members.” In other words, like the virtuous wife of Proverbs 31, the Church exists for the benefit and well-being of others. The Church is not to be driven by vanity and the desire to be praised by others. Rather the Church is to be a conduit for the Gospel of Christ to flow into the world, transforming the lives of those with whom she comes in contact.
So how are we doing? Are we as a congregation of the Church universal living up to the calling of being the noble and virtuous bride of Christ?
Are we eagerly serving the Lord as a congregation and as individual members thereof in our thoughts, and in our words and in our deeds?
Are we being vigorous in the work to which we have been called – the work of spreading the word of Christ to the world near and far?
Do we readily open our arms to the poor and do we extend our hands to the needy?
Are we clothed with strength and dignity? Are we speaking with wisdom? Are we being faithful in all our instruction?
Does the noble work of the Church surpass the humanitarian work of non-profit and government agencies?
Sometimes it’s hard to tell. There are many people in this community – let alone this state, this country and the world - who have heard the truth of Christ proclaimed. But they don’t get it. They don’t see the need for it. They argue – can’t I just be a good person? Can’t I serve the world in the nobility of the Peace Corps – without having the baggage and the burden of Jesus Christ? There are people that look at the church as the bride of Christ in the world, and what they see is hypocrisy rather than nobility. They see the church as agents and proponents of injustices and oppression. They see an institution that has lost sight of its foundational calling to be the hands and feet of love, mercy and grace in the world. They see a group of people who profess their desire to live with Godly wisdom, but who carry out selfish plans of personal gain.
A wife of noble character, who can find her? Who can find the bride of Christ in the world that seeks to give all praise and glory to her Lord, without retaining some for herself?
The Church, the family of God, is called to be selfless in our giving. We are called to live by God’s wisdom, not by the constructs of the world. We are to be encouraged by our faith when we are battling the uphill, against the stream, notions of what we are doing and why we are doing it. We are to be the virtuous wife. We are to be the embodiment of noble character in the world. The Church universal, above all other institutions and entities, is to be honest and trustworthy, filled with mercy and grace, welcoming of all peoples and supportive of those whom society has pushed to the margins. This is the picture of the noble bride of Christ in the world.
May the church universal seek to be noble. May we strive to be virtuous. May we live all our days bringing glory to God and embodying God’s wisdom for the world.
This sermon is a call and a challenge to each of us to live as God calls us to live. To love as Christ wills us to love. And to move forth in faith and wisdom as the Spirit of God has equipped us to do.
Brothers and sisters, let us not seek selfish and worldly ambition, but in the words of James, let us – the bride of Christ in the world - be the peacemakers who sow in peace and raise a harvest of righteousness – for this brings glory to God alone. Amen.
