A Hare was making fun of the Tortoise one day for being so slow.
“Do you ever get anywhere?” he asked with a mocking laugh.
“Yes,” replied the Tortoise, “and I get there sooner than you think. I’ll run you a race and prove it.”
The Hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the Tortoise, but for the fun of the thing he agreed. So the Fox, who had consented to act as judge, marked the distance and started the runners off.
The Hare was soon far out of sight, and to make the Tortoise feel very deeply how ridiculous it was for him to try a race with a Hare, he lay down beside the course to take a nap until the Tortoise should catch up.
The Tortoise meanwhile kept going slowly but steadily, and, after a time, passed the place where the Hare was sleeping. But the Hare slept on very peacefully; and when at last he did wake up, the Tortoise was near the goal. The Hare now ran his swiftest, but he could not overtake the Tortoise in time.
So goes the Tale of The Hare & The Tortoise. It is one of Aesop’s most beloved fables. The takeaway from the story is this, Aesop concludes:
The race is not always to the swift.
James
Our focus text today is from James chapter 1, verses 17-27. In it the author begins by sharing that every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. As the church calendar soon pivots toward Advent, and our month-long journey to the manger, we’re reminded that the ultimate gift come December 25 won’t be found under a tree. Instead, it is wrapped in swaddling clothes.
The text concludes with what pure religion looks like before God. If any think they are religious and can’t watch their tongues they are deceived. And their religion is worthless. Instead, a faith aligned with our creator is all about caring for others in distress.
It is alternate language for the Greatest Commandment: Love your God. Love your neighbor as yourself. For this is the whole of the law.
Smack dab in the middle of this text, between –
the perfect gift from above, and
caring for others in distress –
is a gem of wisdom on how to marry this heavenly gift with our call to care.
Clocking in at just nine words, summed to three imperatives, this short passage contains much. Be –
Quick to listen,
Slow to speak,
Slow to anger.
Said differently:
Take time to listen,
Wait, before talking,
Wait, when feeling upset.
Anger
The challenge anger presents has been part of our shared history since the beginning of time, first making an appearance in Genesis chapter 4.
Brothers Cain and Abel both brought offerings to God. God seemed to like Abel’s offering more. This upset Cain. God asked him why are you angry? If you do well you will be accepted. And if you do not? This is where sin lurks. Your anger will seek to draw you in, God told him. But you must master it.
To be honest it kinda sounds like a scene from Star Wars, with Yoda encouraging Luke Skywalker to channel his anger.
While Luke was able to master this lesson over time – for the most part – Cain could not.
Instead, Cain lured his brother to a field and in a fit of rage rose up against Abel, killing him.
Cain was –
Slow to listen,
Did not speak,
Quick to anger.
Quick to act.
Humanity has been dealing with the fallout from this first crime of passion ever since.
Just yesterday my third-grade son Graham came home with a worksheet from school that says, with big block letters on top, Angry Feelings. On it there are a series of cartoony plants and animals, each with an upset scowl lining their face.
These are some things that can help when you feel angry, the worksheet begins. Color the ones you would use. Options kids can select include –
- Listen to calming music
- Talk about it
- Get up and move
- Write in a journal
- Hug a loved one
- Take a break
- Think happy thoughts
- Take slow deep breaths
- Count to 10
Graham colored in listen to calming music, write in a journal, take slow deep breaths. Good job lil dude, those are great ways to approach angry feelings 😊.
Consider the language in this list: listen, write, think, breathe, hug, count.
Those are not quick actions. They are slow. Our schools are teaching kids at a young age about a feeling that, often when acted on, can cause very real harm. And in doing so they’re encouraging youth to take some time before they react.
I’d add perhaps one more action to the list: pray. Ask the Lord for perspective. Ask our Creator to help you see the image of God in the other or others with whom you are upset. Then ask for the wisdom to know how best to respond.
Don’t make it a quick prayer.
Do it nice and slow.
Christ the King
Today we celebrate the Festival of Christ the King. The festival was first added to the liturgical calendar in 1925 and is commemorated by Catholics and mainline Protestants across the globe.
The day reminds us Christ is to rule in our heads and hearts, over and above any other entity seeking to claim God’s throne.
What was going on in Europe when the feast day first began is hard to ignore. For in 1925 Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy. Fascism and nationalist movements in Europe were on the rise. WWII was on the way.
Fascism is a political philosophy that exalts nation, and often race, over and above the individual, over and above everything else. Fascism is often led by a dictator and the forcible suppression of opposition.
When anger causes –
One nation to rise up against another, and
One race to rise up against another,
It’s a clear sign we are not following the way of Christ.
Our own recent US history has been marked by demonizing immigrants, conspiracy theories, a rise in Christian nationalism, and a ruler hesitant to vacate a political throne as leaders normally do. All this suggests we are at a delicate moment today too.
Speaking personally, I was heartened by our November elections. Candidates with more moderate views often won. Concession speeches became, once again, the norm. Civility, and kindness, just might be making a comeback.
For this let us pray.
Yet when we allow fear of the other to take hold, whether the other is defined by nation, race, ethnicity, orientation or political ideology it can’t help but lead to anger. And quickly, ever so quickly when we act out of a place of anger, things get messy, and fast. When that happens we all lose.
When we are busy being angry at each other we miss out on the opportunity to care for one another as our faith implores us to. The cost of this tradeoff is high.
Today
Let us be reminded that when Christ is on the throne of our hearts, over and above all else, this kind of stuff bubbles up less. For Christ rules with the law of love. It is a law that implores us to love God. To love our neighbor as ourselves.
Add in the wisdom of James and we find ourselves with the time and space to pursue a path of peace, hope, love.
As we soon pivot to Thanksgiving celebrations, and the season of Advent right after, we may just find ourselves stressed, hurried, distracted. In those moments may we be –
Quick to listen,
Slow to speak,
Slow to anger.
Lord, give us the patience to do that not just now but all year long.
For in the race of life being slow to anger is the only way, collectively, we can win. Amen.
