James 2:1-17 – An Apostle tells a first century church community how they are to live in light of God’s guidance.
We call this Sunday Homecoming because many of us are returning from a time away. Maybe you were busy with other things during the summer but now that school has started and vacations are over, you’re back into the routine that includes family worship.
Or maybe you’re with us for the first time this morning, checking out the church and figuring whether this might be the right place for you.
“Homecoming” means that our church is home for us. We’re coming to the place where we’re known and loved and safe. We’re here, together.
I almost said “welcome back” when I offered the words of welcome this morning. But it seems the greater truth is “welcome… forward.” We Christians who are so familiar with out tradition also need to trust absolutely that God is calling us forward.
The year ahead is going to be great, isn’t it? Worship with fine music and wonderful Sunday school, fellowship and faith formation and lots of other opportunities to grow in our knowledge and love of God and of Jesus.
It’s also going to be a very different kind of year because we’ve already said goodbye to Associate Minister Elsa Peters as she left to begin her ministry in Washington. And we’ve just said hello to Diane Harvey as our Transitional Minister. And we know that you and I will be saying goodbye next June when I retire. Wow! A different kind of year, yes. But a very good year lies ahead.
In just a few minutes I want to remind us who we are as a Christian community: the Bible lesson today is from a letter written nearly 2,000 years ago, addressed to a small group of Christians who, like most church folks, are having some different opinions. Imagine that! The author, possibly Jesus’ brother James, wants to straighten them out by making several things very clear. So it’s like we’re listening in to someone else getting scolded – but we need to hear this too.
In these several verses, the author makes two very important points. We need to hear them and remember them and live them. First point: people are people and God loves them all, and each one has a place in the family of the church. The author tells his readers that it is just plain wrong to show favor to people with a lot of money and to make poorer folks sit in the corner.
You remember we help a lot of people through Community Crisis Ministries, to which so many of you give so generously. I can’t tell you how many times in a week someone who needs help with food, or school clothes or to pay their rent, and comes in and sort of looks around and acts really sheepish and embarrassed that they need help.
And all of us who work here at the church every day do our very best to treat them like real people, good people, worthy people. And so often, when they leave they’re looking a little brighter and a little better, and sometimes even have a smile on their face because they were treated with kindness and caring.
James says: if you can’t do anything else really well, at least learn to do what Jesus taught you: to love each other as you love yourselves.
And that’s the second important teaching here, in verses 14 through 17:
My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don’t do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you? If you know someone who doesn’t have any clothes or food, you shouldn’t just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? Faith that doesn’t lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!
No missing that point here, is there? Loving God and following Jesus and being the church isn’t about how fancy we are, or how beautiful the building or how wonderful the worship. You can spend a lifetime in prayer and reading the whole Bible, and still miss the point; true faith moves us to deeds of loving kindness, just as it did for Jesus.
If anyone asks you who we are and what we believe here on Meetinghouse Hill, you can tell them to read the letter of James:
- we believe that people are people and God loves them all, and that each one has a place in the church;
- we believe that what we believe is shown in how we act, and
- we believe God is here with us always, not in judgment, but in love and forgiveness shown in Jesus Christ.