(A sermon off James 2.1-17 – 8th September 2024)
Last week I left you with some homework: To read scripture and to apply it. To be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry, to keep a tight rein on your tongue – how did you do?
I did some of them. I did read my bible, I’m not sure I did much of the other bits. I think its extra hard when the preacher says ‘Be Slow to speak’ – because we, I, then become extra conscious of where I’ve got it wrong. I think this week I may have got it wrong more than usual.
So onto the next bit of homework. At the simplest level – it will be: Be Merciful. Be merciful.
The Letter from St James is our theme for the next couple of Sundays. The German Reformer Martin Luther – he did not like the Epistle of James – he called it the letter of straw. I think he meant that it was tasteless – it lacked the wonderful joyful grace of the letter to the Galatians. He loved the letter to the Galatians so much that he nicknamed it – after his wife – this letter is my Katie von Bora. But alas the Epistle of James …
Its so annoyingly practical. Its so very unspiritual. St James gives us a sort of Parable of a Rich man coming into our meeting – the word used is Synagogue – which could mean any gathering but it does, at least to me, convey a sense of a meeting for the purpose of worship – and suppose a poor person comes in – how do we treat them?
Jesus was great at calling out our religious hypocrisy, so we shouldn’t be surprised to find his earthly brother, James, doing the same. Remember of course that this James is new to the faith, he wasn’t a follower, believer, in his brother until after the Resurrection.
James says – Imagine a Rich man walking in – and what happens is that we make instant judgements – this is my sort of person, this is Not my sort of person. We all do this whenever we meet someone new – usually we do it before they’ve even opened their mouth!
Sometimes we are aware of our thought process, and sometimes we can catch ourselves thinking them, and then if you do, you’re able to say to yourself “Wait, lets be merciful”.
So the story is told of a leather clad biker showing up to a village church evensong and the verger saying – Look mate, I don’t mean to be rude but I don’t think that this service is what you’re looking for – and then the man removing his helmet to reveal himself as Bishop Richard – our previous Bishop!
Easy mistake. We all do it. The trick is to catch that train of thought before it leaves the mouth.
St James does not say We should treat both Rich and Poor equally. He points out that God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom.
Jesus’ mum, Mary, magnificently sings her Magnificat which is all about God humbling the rich, and lifting up the lowly. So here’s a clear prejudice in favour of the Oppressed, the outsider, the poor.
There was an early Church parable, you can find it in a writing called the Shepherd of Hermas – written perhaps 150ad – a sort of Pilgrim’s Progress – here you can read the parable of the Elm and the Vine. The Elm is a lovely tall straight tree, but it produces no fruit. The Vine produces lots of fruit but alas it has no strength to lift itself up off the ground and unless someone will lift it up, then it will struggle to be fruitful. In the parable, the Rich are the fruitless Elm tree but they can use their strength to lift up the Poor, the fruitful vine, and so together produce a wonderful crop.
Meanwhile St James points out how annoying the Rich are – they have such a sense of entitlement that if they cannot exploit you or get what they think they deserve then they can easily afford the lawyers to drag you to court.
So St James is not speaking very favourably of the Rich. But James could have picked on different groups.
He could have talked about Gentiles – they’re new to Church, it would be quite easy for them/us to feel sidelined and ignored – but the Church in those early days was fantastically radical in its welcome and inclusion – even us Gentiles.
Or Slaves – they were too small a movement to even think about challenging the whole global economy that relied on slavery – but they were able to use Church funds to buy freedom for some, and others were welcomed in as equally human – they were allowed to be part of the leadership of the Churches. A Radical Welcome.
Women – apostles, deacons, prophets, even women who were slaves and gentiles – they too were still welcomed and included.
It would be equally easy to look at other groups to think about Racism, LGBTQ+, Anti-Semitism, you will think of others where it is too easy for us to be overly welcoming to the Rich – or equivalent- whilst saying to the Poor: you can sit on the floor.
St James is getting us to look at what our faith looks like. I remember when I was at university seeing a poster that said – If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?! Awkward! Given my failure to apply last week’s sermon I think my defence lawyer could do okay.
I was walking back from Toddler group last Thursday with Carole the Curate in the heavily pouring rain. I had the umbrella, she got soaked, we were about half way there before I half-heartedly suggested she has the umbrella. Not a good example.
If we claim to have a faith, but we have nothing to show for it – then what good is that faith. Now don’t fall into the trap of So What Really Matters here are the Deeds.
What matters here is the umbrella, or food for the hungry, clothes for the cold. Yes they matter, but What St James is trying to get at here is to show how Faith in Jesus has changed you, changed me, how we are becoming better people, the person that God has made you to be – because through faith we have received God’s love into our hearts – and that love has started to change us. And that is seen in how we live a life full of love.
You see, if I were to say ‘Would you think about increasing your charitable giving to the Church?’ Some of you would think – Now is not a good time. Which is correct because it is never a good time to increase your giving. It will always take Faith, it will always be a sign of Hope, of Trust, an act of Risk, an act of Love.
But for St James, it’s not about the money. Its about seeing yourself growing in your faith. As one preacher put it, ‘if you want to grow your heart, start with your wallet’. (Can I take this opportunity to point to that table over there where you can find details about PGS the Parish Giving Scheme)
Aim for a faith that doesn’t judge others, that makes a difference, that lightens the load, that lifts people up. As you do so you will see the generosity of God, the fruitfulness of others.
For some this is done with a word of encouragement, for others with a gift – perhaps financial, perhaps chronological, – so maybe through that you will see God giving a blessing to others, and in seeing that – you yourself will know that your faith is real.
Today’s sermon is a call to be merciful. Let mercy triumph over judgement. Be slow with your judging. Be quick to listen. Allow your faith to have a practical outworking – as St James put it, Jesus put it, Leviticus put it: Love your neighbour as you love yourself.
Amen.
photo is of me doing a little archery at a FSW day recently