a sermon preached on 29th Sept 2024 at St Luke’s (from James 5.13-end)
Today’s take home point is Pray. Pray Until Something Happens. PUSH.
If all is well with you and the world – Pray. IF you’re having one of those days, weeks, then Pray. If you’re struggling with a sin, Pray. IF you see a need in the world, or just in your circle of life, then Pray.
We come to the end of the letter of James – Next week Harvest and then after that we’ll have a look at the book of Hebrews so if you’re looking for some reading then have one last re-read of James and then get going on Hebrews.
James started his letter by telling us to Pray for God’s wisdom and the call to be quick to listen, slow to speak.
Then it asked How does your faith look? And we saw the example of how does our faith effect how we treat Rich people over Poor people. And we saw a prejudice in favour of the Poor.
And then James ch3 asked us to think about how we talk about other people, how we talk about ourselves – how does our faith effect how we talk, about each other, ourselves, What we were learning was that in seeing ourselves, each other, as made in the image of God – we should see each other as a blessing and speak blessings upon each other.
Imagine if Putin started doing that! What would happen if we did that!
So this is all about applying your faith. Ch4 and ch 5 kept this theme of talk by getting us to check ourselves when we start to Slander others or Grumble against each other – that’s not good gossip, that’s not allowing your faith to soak into every part of your life.
So the message of Loving your neighbour as you love yourself, that’s supposed to work out in how we treat each other, speak about each other, how we live and give generously.
James, over his whole letter, gives us 4 Old Testament Characters to reflect on – Abraham, Rahab, Job and Elijah.
St Paul had written that Abraham was a great role model of someone who lived by faith and not by the Law, by Torah, the Levitical rules – that’s true, not least because he lived 400 years before the Law was written, – and St Paul shows this by pointing to the moment when Abraham committed his life to God by trusting the promise that God would make him the Father of many. Abraham believed. And God said – that’s enough for you and I to be right. You are righteous.
St James says Abraham was a great model of someone who showed his faith in the way he lived – look at how he almost sacrificed Isaac – that is really putting your faith into practice.
*Please don’t do this at home!
I note that the Gospel reading is sharp on its safeguarding – Don’t put stumbling blocks in the way of others, especially Little Ones, believing in Jesus.
James’ point being its not enough to say you have faith we have to show it. In an earlier sermon, I asked the question -If you were to be arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?!
James uses another example, Rahab – if you’ve not heard of her before you might be surprised that the bible constantly reminds the reader that she made her living as a prostitute – It’s a great reminder that no one is beyond the love of God – not Abraham, not Rahab the prostitute.
Rahab secretly hid some Israelite spies and showed that she had already converted from the faith of Jericho to the faith of the LORD God.
The bible is full of Role Models – Abraham and Rahab included – but you will have to think about which bits of their lives you want to copy!
St James commends the role model of Job – because – says James- Job was Patient. I don’t think Job was at all patient! I think he was persistent.
James is using the example of Farmers waiting for the spring rains to bring the wheat and barley crops along – and how we have to trust God, and wait patiently – Afterall consider Job.
But Job kept banging on God’s door and crying our for justice, for an answer – which he didn’t really get – he got an encounter with God and that sort of answered Job but only sort of. Job would be a good example of PUSH.
So Maybe St James is encouraging us to pray like Job, to persist in our prayer, not a quiet English reserved patient prayer, but that angry Job like sort of prayer? I’m not sure.
And then St James says We can all pray like Elijah. He was just like you and me. I sort of accept this – I am, you are – more like Elijah than you are like Jesus.
So the example of Elijah praying for rain – as all farmers will be from time to time – and again we see here a powerful persistent sort of prayer. Elijah prayed and prayed until something happened.
Take comfort that whilst St James says Elijah prayed and it rained – it wasn’t as simple as that. He prayed and nothing happened, and again, and nothing happened, seven times Elijah keeps praying, and in between each he sends someone to run up to the top of the hill to see if they can see any clouds or rain or something, until after the 7th, the runner says – I can see a really small cloud on the horizon – and Elijah says – That’ll do we should find shelter because in an hour or so it will start raining!
It might be that you’ve tried prayed about something a couple of times, we need to pray like Elijah!
So Pray, and keep praying, and see where that faith leads you to action.
Look out for those people that we haven’t seen in Church for a little while, perhaps you could give them a ring and say How are you? Perhaps they could do with a little prayer, a little encouragement.
St James says IF someone wanders away – there’s lots of reasons why we get so busy and wrapped up in our lives that faith, prayer, church, slips down our list, we forget that actually it was the faith and prayer and church family that were holding us in the first place –
Anyway IF someone wanders away says St James, then go get them, invite them back, love them and pray them back into the Church family.
St James’ examples of prayer are all in the plural – Are you cheerful – plural you – I think here’s an invitation to share with others that something good and encouraging has happened.
Are you struggling, suffering, sad? You should pray.
Again its plural – an invitation to share with others –
perhaps a Home Group, (Have a chat with Pat and David afterwards)
a Prayer Group, perhaps with a prayer chain, perhaps amongst friends in this Congregation.
There’s a lot in today’s readings about asking for help and prayer from each other. Please don’t leave this morning without having a little chat to someone and if you would like someone to pray with you then look out for the people with the tags on (who is it today?)
I love the way in the Gospel reading, the Disciples are not surprised by someone else praying for demons to be expelled, they’re surprised because they thought that that sort of power was only reserved for them, but Jesus is okay with any of us, all of us, praying for peace and freedom to come to our souls.
All this prayer talk, Its all plural – even in the area of confession – because the one thing the Devil is very good at is separating us off, making us feel alone and unloved, and so in our sin making us feel trapped –
but a little courage to share with others – we see it done beautifully by those who feel trapped by alcohol addiction. The good supportive work of the AA and other groups is really good.
Could we as friends do that for each other? That takes courage and prayer.
St James’ letter – its so very practical – and ends with the most practical idea of all – to pray with each other for each other, in good times, in bad times, to be there for each other.
This Church is good at praying for each other I think. But it does rely on each of us holding each of us in prayer.
Make a note of who sits near you today and make a point of praying for us through the week. Get hold of the Church ER list and pray through half a page per day. That’s what I do. There’s names here that I couldn’t put to faces, but I persist in prayer.
And you carry enough burdens in your own lives to know that you need to keep bringing them to God in prayer.
So Pray. PUSH. Pray until something happens. And then pray again!
Amen.
photo is of Lucy’s hand lighting a candle in St Lens praying for a friend Sarah