In the Name of the Living God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
There are two equal and opposite thoughts – or reactions, if you will – that usually occur deep in the recesses of our brains when we consider St. James’s rather rattling phrase: “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”
On the one hand, some of us will be tempted to think about all of our “good” works, counting them up and adding them together, as if we were keeping score in a game or tournament. And we will immediately feel puffed up and good about ourselves, because we’ll fancy ourselves as pretty much okay in the good works department. Others of us, however, will be immediately afraid, because we will think we don’t have enough good works to count or add up in order to play in the game of faith. And we will feel bad about ourselves.
Thankfully, both sentiments are equal and opposite errors, and neither reaction is what this tremendous phrase from this tremendous chapter in this tremendous epistle seeks to draw out.
If you’ll zoom out for a moment with me, you’ll remember that the Epistle of St. James is really a unique book in the New Testament. Bookended, at least thematically, on one side by the stories of Jesus of Nazareth, which we find in the Gospels, and on the other by the Pauline epistles, with their sweeping theological claims, we’ve got sandwiched right in the middle St. James, the practical, rubber-meets-the-road kind of guy.
And thanks be to God we have him and his witness.
And what we have is this: a writer of the Apostolic era who reminds us that Christians, followers of the way of the Risen Christ, should in fact experience the life of grace they claim to possess.
St. James is the guy in the board room (or the locker room) who always forces us to consider whether or not our clever plans actually fit within the plan to which we’ve all ascribed.
In corporate jargon these days, the question in strategic planning is always whether or not the system is responding to the vision? St. James is that guy asking us if the system – if you and I – are responding to the extraordinary vision we claim to follow?
As a momentary footnote, it’s amazing to me how we basically know, within seconds of meeting most people, how the system is responding. It’s simply impossible to escape the fact that our lives tend to reflect the situations we’ve experienced.
Just think about it. We go off to university and the system responds and changes. Everybody notices that change. We fall in love, and boy does that change us. Everybody notices that change, too. We get married, and boy oh boy does the system have to change. Let’s pray that people notice that about us! Then, many of us have children, and, wow, does that ever shock the system and shake the snow globe of life! And on and on the list goes. Certain events – good or bad – simply require a response, and the responses are obvious to all.
I’m remembering now of those side by side pictures of the Presidents that show the before and after office; the amount of grey in the hair before and after is shocking. It’s obvious to all us that the office changes the person.
But, what about faith: What happens when the system, what happens when you and I, meets Jesus, the son of the Living God?
This is basically the question St. James invites us to consider.
Faith, you see, kept all to itself is actually rather useless. If it has no works – that is, if we don’t respond to it and it doesn’t change us – St. James tells us it might as well be dead.
Think of a practical parallel – consider life rafts on a cruise ship. If you don’t use them when you need to, why bother investing in them in the first place?!? So it is with faith – unless it’s used, well, it’s useless.
Have you ever wondered what people can tell about you when they first meet you? I’m not talking about a new hairdo or bad breath. I’m wondering if they know, within a few minutes, that we are followers of the way of Jesus Christ?
There was a recent article in GQ Magazine about a guy in Chicago who wore a variety of uniforms to see what kind of response he would get in public. It was a big experiment. He dressed up as a surgeon, a police officer and even as a priest. The uniform that garnered the most attention was the clerical collar of the priest. He said people touched him more, and he said their smiles (and their smirks) were most amplified when he was in that collar. The point of the article was to remind us that uniforms influence our actions – and move us to certain actions – more than we may think.
And if that’s really true, did you know that if you have faith in Jesus Christ you are wearing a uniform? Yes, those who believe and are baptised put on the greatest uniform of all – the garment of immortality.
And when we wear that uniform of new life and forgiveness, that’s what allows us to be stirred up by the power of grace – and moved to good works.
If you don’t ever remember anything else I ever say, I want you to know what your faith in Christ means. I want you to know the peace and power that comes from knowing that God loves you – that the one who formed you from before the foundations of the world knows everything about you. And He can and does forgive you. And not only Has he forgiven you, but He truly loves you. And to top it off, not only does He forgive you and really love you, but He actually even likes you!
When we know the sheer boundless love of Christ and rejoice in it, we will be changed. And when we are changed, the world is changed. Then and only then are the poor and hungry are fed, the naked are clothed and the widows are comforted.
There’s a great, big world out there; now, let’s get out in it!
Sermon preached by the Rev. Charleston D. Wilson
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota, Florida
15th Sunday after Pentecost
6 September 2015