The Book of James: Community in the real world
March 16, 2014 | Anita Retzlaff
Grace and peace to you from God the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ. Our journey through the bible takes us to the Letter of James today. Martin Luther, the great reformer of the 16th century, did not like this book. He referred to it as “an epistle (a letter) of straw.” The Letter of James has no content as far as Luther was concerned because it has only 2 references to Jesus and no commentary on the life of Christ, his suffering, death or resurrection. Luther was also incensed by James’ emphasis on “works.” For Luther, faith was of the utmost importance and works or action coming out of faith was not nearly as critical as was faith itself. Anabaptists would say that an active “living out” of one’s faith is critical to the understanding of faith and that the two – faith and works - are intricately connected. The opening verses of James are a clarion call to a mature response in the face of troubles Christians can experience upon their confession of faith.
This is what we have been talking about as a congregation. How do we live out what we say we believe? Do we have a vision for who we are as Christians? Do we practise what we preach? The institution of the church has become famous for making grand pronouncements about faith while acting very exclusive and turning its back on some of the great needs of our world.
Allison: James 1: 19-27 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
By a wonderful convergence of events, it so happens that the young adult bible study group discussed the first chapter of James in their Thursday evening gathering a few days ago. Jennifer Regier facilitated that conversation and will share a bit of what they talked about.
Jennifer Regier – comments on James 1.
The letter of James is straightforward about our tendency to say one thing and do another. He is challenging the very early Christians to be a true community together and to be hyper-aware, intentional, about their actions. He gives instruction, albeit sometimes very harshly stated advice, on how to live well together as a Christian group. And so this has us asking the question, “How do we live out the pronouncements about faith that we make?” James’ answer: “Care for widows and orphans in their distress and keep yourself unstained by the world.” (1:27)
Nick: James 2: 14-26 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’, and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.
I love the way Eugene Petersen translates this last sentence. He says, “The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.” (2:26) There is faith. There is practice. And there is speech. How do we talk? Do our words limit and distort and cause pain? The Christian Church around the world has taken to quoting scripture to bolster arguments for or against everything from slavery, sexual orientation, evolution, environmental concernss, excessive wealth, war, euthanasia, you name it. Some of the arguments on both sides can become pretty ambiguous. Well, if you want something unambiguous, straight talk, scriptural guidance on how to live: here it is in James. Watch your mouths! The tongue can bring joy, hope and redemption. It can also judge, condemn, destroy. Speech is a creative act; it shapes the world we live in. It has great power; it either frees or kills.
Aleta: James 3: 1-12 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.
How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.
If we haven’t figured it out yet, faith, works and redemptive speech are all of a piece. We can’t split these off from each other. We can’t make pious pronouncements about the importance of the bible and of faith in our lives and then turn around and treat even an enemy with disrespect let alone ones closest to us, the ones whom we say that we love. Watch your tongue! Be aware of the envy that you harbour! Note that wars, disputes and conflict are a direct result of human envy.
Matt: James 3: 13-18 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
Allison: James 4: 1-3 Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.
Nick: James 4: 11-12 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbour?
Hear the words of scripture! There are harsh words written to the rich who have mistreated their employees and placed their hope and faith in money and possessions. These things eventually lose their power and lustre. For those who are arrogant because of their wealth and separate themselves from the needs of the world because they can; these unfortunate ones, when they come to the end of their lives, will find that they have nothing.
Aleta: James 5:1-6 Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Listen! The wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts on a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you.
In very graphic language James challenges those who do not live with an awareness of the other. Self-interest, envy and arrogance are human traits that we must be aware of and try to tame. The church is an intentional community and will not function in a healthy way when mutuality, loving speech and caring concern are not held up and valued as central practises of faith. Think about Nutana Park Mennonite Church. We are an intentional community that gathers around the grace of God every Sunday to celebrate Christ’s presence, God-come-among-us. Are we careful in how we speak of each other and treat one other? Are any among you suffering? Are any among you cheerful? Are any among you sick?
Matt: James 6: 13-16 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
We are charged to be a healing community; a place where the power of our prayers brings healing to others, to ourselves, when prayed in the name of the Lord. The structures of our governing church bodies are crumbling in North America and the institutions of religion under attack these days. That is not necessarily bad news. Some things need to change. Where faith and practise meet, there need be no fear. Where intentional communities gather in faith with a mission to change our little corners of the world with love and ministrations, all is not lost. The kingdom of God is not lost. It is being built in and through us, here and now. So we must pay attention to the encouragement of James in his letter to the earliest churches. Remember! Faith and action and loving speech are divinely interwoven. Our journey of faith is never ended as long as we seek God. In our Lenten preparation we acknowledge the inconsistencies in our faith and action and know that when we bring these things to God we are always healing and being healed.
Prayer - Be patient therefore beloved until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts…. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. AMEN (5:7-8,16)
