Dearest e-votees-
The appointed epistle text from James has some pointed words about believers in Christ and the practice of favoritism. The call on all who would call Jesus Christ their Lord to love their neighbor as themselves is lifted up.
Also are the words reminding us that faith, without works, is dead.
May we all faithfully work—having been saved by grace through faith—at loving all neighbors we encounter.
Peace,
Karl
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2 My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? 2 For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7 Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? 8 You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
[11 For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.]
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 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? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
Have you ever wandered into a community of faith and realize that you have something that the community desperately covets? Perhaps you and your family with small children walk into a graying congregation and are swarmed with enthusiastic greetings and welcomes. Perhaps you are financially well-suited and find a congregation whose stewardship patterns have been lacking. Perhaps the choir director picks out your voice during congregational singing and makes a beeline during coffee hour to tell you all about the vocal music ministries of the congregation. There is a marked difference between celebrating who people are and what they bring to a situation and sharks circling blood in the water. I’ve experienced and inflicted sharklike attention—not good.
James speaks of how we receive people who might come into our assembly.
One approach is seeing in someone something we want. If one comes in wearing gold rings and fine clothes then they may well be wealthy. We would welcome having them participate in our stewardship campaign. They may well be people of influence as well. We would welcome them for the persuasive connections they may have and perhaps as evangelistic envoys. We may well seek to get on the good side of these influential people so that they will be forces for good rather than oppression in our lives. In short, we may go after them for what we think they might offer us.
Another approach is in disdaining those we deem as unsavory. If one comes in wearing dirty clothes then they are most likely poor. We might see them as a drain on our already limited or tapped out benevolent resources. We might question their motives or their characters for showing up with their obvious need. We might well not want others to be offended by the sight or smell or general demeanor of our unwashed guest and invite them to sit in out of the way or undignified spaces. We might seek to constrain or limit the level of participation so that they will not be forces for disruption and dissension in our lives. In short, we might go after them for what we might think they might do to us.
James calls out our tendencies to make distinctions and unduly honor or dishonor those made in the image of God. The call on us is to love our neighbor as ourselves. When we ask questions like “Who is our neighbor?” Jesus talks about folks like Good Samaritans who transgress all sorts of social taboos to offer care with no hope of a reward. When we ask questions like “Where might we experience Jesus when we serve?” Jesus talks about the imprisoned, the sick, the naked, the hungry, the cutoff, the lonely and the disenfranchised. The issue for James wasn’t treating the rich one well—it was treating the poor one less well. The works that James speak of call us to task to be sure to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, warm the cold and otherwise care for those in need.
Micah says it this way:
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
The Lord has told us what works are pleasing: do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. When we engage and confront a world that allows such disparities of wealth and quality of life we find a living faith. When we show kindness to all—particularly to those who may not have obvious rewards to give us for our kindness—we find a living faith. When humbly walk with God and do things like linger with those cutoff, wash the feet of those others would make sit by the feet and seek the image of God in all—particularly in those covered over by the dirt of this world—we find a living faith.
God, stoke a burning, living, vibrant faith in us. Help us love our neighbors as ourselves. Help us grow in being just, kind and humble—all to your glory. Amen.
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