Readings:
Sermon:
If I ever write a book, it will be called Just Fill the Glass! I fail to understand the glass half empty, glass half full argument. I don’t get it. Just fill the glass, for goodness’ sake, that’s what it’s there for! I don’t really do half measures, half-hearted or half baked. I’m an all or nothing person. If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly, well, 100%. I also think that clarity and wholeheartedness are what God requires of us in certain situations, and are marks of mature Christian character.
This is why I love the book of James so much, and why I’m delighted it’s come up in the lectionary over the coming weeks. James, the brother of Jesus, is my kind of guy. Not too complex, not long winded, straightforward and to the point. I sometimes think I would have got on a lot better with James than I would with Paul, if I’d been around when they were.
Paul, well you’d have to really concentrate hard if you invited him round to dinner. If you missed a crucial part of his argument when you went out between courses to stir the gravy you’d be stuffed. Whereas James, well he’s short and sharp. Sound bites. Some common themes, granted, I mean he’s a passionate man with some strong ideas. But he’s kind of, less intellectual somehow, more a man of the people. Doesn’t pull his punches.
James is radical, wholehearted, single-minded, clear about who he is and where he’s going, a little controversial in places.
If you read the commentaries though, it would seem that for many years James’ letter was regarded as second tier compared to Paul’s writings. Luther regarded it as an epistle of straw, and influenced many to disregard it as serious theology, but in recent years there has been an upsurge of interest, particularly as the church has reconnected with its calling to serve the poor, a subject about which James has strong views. James’ letter is intensely practical, a challenge to put faith into action, to live as wholehearted disciples. He’s definitely a ‘fill the glass’ kind of man.
Verses 26 and 27 provide of summary of James’ main themes:
“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.”
Pure, undefiled religion, by which James means Christian living, is about what we say, what we do, and who we are. It’s about controlling the tongue; it’s about our actions being consistent with our beliefs, especially concerning our care for the poor, and it’s about living lives of holiness – genuine, integrated faith, tried and tested, and able to withstand the onslaught of temptation constantly present in a hostile world
This letter is all about Christian disciples, kingdom people, pushing towards the goal of maturity, a place of completion, of being a finished work in whom Christ is fully formed.
Living the Christian life with integrity is only possible if we are wholehearted about it. Having a divided, double mind is disloyal to God, leading to character and conduct which is both unstable and hypocritical. There is no middle ground for James between faith and no faith. Either you believe wholeheartedly, or you don’t believe at all.. It’s all or nothing. Doubt is not part of James’ worldview, which perhaps is a little unrealistic. Even in my wholehearted nature I often find doubt and questions, it’s often how I grow!
But James is really saying that as we go through trials of many kinds, we will increasingly become people recognised for our staying power, consistence and stickability, people with rock solid foundations rather than those tossed around like a wave of the sea, people of integrity, mature Christians, secure in our identity.
Throughout this letter James identifies situations where Christians will face dilemmas and challenges, trials and difficulties, decisions and choices to be made. He teaches that the proof of our faith will be in how we react to these situations. The rich/poor divide is one of the many we’ll have to navigate, and he throws this into the mix quite early on. The use of our wealth, our resources is a key situation for our faith to be put to the test.
James’ message is unequivocally that faith without works is dead. There has to be consistency between faith and deeds, and this will be played out in the practical arena of caring for widows and orphans – in other words, putting our wealth at the disposal of the wider Christian community, so that all may benefit. If use of money is an area of inconsistency and double-mindedness for us, an area of our life not in total, submission to God, maybe there will be some lessons in James for us.
The challenge of James is real – to grow and mature we need to live fully integrated lives, our faith and our deeds the fruit of a single-minded devotion to God from an undivided heart. That’s the Christian life God our Father accepts as pure
God’s love is great towards us, he has rescued us from death, and given us all we need to walk in his way, the way of integrity, where our actions stem from our faith, where we serve the poor, and speak graciously to one another and live lives pointing to him, where what we say, what we do, and who we are stems from our relationship with him, as we live wholeheartedly as kingdom people.