13B Pentecost James 1:17-27 Aug. 30, 2009
George was sitting at a stop light one morning. The woman in the car in front of him was going through some papers on the seat of her car and didn't realize that the light was green until it had turned to red again. George was beside himself.
With the windows still up, he began screaming epithets and beating on the steering wheel.
His expressions of distress were interrupted by a policeman, gun drawn, tapping on his window.
Against his protestations of, "You can't arrest me for hollering in my car," the policeman ordered him into the back seat of the police car. After what seemed like an eternity, and after checking over his car from top to bottom, the arresting officer advised him he was free to go. He said, "I knew you couldn't arrest me for what I was yelling in my own car. You haven't heard the last of this." The officer replied, "I didn't arrest you for shouting in your car. I was directly behind you at the light. I saw you screaming and beating your steering wheel, and I said to myself, 'What a jerk. Then I noticed the cross hanging from your rear view mirror, the fish on the trunk lid, and the "My boss is a Jewish Carpenter," and the "Jesus is Coming Soon" bumper stickers. I was going to arrest you for stealing a car from a Christian."
All of our readings today have a lot to do with being a good Christian or, for the Jews, following the law.
Our first reading is from the book of Deuteronomy, which is the fifth and last book of the "Pentateuch", which also include Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. These five books enjoy particular prestige among the Jews as the books which most specifically set forth God's law, or Torah, the concrete expression of God's will for them. Within the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy consists of the last discourses of Moses before his death. It contains a partial repetition, further explanation and completion of the law proclaimed by God on Mount Sinai in earlier books. In this book, Moses’ aim is to reinforce among the Israelites the Lord's claim to their obedience, loyalty and love. Thus, it sets forth to the Israelites the commands which they must follow in order to inherit the land which God has promised to them.
Today's second reading is from the letter of James in which he exhorts Christian believers, much as Moses exhorted the Israelites before him, to live a life full of good works. According to James, just hearing the word and believing it are not enough. He goes on to say that "faith without works is as dead as a body without breath" (2:26). In this reading, James compares the faithful believer to the first fruits of creation. In the ancient world, it was the law that the first fruits of the harvest were offered back to God, because they belonged to him. So when someone is reborn by the word of the gospel, that person becomes the property of God.
Then James tells us to "Welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your soul.” Another translations puts it this way, “Humbly welcome the word which has taken root in you". The Greek word prautes, which is here translated as either “meekness” or "humbly", really has no precise English equivalent. Basically, it is a one-word summary of the characteristics of a "teachable spirit". Such a spirit is docile and pliable, humble enough to learn; it is one, which can face the truth, even when that truth is difficult to accept.
In last week's gospel from John, we heard how some of the disciples turned away from Jesus when he broke the news to them that they had to eat his body and drink his blood in order to gain eternal life. They certainly did not have prautes, a teachable spirit.
Finally in this reading, James points out that caring for the poor and keeping ourselves as free from sin as possible are the best worship we can offer to God. To him real worship does not lie in elaborate vestments, magnificent music or a carefully choreographed service; it lay in the practical service of one another and in the purity of one's own personal life.
In fact, James is only reiterating what the prophets had condemned long ago. Among others, it was Micah's complaint that all ritual sacrifices were useless, if a person did not do justice, love kindness and walk humbly before God (Mic.6:6-8). Throughout history, people have tried to make ritual and liturgy a substitute for sacrifice and service. But the truth is that worship is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The most splendid worship is empty and useless unless it sends us out into the world to love one another in true service. (1)
One of the other prophets who condemned the Israelites for their lack of understanding of the spirit of the law was Isaiah, and it is Isaiah whom our Lord quotes in the gospel in speaking to the Jews. In essence, he is telling the Jews, and us too, that what is important is what is inside of a person. By their deeds, you will know them.
I am reminded of one of those famous campfire songs I learned oh so many years ago.The one with the chorus: "And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they'll know we are Christians by our love."
Jesus insisted that the greatest ritual service of all is the service of human need. Just as James pointed out in the second reading, Christian service has its beginning in ritual worship, but finds its fulfillment only in the service of human need. Human need takes precedence over any other, which the Pharisees neglected to see.
What all this boils down to is this, for as much as every pastor would like to see a full sanctuary every Sunday, the truth is, we will not be judged by the number of church services that we have attended. And for as much as I might like to see a few more folks sign up for our effort to read the Whole Bible in the Year, the reality is, we will not be judged by the number of chapters of the Bible that we have read, or even by the number of the hours that we have spent in prayer, but rather, if Matthew 25 is any indicator, our judgment might be influenced by the number of people whom we have helped, when their need came crying to us.
According to a legend once upon a time, a king had no son. The king sent out his couriers to post notices in all the towns of his realm that every young man should apply for an interview with the king so that he could be considered as a possible successor to the throne.
However, all candidates had to meet two qualifications: they had to love God and love their neighbor. Every candidate had to notify the king of his interest, so that the king could then schedule an interview for him.
There was one young man who believed that he could meet those qualifications, but he was so poor that he did not have proper clothes to wear before the king nor did he have funds to buy provisions for the long journey to the castle. As the date of his appointment neared, the young man was able to beg and borrow enough money to buy some clothes appropriate for the interview and enough provisions for the journey. He set out confidently on his journey and had almost reached the castle when he came upon a poor beggar by the side of the road. He sat there cold and trembling, clad only in tattered rags. He stretched out his arms and said to the young man "I'm cold and hungry. Can you help me, please?" The young man was so moved by this beggar's need that he immediately took off his new clothes and put on the tattered rags of the beggar. Without a second thought, he gave the beggar all of his provisions as well.
And so he completed his journey attired in a beggar's rags and without any provisions for the journey back home. Upon his arrival at the castle, an attendant showed him to a room where he could clean himself up a bit before his interview. Then he was led into the king's presence. He entered with his head bowed, out of proper respect for the king. When he finally raised his eyes, he gasped in astonishment because he recognized the king as the beggar by the roadside. "Why did you do this to me?” he asked incredulously. "I had to find out if you genuinely loved God and your neighbor," the king said. "I knew if I came to you as king, that you would have been impressed by my royal robes and crown. But I would never have known what was truly in your heart. So I came to you as a beggar with no claims on you except the love in your heart, and I discovered that you sincerely love God and your neighbor. You will indeed inherit my kingdom." (2)
We don't normally run into penniless beggars every day of our lives, but we do run into people in need every day. Perhaps it's just a smile of greeting to a neighbor, a kind word to a co-worker or stranger. Whatever it is, like the young man in our story, our King has an appointment to meet with each of us after our journey of life is completed to determine if we will inherit the kingdom he has created for us from the beginning of time.
If we have loved God during our lives, during the time he has so graciously given us, and demonstrated that love through our love for one another, then he has promised us that we will truly inherit that kingdom at our appointed time.
Then we will surely hear him say the words we long to hear: "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Master." Amen.
Pastor Stephen Blenkush(Sermon Archive)
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1. The Epistle of James, by William Barclay. Westminster John Knox Press, Philadelphia, Pa. 1975
2. From More Sower's Seeds, Second Planting by Brian Cavanaugh, T.O.R., pp. 6-8. Paulist Press, Mahwah, New Jersey, 1992
