Time after Pentecost (Lectionary 23)
September 6, 2009
Remember the Poor
James 2:1-17
An All Too Familiar Scene
Last Sunday we entered the bible book of James. James, that brother of Jesus who tells us to be “doers” of the word and not “hearers” only.
Seat This Man in Front
Right after the opening words we heard last week, Saint James starts painting an all-too-familiar-scene in stark and vibrant colors. A rich person (with fine clothes and golden rings and a nice family) enters this assembly.
And suddenly we are fawning all over him. Ushering him to the best seat. Agreeing with everything he says. Inviting him to be a church member. The richer the better.
And if Bill Gates walks into this room, I want you to walk him right down front and be very nice to him. Boy, would I like to get a tithe of his income.
But let a poor person come in (with dirty clothes and a bit of B.O). And immediately our eyes turn away in our disgust. And we hope that that one does not come to sit down next to me. And we hope he goes away as soon as possible.
Neglect of the Poor Contradicts the Gospel
“My dear brothers and sisters,” Saint James says, “with your acts of favoritism do you BELIEVE…do you really BELIEVE…in our GLORIOUS Lord Jesus Christ?
Faith without deeds is dead
That would be bad enough. That we have broken the greatest of God’s commandments. And you break that one and you break them all!
But even more than that, social snobbery and neglect of the poor is a contradiction of the gospel and reveals a total lack of faith in Jesus Christ.
Oh maybe we “think” we’ve heard and believe in the gospel. Maybe we “think” we are so religious and have Jesus in our hearts. But if we fail to see the face of Jesus in the poor and act on it, then we fail to see the glorious Lord himself who threw off his golden rings and robes of majesty to identify with the least, last, the little and the lost.
Faith Without Deeds is Dead
Preferential treatment of the rich, the growing gap between the rich and poor, is not just a “social” issue. It is a “faith” issue.
It reveals a divided heart. A heart that tries to serve two masters—God and money. God and mammon. It means we are “poor believers.”
A faith without deeds is a “dead” faith, Saint James says. Dead. Dead. Dead. It is not a “saving faith,” that one particular faith in Christ that saves. A faith without deeds is no more a living faith than is a dead body without breath is a living body.
And that puts us all in jeopardy when God comes again on a day of judgment to settle scores. God’s judgment is “merciless” to those who show no mercy.
How can anyone state the law’s threat and accusation any plainer? God’s judgment is “merciless” to those who show no mercy. That is the “bad news.”
God’s Mercy Triumphs over Judgment
But then we hear the “good news.” God’s mercy triumphs over judgment.
There is hope and mercy even for persistently “poor believers” like you and me. And sometimes, the better off we are, the worse we are at believing. Because we think that our financial stability is the result of our accomplishments and achievements.
Sometimes those of us who are well-to-do and middle class are “poorer” than those who are poor monetarily because we have a “poverty of Spirit,” which is the deadliest poverty of them all.
But there is a Jesus Christ, a “GLORIOUS Lord,” Saint James calls him. [The only time this adjective is used of Jesus in the entire bible]. Who climbs down from his royal throne of splendor in order to be nailed upon a shameful cross to take God’s judgment on our lack of mercy upon himself to show that God’s mercy triumphs over judgment. Even for us “poor believers.”
And if we will not see Jesus in the poor, then maybe we will see the poor in Jesus. In other words, we will look at Jesus and his love for the poor, including all religious types who have that “poverty of Spirit.” And our hearts will be changed by the gift of faith and the sending of his Holy life-giving, love-giving Spirit.
Jesus does for us what no “royal law” could do by itself alone. For by themselves, commands condemns us.
But Jesus changes that situation. He gifts us with a living faith that takes away our fear of being “left out” in the end. And sets us free from our social snobbery and prejudices, which oppress us just as much as they oppress others. And gives us the power to be instruments of God’s compassion to the world.
God’s Work. Our Hands.
Last week, I told you that the new tag line for the ELCA is “God’s work. Our hands.” And that many congregations like this one have put together one-minute videos that show this theme at work. I’ve put links to several on our web site. Or, if you want to see them all go to godsworkourhands.org (all one word—isn’t that theologically appropriate—all one word).
God's work. Our hands.
Look at them and you will be amazed and inspired. And you will see God’s work through many different hands, in many different places.
Hospitality for all, including the poor. The church of Christ speaking out for the voiceless and those who have no standing in the court of public opinion. Care for orphans and widows. Fair wages. Tangible hands-on help for the “needy neighbor,” which in the vocabulary of faith means any person in distress.
And oddly enough, Bill Gates is coming to us. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UN have approached Methodists and Lutherans to be their agents on the ground in their attempt to eradiate malaria from Africa, because we have a track record of delivering the goods where they are needed rather than getting them into the hands of the war lords.
Do This One You Keep Them All
Helping and serving one’s neighbor is tantamount to doing all that the law demands. You do this one and you keep them all. For to anyone who lives in Christ, serving one’s neighbor is the richest form of freedom & it is the fulfillment of what God ultimately desires.
Listen to Saint James and be a doer of the word and not a hearer only. For those who hear AND act are blessed. Yes, they are so blessed. They are blessed in their doing.
© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster