Being Doers of the Word

March 5^th, 2017        “Being Doers of the Word”   Rev. Heather Jepsen

Lenten Sermon Series: Lessons from James

James 1:1-27

          For many years now, I have had the idea of doing a Lenten sermon series on the Book of James.  James is what I like to think of as a bum-kicking book of the Bible.  James can be a hard read and it pulls no punches.  This is a book which will make clear to us all the things that we are doing wrong, while inspiring us to be better Christians.  It is a perfect match for the season of Lent when we are all called to consider the reality of our own sinfulness, confess our wrong doings, and aim for better behavior in the future.

          Because we are going to read the whole book of James over the next five weeks, I propose that we approach this a bit more like a Bible study then like a sermon time.  Most of the pews here should have a Bible within reach, and since we aren’t so crowded, there should be enough for almost everyone to have their own Bible to follow along in.  So, take a moment, and grab one of those red pew Bibles and turn to page 980.

          (Read 1:1)

          We call this the Letter of James, but this first verse is the only thing that resembles a letter.  We have a greeting here but it is very generic. Unlike the letters of Paul, this letter is not addressed to any unique community or individual.  Rather, this letter is intended for a generic audience.  And, if you peek ahead to the ending you will notice that the letter lacks any closing formalities or greetings like a Pauline letter would have.

          The letter says it comes from James but as with most Biblical literature we don’t really know who James is.  It could be the original James, “the brother of Jesus” or it could be someone writing in the name of James at a later date.  In fact, we don’t even know when this letter was written.  Some argue that it was first century, but others argue that its references to Pauline theology must place it in the second century. 

          So, we have a generic letter, from a generic author, written at a generic time.  I am of the opinion that this is not really a letter at all.  I think that this is more of a sermon, or a collection of moral teachings, that was addressed to the wide audience of the early Christian community. 

          (Read 1:2-4)

          The writer, whom I will refer to as James for mere convenience, launches right into the teaching.  James comes out swinging, telling folks that a faith in Christ does not promise an end to suffering.   Rather, whenever we do suffer we should see it as a joy.  It is the hard times in our lives that produce the endurance of faith.  This is all well and good in hindsight but try telling this to someone in the midst of a crises and it can be a hard sell.  What James writes here is perhaps true, but it’s not really good pastoral care.

          (Read 1:5-8)

          James goes on to encourage us to ask for wisdom and to believe that we will receive it.  The one who doubts will receive nothing from God, which makes good common sense.  One is reminded of Jesus teaching us to “seek and we shall find”.

          (Read 1:9-11)

          We are starting to get a sense for how this sermon reads now.  James continues to jump from topic to topic, handing out all his favorite bits of wisdom.  We are told now not to trust in our riches.  Like all of life upon this earth, riches will fade away and leave us alone.

          (Read 1:12-16)

          Now we are getting into some meat, this is good stuff here about being tempted.  James has some great insight in his idea that it is our own minds and hearts which tempt us and not the person or nature of God.  I love this language of temptation giving birth to sin.  We all know what it is like to get that idea in our head, that tempting thought.  When we harbor that thought it grows into something more, it is a desire conceived within our hearts.  When this growth of temptation and desire becomes something we act upon, then it gives birth to sin within our lives.  And of course our theology teaches us that this sin is what leads to all kinds of suffering and death.  James warns his readers not to be deceived by our own ideas and our own hearts.  This is a profound thought for Lent; the temptations we face come from within us and not from outside of ourselves.

          (Read 1:17-18)

          This section is pretty clear.  Our generosity, when practiced, is a model of the generosity of God.  God gives us our very life and we respond by sharing our blessings with others.  A pastor could preach a stewardship sermon here, but I will spare you that for today.

          (James 1:19-21)

          Oh boy, this one hits home doesn’t it.  One could quote this in the face of every political argument we face these days.  As followers of Christ we are called to be “quick to listen”.  I love that.  Our first reaction to all conversation should be listening.  Not thinking about what we are going to say, not planning our next comment, and definitely not responding in anger.  While we might find just reasons for our anger, James warns us that our anger is not equal to the righteousness of God.  “Step back” he warns us, “you aren’t on the high moral ground you think you are.” 

          (Read 1:22-25)

          James reminds us here that for our faith to be real it has to be translated into deeds.  We can’t just listen to the word of God, we have to follow through and “do” the word of God in the world around us.  James employs this wonderful image of a mirror to remind us that we so easily forget who we are and imagine ourselves as who we want to be.  Those who look for themselves in the law of the Lord, he teaches, are those who will act according to that law and that will be their blessing.  Again, it is our actions that will show our faith.

          (Read 1:26-27)

          In our final section for this morning James strikes at the heart of religious hypocrisy that is as common in our day as it was in his.  It doesn’t matter how much you say you love God, it matters what you do.  True religion is shown in care for those in need, the orphans and the widows.  The job of one who follows Jesus Christ is to stand with those that the world ignores.

             I think that’s more than enough to chew on for one week.  In this first portion of his letter, James reminds us to look to God for faith and wisdom, and to not trust in our money to save us.  He tells us that temptation comes from within ourselves, and if we are to avoid sin, then we must guard our hearts and minds from their own sinful longings.  We are told that our first priority should be to listen to others, and that how we act will be the true measure of our faith.

          Together, as a Lenten discipline, we are going to plod through this book for the next four Sundays.  I invite you to bring your own Bibles next week if you would like, you will get more out of this if you can follow along in the text.  I think that this is a great opportunity for us to do some good Bible study together.  James is full of rich moral teachings that apply just as easily to believers in our own time as they did for those of the early church. 

          So, go out into the world this week and think on these lessons from James.  Now that we have all been hearers of the word, may we go out to be doers of the word as well.  Amen.