Encountering the Risen Lord

April 23^rd, 2017     “Encountering the Risen Lord”         Rev. Heather Jepsen

John 20:19-31

          Many of you know that I am a lectionary preacher.  The lectionary is a prescribed set of readings that run throughout the liturgical calendar on a three year repeating cycle.  During the year, the readings change and the gospel that is focused on changes.  But one day never changes.  No matter what year it is in the cycle, the Sunday after Easter is always the same.  It is always the gospel of John, and it is always this story of “doubting Thomas”.  All year round and year after year the texts turn and shift and change position, but always, always, always, the Sunday after Easter is Thomas.

          When I was considering Thomas and the other disciples this week, I started thinking that it makes sense to look at him every year.  This is traditionally a low Sunday in the church, a Sunday where there is less going on.  Attendance won’t be as high as last week, we don’t have as much special music, and everyone knows that the busyness of Easter and Holy Week has relaxed. 

          The disciples too are in a low space.  In our reading for this morning, it is still that same Easter day.  The women have been to the tomb, and Mary Magdalene has come to the disciples and reported her encounter with the risen Lord.  But to the disciples, it must seem like a story.  A good story, a hopeful story, but never-the-less just a story.  As much as they want to believe Mary, they do not really believe, and so they are hidden away in a locked room.  Hiding in fear that what happened to Jesus might also happen to them.

          I think we always read this text after Easter because that is the response for many of us as well.  We came to church last week, we heard the story of the empty tomb and the promise of resurrection and new life, and we really wanted to believe.  In our heart of hearts, we wanted the story of Jesus’ conquering death to be true.  But yet, there is something that holds us back.  It could be our brain’s in-ability to accept such fantasy as truth, it could be our distrust of the whole institution of the church, or it could simply be that we haven’t yet seen that risen Lord.  Like the disciples, we are spending today much in the way we have spent every day.  We have heard the story of the risen Lord, we just have a really hard time believing it.

          In our gospel reading, Jesus intervenes.  He enters into the space, beyond the locked doors, and he brings a message of peace.  He assuages doubt in the mind and heart by showing his wounds to the disciples.  Seeing his hands and side, they can begin to comprehend, that though he really did die, now he really does stand among them.  He offers them peace, not judgment, and then he sends them out to take his message of peace to the greater world. 

          Thomas was not there of course, and so when the disciples go out and tell him that they too have seen the Lord, he acts much as they originally did.  The disciples didn’t really believe the story Mary told, and so it is no surprise that Thomas doesn’t really believe the story that the disciples tell.  It is not that he doesn’t want to believe, it’s not even that he doubts, it is simply that he has not had his own experience of the risen Lord, and so he cannot come to the place of faith that the others are in yet.

          I have always hated that we call him doubting Thomas.  I want to re-name him as “wondering Thomas”.  Thomas is a deep thinker, a wonderer, a person who wants to know more and to touch and experience his world.  When Jesus hears that Lazarus is ill and tells the disciples that Lazarus is really dead, Thomas is eager to experience more. “Let us also go, that we may die with him” Thomas says.  He wants the same experience of faith that Lazarus has.  When Jesus is speaking about his impending death Thomas wonders “Lord, we do not know where you are going.  How can we know the way?” Thomas shows that he wants to follow Jesus, he wants to experience Jesus, he wants to see and touch the world to know his faith more deeply.  Is it any wonder then that we find him declaring “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”  Thomas is a wonderer, and he is always desiring a new faith experience.

          Jesus doesn’t judge Thomas the way the other disciples might, or the way we might be tempted to.  A week later, Jesus again returns to the disciples in the locked room.  Again he offers them his peace.  Not condemnation for not believing the faith stories of others, not judgment, but peace.  Jesus approaches Thomas and offers him the chance to reach out and touch.  He offers him the chance to have a tangible faith experience so that he too can come to believe, and then go out and share that good news with others.

          The final line of this section is the declaration of “Have you believed because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet come to believe.”  Many scholars believe that this is the original ending of the gospel of John.  It appears that these are meant to be the final words of the gospel, written to spur later generations on to faith.  We, the readers, are called to be those who have not seen and yet come to believe.

          The question I have today, is can we really do that?  Can we come to believe if we haven’t seen?  I am not sure that we can.  Go with me here . . . Think of your own life of faith, when did you come to believe.  Some of you may have grown up in the church so a moment of belief may be more nebulous and harder to pin down.  Others of you may be like me, and did not come to genuine faith until later in life.  And I am sure there are also folks here this morning who in their heart of hearts aren’t sure that they really do believe, and that’s ok.

          If we follow the story of the resurrected Lord in the gospel of John, we find that people don’t come to faith because of second hand encounters.  People don’t hear someone else talking about Jesus and then decide that they too are going to follow Jesus and believe all the stories about him.  That just doesn’t happen.

          Look at the text.  Mary sees the risen Lord, tells the disciples about it, and they don’t believe.  The disciples see the risen Lord, tell Thomas about it, and he doesn’t believe.  Only after everyone has had a personal encounter with the divine, do they come to an actual faith.  Why would we expect it to be any different for us? 

          On top of that, why would we expect anyone else to believe in Christ, simply based on the stories we tell them of our own faith encounters?  Have you ever tried to convince someone to believe in Jesus, or to convince someone about the goodness and validity of the church?  I’ll be honest with you, I have tried, and I have failed every time.  I cannot bring someone else to faith.  I can talk about my faith, I can tell them about why I go to church, but I cannot convince anyone to believe what I believe.  I just can’t seem to do it.  What I can do is invite them to church, and I can introduce them to a group of people who help me see God.  But I can’t convince them to believe using only my personal stories.

          I think the reason I can’t, that we can’t, is because everyone needs to have their own experience of the resurrected Lord.  Whatever this looks like in our day and age, everyone needs to have something happen, to experience a movement in their heart, to have their own personal encounter that eventually moves them to faith.  Some folks have that experience after they are invited to church and are embraced by a faith community, but others don’t. 

          It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t share our stories.  I think sharing our stories is the seed that will later bear the fruit of faith.  Mary shared her story with the disciples before their faith could grow, and the disciples shared their story with Thomas before his faith could grow.  Sharing our stories is laying the ground work.  We just shouldn’t be surprised when people don’t believe our stories.  Our personal stories of encounters with God will not be enough to convince someone else of the validity of our belief.  If it didn’t work for the disciples in the gospels it won’t work for us.  God, the Holy Spirit, the presence of Jesus, needs to move in people’s lives for them to come to faith.  It seems to be the only way. 

          I think we always read this story of wondering Thomas on the Sunday after Easter because I think this is the day that we always need to hear it most.  Some of us are here because we are still high on Easter, and we have been sharing the good news with others, and we are frustrated at their lack of belief.  We can’t figure out why people don’t understand what we are talking about when we talk about how we love the church.  We need to remember that we are simply called to share our stories; and that only God has the power to give people the gift of a personal encounter with the risen Lord that will lead to faith.

          And some of us are here thinking that we don’t really have that faith at all.  We need to hear the story of Thomas and know that there is a space of grace for our wondering and doubting.  There is nothing wrong with hearing the Easter story and saying in our heart “Is that really true? Did that really happen?”  There is nothing wrong with seeking out a different encounter with God, nothing wrong about asking after more information.  Last week we heard the Easter story and this week we are back to see if we can find out more.  We are searching after our own personal encounter with the risen Lord.

          And so, every Spring we celebrate Easter, and every Sunday after Easter we find ourselves wondering with Thomas.  We wonder why we have been given an encounter with the risen Lord that leads to faith, and we wonder why others have not.  Like the disciples, we are still figuring things out a bit.  But like the disciples, Jesus has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit and sent us out to tell our stories anyway.  May we, like Thomas, continue to wonder and search for more answers.  And may we, like Mary and the disciples continue to tell the stories of our encounters with the risen Lord.  Amen.

Fear and Great Joy

April 16^th, 2017         “Fear and Great Joy”        Rev. Heather Jepsen

Matthew 28:1-10

          We come once again to the highest most holy day of our church year, Easter morning.  Today we gather to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, the promise of new life, and the hope that springs eternal.  Today we come full of joy and thanksgiving to worship the one who conquered death, Jesus Christ our Lord.  All of the gospels tell a slightly different version of the Easter story and this morning we are hearing the story from Matthew’s point of view.  It is a story of drama, excitement, and fear.

          Early in the morning, as the sun is just rising, Mary Magdalene and another Mary head out to see the tomb.  Unlike some of the other gospel writers, Matthew doesn’t tell us that they bring spices to anoint the body.  Rather, in his version, they are just coming to see the tomb, much as we might visit the grave of a loved one.  In Matthew’s story, the Roman soldiers have been careful to seal the tomb and set out guards, just in case anyone gets any ideas about stealing the body and starting a resurrection rumor.

          Upon arriving at the tomb the women experience a great earthquake as an angel comes down from heaven.  The angel rolls back the stone that seals the tomb and proceeds to sit upon it.  Like I mentioned, guards are present in Matthew’s story and at this amazing sight and experience they shake with fear and enter a catatonic state, becoming like dead men. 

          The angel says to the women, “Do not be afraid”, even though all this scary stuff has just happened, and then he tells them that Jesus has been raised.  The women are invited to look into the tomb and see the place where Jesus lay.  Matthew doesn’t tell us if the women explore the empty tomb or not.  He just says that the women are sent on a mission, to go and tell the disciples that Jesus is headed to Galilee. 

          And so the women take off, in fear and great joy, running to Galilee to share the news with the rest of Jesus’ followers.  Only, they are stopped on the road by the man himself.  Jesus greets them and they immediately worship him there.  Once again they are told “Do not be afraid” and off they are sent to tell the others in Galilee the good news.

          Most of us here today are not surprised by this story.  You came to worship this morning expecting to hear some version of this familiar tale.  The women come in the morning, the tomb is empty, and they run to tell the others.  We have heard this story so much, and accepted it as the natural way of things, that we lose some of the drama that this story is meant to evoke.  We forget just how exciting and frightening that first Easter morning really was.  We seem no longer able to tap into the fear and great joy of that miraculous day.

          This story, of the women and the empty tomb, is both scary and wonderful.  I love that Matthew, unlike the other gospel writers, has the women experience an earthquake and witness the stone being rolled away.  It surely would have been a terrifying event.  At some point we have all seen footage of big earthquakes on TV.  Images of skyscrapers swaying like trees in the wind, images of office workers hiding under desks as everything around them crashes down, images of grocery store shelves as items crash to the floor.  Imagine going to visit the grave of a loved one, only to experience something as scary and surprising as an earthquake!  The earth rumbles and shakes, the angel comes down from heaven, the giant sealed stone begins to roll, it would have been quite the scene!  The guards standing watch were so scared that they passed out!  Any one of us might have done the same thing.

          The women are shocked with this earthquake and the presence of the angel.  So it is no wonder the first thing the angel says is “Do not be afraid.”  I would have been shaking with fear.  And then they receive the news, Jesus is not there, he has been raised from the dead.  Now you and I are expecting to hear this, because we know this story.  But we have to remember that the women didn’t know the story.  They know that Jesus talked about being raised, but they could not have known what that meant.  Just like the disciples, they probably assumed he was talking about something at a later date, a time when all the righteous people would be raised.  I imagine they were just as surprised and scared as you would be if you went to the grave of a loved one and found it suddenly empty.

          So, it is perfectly understandable that the women run off in fear and great joy.  It is the only natural response to such a life altering event.  This has been a frightening morning, but joy is there as well at the sudden uprising of hope in their hearts.  I am sure they were questioning whether what the angel said was true, whether Jesus really was alive, as they ran towards Galilee.    

          And suddenly they do see Jesus on the road, the very one they saw crucified suddenly alive again.  Jesus says to them, “Greetings” and “Rejoice” but he also says “Do not be afraid.”  Clearly the women are still shaken and shocked.  They grab hold of Jesus and worship him there, with their hearts pounding, for this has been one of the scariest and most exciting days of their lives.  Fear and great joy.

          That Easter morning was a scary morning for the two Marys.  It was a morning when their lives were turned upside down.  When they heard the good news of the resurrection they ran from the tomb as fast as they could.  Imagine the way you would run as a child, having no care if you might trip or fall down.  They were full of fear and joy together.  It is a heady feeling.  It is a fullness of emotion that threatens to overwhelm us.

          Fear and great joy.  Like spinning too fast on the merry go round.  There is that exhilaration of freedom but also that fear of losing control, that fear of being out of control.  Can you call to mind that feeling in your heart?  I can see it on my kids’ faces when they ride their bikes a little too fast down the hill by our house.  Fear and great joy as the wind blows through their hair and the trees lining the path become a blur.  I remember being a kid riding so fast that I felt like at any moment my bike just might leave the ground.

          In our adult lives fear and great joy are more elusive.  We have hardened our hearts, and while we know fear, we rarely experience the abandon of pure joy.  In my own life I can recall fear and great joy at the birth of Olivia, my first child.  Lars and I were so excited and in love with our little red head, yet we had no idea what to do.  Neither one of us had ever even changed a diaper, and here we were expected to be totally responsible for another human being.  Fear and great joy.  I also felt it the first time we landed in Malawi.  Great joy to look around and think “I am in Africa!” and fear to look around and think “I am in Africa!”  It is the joy and wonder of the totally new, a totally unknown and wonderful experience.  It is exhilarating, it is heady, it is the very essence of life, it is the story of Easter morning.  Fear and great joy.

          I love the part of the story where Matthew says that when the women met Jesus on the road they grabbed a hold of his feet.  I imagine they simply needed something to hold on to.  They were reeling with the events of the morning.  I am certain that they were physically in shock having witnessed the earthquake, the angel, and the empty tomb.  Their hearts were pounding, their hands were sweating; they were full of fear and excitement and probably wondered if this wasn’t all just a dream.  And so, when they see Jesus, they grab a hold of him.  What better way to ground themselves than grabbing on to Jesus’ feet.

          We too can grab a hold of Jesus in those moments when we need to be grounded.  When we are reeling with fear, he is there to comfort us.  When we are shocked with joy, he is there to celebrate with us.  When we are simply not sure where our life is going, he can give us guidance.  Fear and great joy.  From the birth of a child to that first footstep in Africa, Jesus is something to hold on to.  Just like the women, when we are running through life and need to slow down, we can grab a hold of Jesus and get some perspective.

           This morning we have come together once again to hear the story of Easter.  You know in your heart how this story is speaking to you today and you know what you need to hear.  Maybe you are full of fear and simply need to hear the divine voice cry out, “Do not be afraid.”  Maybe you are full of joy, and simply need to slow down and be thankful.  Maybe you are here simply looking for something to hold on to. 

          Deep in our souls, we are all here to hear the good news.  Jesus has risen, death is over, and life has won!  Imagine the wonder, the exhilaration, the deep emotion of that first Easter morning.  Fear and great joy!  May we tap into that energy, may we embrace that emotion, may we experience it today; fear and great joy.  The promise of Easter is the promise of resurrection, and life (and death) will never be the same again!  Thanks be to God!  Amen.      

Save Us!

April 9^th, 2017           “Save Us!”         Rev. Heather Jepsen

Matthew 21:1-11, 26:17-29

          This morning our focus returns to the story of Jesus Christ.  During the past five weeks while we were busy studying the book of James; Conan and Dennis were busy reminding us of the work of Christ, through the companion scripture readings each Sunday.  We heard stories of Jesus and Nicodemus, Jesus and the woman at the well, Jesus and the healing of a man born blind, and Jesus and the raising of Lazarus.  Though our focus has been on the book of James, the stories of Jesus have provided the background.

          Today Jesus is front and center, as he rightfully should be on this Palm and Passion Sunday.  The shadow of Holy Week looms large and we begin with the celebration of Palm Sunday.  In Matthew’s gospel, the Palm Sunday processional seems pre-arranged.  Jesus knows there will be a donkey and a colt, and it appears he has already secured permission to use them, as he encourages the disciples to say “The Lord needs them” and the animals will be sent.

          Last week, I received negative feedback online regarding my sermons, accusing me of being too political.  My reply was that I was simply a follower of Jesus, who is by his very nature a political figure.  And I believe our reading today is one of the most politically charged readings in the church calendar, as here we see Jesus setting up a political demonstration.  I know I have stated this on previous Palm Sundays but it is good for us to remember that on the very day Jesus was entering the city by the back gate, Pilate was processing in by the front gate with a full showing of the Roman Empire’s power and might.

          Jesus is making a planned political statement, addressing the supposed power of the Roman Empire in contrast to the power of God in the lives of the people of Israel.  Pilate marches in with armies, horses, chariots, and banners; instruments of war and violence on display to be feared and worshipped.  Jesus comes in on a donkey, the cloaks of poverty strewn upon the road, the branches of nearby trees serving as banners.  Matthew tells us this fulfills the words of the prophet, “Look, your king is coming to you, humble.”

          I don’t know what they said but I am sure the people watching Pilate enter the city cheered.  Don’t we always cheer for shows of power and strength?  Here is the mighty arm of Rome, come to the city for Passover, come to keep us safe in a time of insecurity and fear.  The Jewish rebels are always threatening violence, they threaten terrorism, and now is the time to stamp terrorism out.  Now is the time to keep the city of Jerusalem safe, through the violent nationalistic power of the Roman Empire.

          I do know what the people said when they saw Jesus go by, they said “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest heaven!”  Biblical scholars will tell you that “Hosanna” comes from the Psalms, and though we often associate it with celebration, it actually translates as “Save us, we pray!”

          So as some worship the power of violence and empire; others watch a man ride humbly into the city on the back of a donkey and cry out “Save us!  Save us, Son of David!”  I was really touched by this vision this week.  Folks were looking at a “king coming to you humble, on a donkey” yelling “Save us!”  How can a man on a donkey save us?  How can he offer us anything?

          I wouldn’t be surprised if “Hosanna” was also shouted at Pilate.  How often even today do we cry “Save Us!” to the powers of violence and empire?  Save us with a wall, save us with immigration restrictions, save us with drone strikes, save us with increased military spending.  Save us, we shout at the empire we live in.  Save us and we will worship you.  “Hosanna” they said to Pilate and his empire, and “Hosanna” they said to Jesus, the man on the donkey.  “Save us!”

          I think we ask the man on the donkey to save us, only after we realize that the kingdom of empire power cannot.  It is only after we see the true cost of violence that we turn away from empire.  Only when we realize that bombs are bought at the cost of food, do the hungry ask the donkey king to save them.  Only when we realize that we are as likely to be killed by the empire as helped, do the fearful ask the donkey king to save them.  Only when we see the faces of those who have suffered a chemical weapon attack, struggling for breath like a fish out of water, do we finally say “no” to the violence of empire and ask the king who is humble, the king on the donkey, the king who is no king to save us. 

          Save us, Jesus, because without you we are nothing.  Save us, Jesus, save us from ourselves and our desires for power and privilege and empire and security.  Save us!

          And Jesus will save us.  He will save us by showing us the way into death.  The empire will save us by killing others in our name, but Jesus will save us by helping us to let go of our own lives.  Jesus shows us a new way when he gathers with the disciples to celebrate the Passover. 

          They are all there, even Judas who has fully bought into empire power, and they all receive the gift that Jesus offers.  “Take, eat; this is my body”.  Jesus offers the whole of himself for consumption.  “Drink from this cup, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant.”  Jesus offers his blood, his life force, his everything, to form a new covenant with a people who have worshipped empire for generations.  Yes, Jesus will save us, by offering his life, and telling us that the path of salvation is to offer our own lives as well.

          This Holy Week, I encourage you to look at the world you live in.  How many people are crying “save us” as they watch the parade of empire, nation state, violent oppression, and power roll on by?  How many people are crying “save us” as they sit hungry in the street, homeless on the corner, or lost in some forgotten war torn land struggling to live each day?  Where do we shout our “Hosannas!” and what exactly, who exactly are we worshipping?

          The power of empire is very much on display this morning, and you are free to worship it.  Many folks do.  But another power is on display as well.  “Your king is coming to you humble, on a donkey.”  This king leads with the power of his own death.  This week we remember that he was whipped, he was mocked, he was spat upon, and finally he was executed by the empire.  This is the king who shows us a new way.  Will we take up our cross and join the covenant of his blood, or will we continue to worship Pilate and his vast empire?  The choice is yours.  Amen.

The Community of Faith

April 2^nd, 2017         “The Community of Faith”     Rev. Heather Jepsen

Lenten Sermon Series: Lessons from James

James 5:1-20

          Those who have been regularly attending worship will know that we have spent this season of Lent reading the book of James together.  James has been a wonderful companion for us on our Lenten journey, as the author of James offers many insights into sinful human behavior and the corrective actions we can take. 

          The main focus of the book of James is the idea that how we act, how we behave in relationship to other people, should be a reflection of our faith.  As James famously states, “faith without works is dead.”  James has called us to specific acts of faith including caring for those in need, and not offering special treatment to the rich.  James has also warned us of the dangers of careless speech, and the selfishness that resides in each of our hearts.  James has offered examples of arrogance, and how we can overcome arrogant actions in the things we do and say, showing a closer reliance on our faith in God rather than our own actions to get us through.

          Today is our final sermon in the series, as we study the words here in chapter 5, the last chapter in the book of James.  You are encouraged to follow along and you will find our reading on page 982 in your pew Bible.

          (Read 5:1-6)

          This first section for today continues with the ideas we were discussing last week, namely how our arrogance shows in the things we say and do.  The example that James offers today is the arrogance of wealth, and James saves his harshest critique for the rich oppressors. 

          James calls upon the rich to weep and wail.  Those who have spent their lives investing in the closed economic model, reaching and grabbing for all they can attain for themselves, will suffer in the end James warns.  Your riches will not save you, and in the last days they will amount to nothing.  Moreover, James warns, if riches have been obtained at the cost of withholding wages, unfair business practices, or enjoying pleasures at the expense of others, our riches will lead to a harsher judgement.

          We have to remember last week’s discussion connecting envy and violence.  James argues that we always want more, and that we are willing to kill to get it.  If there is only so much stuff in the world, then I am willing to knock other people down in order to get my share.  James argues that it is this sinful behavior that has enabled folks to be rich, and it is by this sinful behavior which they will be judged in the end.

          Lest we think this isn’t about us, in his commentary on James, Luke Timothy Johnson points out;

“Envy and arrogance take a public form in economic and political systems that privilege the few and punish the many, that exploit the resources of the earth for the extravagant life-style of those privileged to live in the first world rather than the third, that reduce the laborers in the fields (and factories and sweat shops and fast-food eateries) to slaves by systems of reward and taxation that perpetuate inequity, that so marginalize major portions of the population that they are unable to sustain their existence at a meaningful human level, that commit legal murder against the innocent by means of litigation and the corruption of the courts. . . James tells us that we cannot close our eyes to these realities, that even if we cannot by ourselves change them, somehow we must by our own changed lives challenge them and that, in our own envy and arrogance, we stand within that same distorted view of the world and, therefore, under the same judgement of God.”

(Read 5:7-11)

          After slapping us on the wrist and telling us all the things we have been doing wrong, James now switches gears to offer us instructions on how to live as the community of faith.  James encourages the faithful to be patient and wait, as the coming of the Lord is near.  Here, James refers to the second coming of Christ, who will bring judgement in his wake.

          As the community of faith waits, the people are called to strengthen their hearts.  This is not an admonition to keep our hopes up; rather it is a call to keep focused.  The Christian community is called to endure in faith, until the time of judgement arrives.  Until the Lord comes, the rule of oppression leveled by the rich and powerful in our world will continue.  Under such negative and stressful circumstances, people will be tempted to turn against each other.  Instead, James encourages the community to stand strong together.  Just like the prophets or Job, the Christian community is called to suffer in faith, until the compassion of the Lord rescues them in the last days.

          (Read James 5:12)

          James now goes on to detail the life of faith within the Christian community, beginning with a discussion of oaths.  This may sound familiar to you because Jesus says this in the gospel of Matthew.  We are encouraged to be plain and trustworthy in our speech.  Our yes is yes and our no is no. 

          If we are not honest and clear in the community of faith then we cannot get the work of ministry done.  If we are not honest in our communication, then we open the door to manipulation and deceit within the community of faith itself.  James wants us to stand strong together so he encourages us to be truthful and clear with each other.  We don’t need to swear oaths, if we have first built a foundation of trust within the community.

          (5:13-20)

          In the final section of his letter, or sermon, James continues to offer encouragement to the Christian community in how to live in ways that are different than the ways of the world.  Following along the thought of clear speech that was offered in the earlier verse, in this passage James is encouraging the community of faith to share the truth of their experiences with each other.  Those who are suffering should be lifted up in prayer.  Those who are blessed should lead the community in singing songs of praise.  And those who are ill should call the church to their bedside.

          This section on illness is important because it contains subtleties regarding the ways of God and the ways of the world conversation that we had last week.  Sickness is a threat to any community, as it can spread among us and harm us all.  In a world of competition and closed resources, the natural response is to leave the sick person behind rather than to risk the spreading of sickness.  James is revolutionary then, when he calls the community to gather around the sick person instead.  We are to pray together, to touch each other, and to show that the sick person is a vital member of the community of faith.  We come together in solidarity, even when it may put the community in danger, as a sign of our faith in God and our rejection of the ways of the world.

          The community is encouraged to confess our sins to each other.  This is a call to be honest about who we are in our private lives, when we come together as a community of faith.  We are called to pray together, so that the community itself may experience healing and grace.  James mentions the power of prayer Elijah experiences and suggests that the Christian community can share in that power as well, if we are willing to be honest with each other and to pray together.

          Finally, James encourages us to bring back into the fold any that may wander from the faith.  This is a bit touchy, as James is asking us to correct each other when we see sin.  This was a common moral teaching in the time of James through it can be a bit of a challenge in our modern time and place.  Rather than engaging in slander, judging, or grumbling against one another; if someone is causing problems in the community or headed in the wrong direction, we are encouraged to gather around them and patiently help them redirect.  I am sure you can imagine this resulting in anger and hurt feelings, but in James’ mind, this is the way the ideal Christian community would operate; mutual confession and mutual correction, all within a culture of support and honesty.

          We can see here at the end of the book that James offers none of the traditional closings that many other letters in scripture offer.  That is one of the reasons it is often thought that this wasn’t a letter at all.  Rather, the letter of James is a famous sermon and teaching tool that was passed around among the early Christian faith communities.

          Because this isn’t a letter addressed to a specific time and place, we could argue that this is a sermon addressed to the church as a whole.  And I hope that throughout the past five weeks, you have noticed with me, how readily James’ sermon could be addressed to this very church.  We too live in a world that is driven by selfishness, envy, and greed.  We too are in danger of speaking harsh and negative things about our neighbors.  We too have fallen prey to the ways of the world and the fallacy of a closed economic system over the truth of God’s deep and vast abundance.  We too, as a community, would benefit from clear speech, more prayer, care for the sick, and mutual correction.

          This Lenten season, the letter of James has been a worthy companion on our journey of faith.  I am hopeful that like me, you have found the message that James offers to touch your life as an individual.  I know I am trying to engage with the world in a new and better way each day.  Following the teachings of James, I want my actions in the world to be a sign of my faith in the Lord, marked by integrity in thought, speech, and action.  I hope that you do too.  These lessons from James are a wonderful instruction for the church and for our particular community of faith.  Thanks be to God for this wonderful little book hiding in the back of our Bibles!  Amen.