Words Through the Word

James 3:1-12

Dylan Fitzgerald

Sermon Notes & Liturgy | Worship Music

CALL TO WORSHIP | Psalm 119:105-112, MSG

By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.  I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order.  Everything’s falling apart on me, GOD; put me together again with your Word.  Adorn me with your finest sayings, GOD; teach me your holy rules.  My life is as close as my own hands, but I don’t forget what you have revealed.  The wicked do their best to throw me off track, but I don’t swerve an inch from your course.  I inherited your book on living; it’s mine forever – what a gift!  And how happy it makes me!  I concentrate on doing exactly what you say – I always have and always will. 

Song #1 – With Your Likeness by Trinity Grace

Song #2 – God is Love by Chris Renzema

Dismiss Kids

INTRO |

“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,” (James 1:26-27).  These verses ended chapter 1 of James.  Not only did they end the first chapter of James however, but they also function as sort of a springboard to the remainder of James.  After this verse, in some ways the rest of James seems to be reflections that invite us to both go deeper and practically see pure and undefiled religion in our daily lives as a faith family.  James chapter 2 began, as Chaz walked us through, with a warning against favoritism, how favoritism distorts seeing all people rightly, leading us away.  And as we walked through last week, James continues chapter 2 by showing us what faith is, a living faith, a transformative journey encompassing every area of our life.

PRE-SERMON READING | James 3:1-12 (NRSV)

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will face stricter judgment.  For all of us make many mistakes.  Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is mature, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.  If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies.  Or look at ships: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.  So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire.  The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of life, and is itself set on fire by hell.  For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue – a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse.  My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.  Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water?  Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives or a grapevine figs?  No more can salt water yield fresh.

SERMON | Words Through the Word

James 3:1-12

I.  Introduction

a. James 1:26-27: “If any think they are religious and do not bridle their tongues but deceiver 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.”

i. These verses are the end of chapter 1, but also the framework for much of James.

ii. Reflections that invite us to both go deeper and more practical.

II. Why do our words matter?

a. Introduction to text

i.  Illustration: Watching Michael Phelps as a 10-year old making me want to swim.  My mom encouraged me and after about a week I was done.

ii. James makes what at first seems like an abrupt transition from this wonderful meditation on living faith, to a call to not be teachers and tame our tongues?

iii. To understand why, we must understand that words are both prolific, and powerful, we have to understand James’ worldview for why words matter.

iv.  To do that, we’re going to start big picture and move practical.

b.  James 3:3-5a: “If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies.  Or look at ships: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.  So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.”

i.  James does not transition to talking of taming the tongue because it’s something we do everyday, but because it’s so powerful.

c. Naturally brings up the question, why do our words matter?

i.  Words as foundational to creation:

1.Genesis 1:  God spoke things into being.

2. John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.”

3. Now of course, Jesus as the Word, the Logos, means more than just spoken words, it is the revelation of God’s reason and creative order, it’s something our whole life participates in, but also our words.

ii. Words are foundational to our faith journey. 

1.  James 3:3-4, the analogies are about steering horses or ships, either way, the analogies are about guiding something along the journey.

2.As we remember from last week, for James, faith is a journey.

iii. Words are foundational to our community

1. James 3:5b-6: “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire.  The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of life, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

2. Tongues as fire, reminds us of the context of James, writing to believers that were likely at Pentecost, and then left and returned home.

3. And at Pentecost what happened?  Acts 2:2-4: “And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” 

4. The community James is speaking to was formed by tongues of fire from the Holy Spirit.

5. Yet, James twists the image to a negative, hellish fire.

6. Why?  Because tongues, which gave power through the Holy Spirit, are now used through the power to divide and raise yourself up.

7. Mirrors when James flipped the Shema into the faith of demons.

8.Why does James call our tongues hellish?

a. James 3:9-10: “With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse.  My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.”

b. The hellish tongue is a tongue of fire that was supposed to unite the church being used to curse brothers and sisters.

c.. What does curse mean?  Wanting to separate them from God.

d.  It’s hellish because of the name of Satan.  Literally “ha-satan”, the Hebrew translation for which we get satan means “the accuser.”  We see this in Revelation 12:9-10: “The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world – he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  Then I heard a loud voice in heaven proclaiming, ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our brothers an sisters has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”

iv. Words are foundational to our work

1. James 3:7: “For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species.”

2.  This seems like a minor point, but New Testament scholars have frequently noticed how the word choice here, both of beast, bird, reptile, sea creature that has been tamed, directly calls back to the creation account in Genesis 1:26, where those four classifications are the classifications of the animals humans are given authority over.

3. Interestingly, in Genesis 2, we see how Adam begins to have dominion over these animals.  Genesis 2:19: “So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and whatever the man called every living creature that was its name.”

4. Name in the Bible, is identity-forming, it’s giving an identity.  So, as weird as it seems, Adam naming is participating in God’s creation by given an identity, the “dominion” of Genesis 1 is this honoring by giving identity.

5. Our work, as first fruits of creation, involve our words, involve our words participating in The Word.

d.  So, I’ve taken us down a perhaps long and convoluted path to make the simple point that you may have already known, words matter a lot.  They matter for our community, our work, our faith, and all of creation.  The question then becomes, how do we use our words well, or in James’ words, how do we tame our tongues?

III. How do we use our words well?

a.  James immediately humbles us in our question.  James 3:8: “but no one can tame the tongue – a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

b. Avoid words for our own elevation:

i.  James 3:1-2: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will face stricter judgment.  For all of us make many mistakes.  Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is mature, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.”

ii. We use words to give ourselves authority.

iii. 69 million content creators on Youtube alone.

iv. Words our not for our glorification.

v. James primary concern isn’t who’s teaching, it’s how everyone views their own words.

vi.James’ concern is people seeking a role for their own authority without maturity of knowing the power of words.

vii. The desire for everyone to be teachers leads to division, as each person seeks to use their own words to elevate themselves.

c. Ground in the Word:

i. James 1:18-19: “In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave birth to us by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.  You must understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.”

ii. We cannot tame our tongues, we can only seek to live through the word of truth.

iii. Are you speaking to God?

iv.Just as we cannot separate our works from our faith, so we cannot separate our tongues from our hearts.

v. Illustration:  Chaplaincy, becoming a chaplain that’s present everywhere, not acquiring the skills.

vi. Our words are not about negation but transformation, not about being an introvert but living through God.

d.  Notice don’t hide your words

i.James 3:11-12: “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water?  Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives or a grapevine figs?  No more can salt water yield fresh.”

ii.Notice when your words divide by cursing others or elevating yourself. 

iii. And when you notice words that come from a divided heart that are dividing, ask.  James 1:6 “But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”

IV.  Conclusion

a. Our tongues are tongues of fire.  They can either be fire of the Spirit, or fire of hell.  They can bless and name the life they say, or they can accuse the other before God.

b. The temptation reading these verses is to take it as trite advice, and not a transformational act on the journey.

c.  Remember, James’ words on taming the tongue are not meant to stop us from talking, or perpetually holding in our words, that would be our attempt to tame our tongues, which is something James reminds us we cannot actually do.

d. Remember the Psalms, on our journey it is actually quite imperative for us to be honest with our words before God.

e. James is inviting us to recognize the weight of our words, in our work, community, journey, and depend on the Word for transformation through our words.

Communion

When the Word was made flesh, and descended to earth, He did not come down as an accuser of humanity.  Rather, he took the accusations of humanity, even becoming a curse, hanging from a tree, when his body was broken, and his blood was poured out for us.  Jesus chose not to accuse us, but to give us a name, a name which only He knows, a name in the book of life.

REFLECTION |

• What do my words reveal about myself?

• How do my words bless other people?

• What would tomorrow look like if I grounded my words in my listening to Jesus?

CORPORATE CONFESSION & COMMUNION[1] |

(Celebrant)

The table is ready,

here waiting for your arrival.

It is the table of company with Jesus,

and all who love him.

It is the table of sharing,

with the poor of the world,

with who Jesus identified himself.

It is the table of communion with the earth

in which Christ became incarnate.

So come to this table,

you have much faith

and you who would like to have more;

you who have been here often

and you who have not been for a long time;

and you who have tried to follow Jesus,

and you who have failed;

come.

It is Christ who invites us to meet him here; on the day made for us, at the table he prepared for us.

Invite People to the Table to Receive the Communion elements

(ALL)

Loving God,

through your goodness

we have this bread and juice to offer

which has come forth from the earth

and human hands have made.

May we know your presence

in this sharing,

so that we may know your touch

and presence in all things.

We celebrate the life that Jesus has shared

among his family of faith through the centuries,

and shares with us now.

Made one in Christ

and one with each other,

we offer these gifts

and with them ourselves,

a single living act of praise.

Amen.

Song #3 – Love Divine by Ben Cantelone

Song #4 – Mystery by Charlie Hall

BENEDICTION | Philippians 2:12-16

As we rest in the day made for us, we prepare to enter into the work for which we are made [LIGHT THE CANDLE], remembering…  

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence but much more now in my absence, work on your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world, holding forth the word of life so that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

---

[1] Adapted from Common Prayer: a liturgy for ordinary radicals, 564.

Fullness of Faith

James 2:14-26

Dylan Fitzgerald

Sermon Notes & Liturgy | Worship Music

CALL TO WORSHIP | Psalm 107:1-9,42-43

Oh, thank GOD – he’s so good!  His love never runs out.  All of you set free by GOD, tell the world!  Tell how he freed you from oppression, then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas. 

Some of you wandered for years in the desert, looking but not finding a good place to live, half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.  Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to GOD.  He got you out in the nick of time; He put your feet on a wonderful road that took you straight to a good place to live.  So thank GOD for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.  He poured great drafts of water down parched throats; the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.

Good people see this an are glad; bad people are speechless, stopped in their tracks.  If you are really wise, you’ll think this over – it’s time you appreciated GOD’s deep love.

Song #1 – You are With Me by Leslie Jordan

Song #2 – Have You Found the Lord? By The Porter’s Gate

Dismiss Kids

INTRO |

As Jeremy said early in this series, the book of James has had a more controversial reception as a book in the Bible than most of the other letters and books in the New Testament.  The main reason for this, at least during the time of the Protestant Reformation, seems to be James 2:14-26, which we’ll go through today.  When describing this section, New Testament scholar Douglas Moo says, “the most famous, controversial and important contribution of James to theology comes in his teaching about the relationship of faith, works and justification in 2:14-26.”[1]

I bring this up to make you aware that this passage has been difficult for many followers of Jesus, especially Protestants, for a long time.  I do not bring this up to make you doubt the passage, personally I find this passage, and the whole epistle of James inspiring, illuminating, and consistent with the message of Scripture found in Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels and Paul’s letters.  Yet I still bring up the difficulty of the passage to many historical Christians such as Martin Luther, to remind you that it’s ok, to have a strong reaction to these verses, even an initial aversion.  And while we’ll go through the text, hopefully in a way that satisfies any initial misgivings you may have, I want to encourage you to wrestle with the text, not to write it off, and to let the Scriptures draw you deeper to persevere through its meaning and ultimately find yourself closer to Jesus.  All of us, inevitably, will encounter difficult passages in Scripture, even if this passage is not difficult to you, if we didn’t then we wouldn’t need it to grow closer to God.  So this felt like a good time to remind us all, that when we encounter difficult Scriptures, which we inevitably will, allow it to challenge you, offend you, upset you, and wrestle with it, allowing the difficulty to deepen your relationship with Jesus, which after all is why you’re reading the Scriptures in the first place.  The Bible Project reminds us that the Scriptures, especially a letter like James full of short wisdom statements, and lacking explanations, is meditation literature, not written like a Marvel movie where everything is explained while you go, but written to force you to wrestle, to pray and meditate, to spend time with the Lord to allow the fullness of the text to sink in, to transform, to shape.

So, with that context in mind, let me pray for us, and as I pray I’ll invite ___________ to come up and read James 2:14-26 for us.

PRE-SERMON READING | James 2:14-26 (NRSV)

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works?  Surely that faith cannot save, can it?  If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?  So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”  Show me your faith apart from works, and I by my works will show you faith.  You believe that God is one; you do well.  Even the demons believe – and shudder.  Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is worthless?  Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that faith was active along with his works, and by works faith was brought to completion.  Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.  You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.  Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road?  For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

SERMON | How We Respond to Faith

I remember in elementary school going white water rafting for the first time one summer.  I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to get started, and then the guides led us through the legal warnings they have to give.  I don’t really remember what they said, but it amounted to basically what to do if everything went as bad as possible, what to do if someone drowned, if you were drowning, if you fell and couldn’t get back on the raft, etc.  And all the sudden I was terrified to go.  And then the trip was amazing and nothing bad happened.  I hope my warnings of the text were like that for you, and then _________ read the verses and you feel like it wasn’t that tough at all.  Either way though, let’s dive in to what James is saying here.  As we go through these verses, I want to ground ourselves in the question James seems to be answering: what is faith?  And why?

Self-Justifying Faith

To begin our verses, James seems to be answering what faith is in the negative, by describing what it is not.  Starting in verse 14 we read, “what good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works?  Surely that faith cannot save, can it?  If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?  So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead,” (James 2:14-17).  So James tells us, both at the beginning in verse 14, and at the end of the paragraph in verse 17, that faith without works is of no good, or dead, and sandwiched in the middle of these proclamations is verses 15 and 16 which are a pretty obvious example of a faith that is dead.  We can say, reading this first paragraph, that dead faith separates from others.  While the language that faith without works is dead may be a bit jarring, we also can easily agree with James that this example is not an instance of faith.  Looking specifically at the example James gives in verses 15 and 16 [put on screen], we notice that it is a brother or sister that is naked and lacking food.  By brother or sister here, James is talking about a member of the community, a member of the faith family, that was ignored.  Contextually, it’s critical to note that James had ended chapter 1 by saying, “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,” (James 1:27), and begun chapter 2, as Chaz preached on last week, warning against partiality affecting both the rich and the poor.  In many ways, this example, and all our verses really, our building these themes in our passage.  With everything we know of the early church, and James’ continual emphasis, it is quite likely that the people James is writing to are poor, struggling to work, facing persecution, and so James uses this example to really drive home the point in a way that would hit very close to home.

This specific example, and James warning against this type of “faith”, actually parallels Jesus’ words in both Matthew and John’s Gospels.  In John 13:35, Jesus says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another,” (John 13:35), and in Matthew 25, as Jesus is in Jerusalem about to be arrested He says, “Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked an you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked an gave you clothing’... And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me,’” (Matthew 25:34-38,40).  Of course, immediately after this, we see the same dialogue in reverse, with those whom Jesus did not know not doing these things, and not recognizing Jesus in the people they did not care for.  I highlighted all the parallels for you, so I hope you notice how James seems to be drawing directly from Jesus’ words in Matthew for his example.

So, faith is not individual.  If we’re following our questions then to ground us, let’s ask why faith is not passive?  Well, these words of Jesus provide us the first hint.  A passive faith, not loving brother or sister, does not recognize Christ in them.  Following what Chaz said last week when James spoke on favoritism, favoritism by its nature dehumanizes people by seeing them as a means to an end and not seeing the fullness of who they are.  To put it differently, a passive faith does not recognize “the implanted word [Jesus] that has the power to save your souls,” (James 1:21) in the other.  There’s a bit more too though.  Notice the question James asks in verse 14.  “Surely that faith cannot save, can it?”  Here, James adds so much hidden depth.  First, that passive “faith” does not save you, because as Jesus says in Matthew 25, He does not know you who ignored His brothers or sisters.  But also, that faith cannot save your brother or sister in need.  You have not provided for them practically in any way at all.  Dallas Willard, in The Divine Conspiracy points out the futility of this “faith”, this way of thinking, when he says, “Can we seriously believe that God would establish a plan for us that essentially bypasses the awesome needs of present human life and leaves human character untouched?”[2]  Why is faith not passive?  Because it doesn’t make sense, it assumes that believing in a good God has no impact on yourself or your brothers and sisters.

Ok, continuing on in verse 18, “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”  Show me your faith apart from works, and I by my works will show you faith.  (James 2:18-20).  Zooming into verse 18, we see the second example James gives of a dead faith, when says “you have faith, and I have works.”  To understand what’s going on here, it’s helpful to look at the Message translation, which says this, “I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, ‘Sounds good.  You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.’  Not so fast.  You can no more show me your works apart from your faith that I can show you my faith apart from my works.  Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove,” (James 2:18, MSG).  If the first faith separates us from others, this faith separates us from ourselves.  By separating faith and works, or faith and its fruits, we divide ourselves, we are, as James says in chapter 1, “like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves, and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like,” (James 1:24).

After verse 18, James continues to show the separating ways of this dead faith, saying in verses 19 and 20, “You believe that God is one; you do well.  Even the demons believe – and shudder.  Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is worthless?” (James 2:19-20).  Finally, or better yet inevitably, the dead faith that has separated one from others and themself, separates them from God.  Faith is not a mere intellectual belief.  James here is referencing part of the Shema.  The Shema, for those who may not know, is a Jewish “confession of the uniqueness of God… a confession of basic doctrine that the Jewish people recited twice daily.”[3]  This confession, which is as true for us today, comes from Deuteronomy 6:4 which says, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.”  James is taking what is the most sacred of Jewish beliefs, one recited twice daily, and saying that confession, if it remains a mere intellectual belief, is no better than the faith of the demons.  In fact, it’s actually worse.  As James says, at least the demons have a response to this intellectual belief… a shudder.

In verse 20, we then see a subtle reason why this type of dead faith, as destructive as it is, can be so attractive.  Specifically, James calls this person, “you foolish person.”  While a thesarus today would associate “foolish” with synonyms like silly, naïve, or dumb, in antiquity foolish was much more severe a term, denoting someone who, as one commentator puts it, “probably suggests deficiency in understanding as well as moral perversity.”[4]  Foolish, in this context, means someone who willfully rejects understanding, reality to engage in immorality.  With this final critique, James empathically exclaims that “he is not simply challenging this person to give evidence for his or her faith; he is suggesting that the faith the objector claims to have is not faith at all.”[5]  Ultimately, this dead faith that separates from others, self, and God is not faith, but rather a claim to faith that provides self-justification for living as you see fit and assuming that you are right with God.  This reminds me of another claim by Dallas Willard, he says that “our usual ‘gospels’ are, in their effects – dare we say it – nothing less than a standing invitation to omit God from the course of our daily existence.”[6]

Living Faith

So, if James has spent so much time picking apart what faith is not, we are then left to ask what is faith?  James transitions to two examples: Abraham and Rahab.  In verse 21 he says, “Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that faith was active along with his works, and by works faith was brought to completion.  Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God.  You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone,” (James 2:21-24).  Ok, so there’s a lot to unpack here.  First, we can feel the tension of verse 24, where James says a person is justified by works and not by faith alone, which at first glance seems to directly counter Paul who says in Romans, “We hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law,” (Romans 3:28).  I will point out, that Romans 3:28 says “works prescribed by the law”, which is a big difference in the passages to me, but that will take us down a rabbit hole all day.  So, how do James and Paul exist together?  I think the immediate contexts of verse 24, and specifically the story of Abraham which James cites, can help us see how they are not in opposition.

To unpack James’ allusions to Abraham, we have to go back to Genesis.  James does an interesting thing here, he retells the story of God providing a substitute sacrifice for Isaac, which occurs in Genesis 22.  And James, looking at verse 22, cites that story, as this moment where Abraham’s faith was brought to completion.  In verse 23 then James says “Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’”  What’s so fascinating here, is James directly cites Genesis 15:6.  Now, Genesis 15 is a chapter most of our translations have titled “God’s Covenant with Abram,” and what happens is God makes a promise to Abram that Abram believes, leading to the scripture saying “it was reckoned to him as righteousness”, and then God puts Abram to sleep and fulfills the covenant He is making with Abram all by Himself.  What we have in Genesis 15 is a typical covenant ritual between two parties, where typically both parties make a covenant that they both agree to uphold signified by the two parties walking through the altar together.  However, in Genesis 15, instead what happens is “as the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him… When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.  On that day the LORD made a convenat with Abram,” (Genesis 15:12,17-18a).  So, based directly on what James alludes to in Genesis, we see this progression where God declares Abram righteous, makes a covenant with Abram without Abram’s participation as the foundation for Abram being declared righteous.  And then, seven chapters later, after disobeying God by sleeping with Hagar to have Ishmael, Abraham finally has the promised son, Isaac, and willingly offers him up to God.  This is why James says that the work of offering Isaac brought Abraham’s faith to completion.  It did not make Abraham righteous, it did not justify him, that was God’s covenant, but it did bring his faith to fullness.

So, why go through all that?  First, it reveals how James and Paul are not in opposition.  But second, it reveals what faith is to us.  We see that faith is not perfection, but a continually transforming journey of moving closer towards Christ, that will eventually result in fullness.  After Abram was reckoned righteous, he immediately tries to bring about God’s promise on his own terms with Ishmael and Hagar, a tragic story of Abram’s failures.  As Eugene Peterson puts it, faith is an “obedience in a long direction.”  James then, is not saying works in and of themselves justify us before God.  Rather, that works are an inevitable part of a holistic faith, an undivided faith of the transformative journey of faith that comes from moving towards Christ, of “welcoming with meekness the implanted word [Christ] that has the power to save your souls,” (James 1:21).

This theme continues with a second example, Rahab, a gentile woman who knew nothing of God, had no records of speaking with God before in the Scriptures, a woman who in many ways seems the opposite of Abraham.  And yet, “Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road?”  (James 2:25).  Rahab, with her whole being moved towards God, and showed her faith through her work.  James ends by concluding his point, “for just as the boy without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead,” (James 2:26).  Again, I’ll turn to the Message to help elucidate this point.  The message concludes the chapter by saying, “the same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot.  Wasn’t her action in hiding God’s spies and helping them escape – that seamless unity of believing and doing – what counted with God?  The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse.  Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse,” (James 2:25-26, MSG).    

So, where do we go from here?  As we’ll continue in James 3, we’ll get to look at how James defines “works” more closely.  But for now, let’s return to our original question, what is faith?  These verses reveal to me, that so often we unintentionally, or intentionally, minimize faith.  We make faith a belief separate from actions, a slogan separating us from people, a piece of us that can be divided.  And we do so, whether we realize it or not, so we can go about our lives as we want to, with some sort of eternal trump card that’ll make everything alright in the end.  The tragedy of that however, is it misses how beautiful faith is.  It misses that faith is living through Christ, the seed planted in us.  It misses that faith is a journey, drawing us into seeing each other rightly, seeing God more fully, and seeing ourselves through the law of freedom.  It is a faith that works, a faith that participates in, through and with “the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures,” (James 1:18), participates in the new creation.  So, with that, there’s going to be three reflection questions on the screen.  I’ll give you three minutes to consider them, to spur on your meditations this week.  Let me pray for us, and then take a moment to reflect on the full picture of faith James offers us.

REFLECTION |

• What areas of my life have I separated from my faith?

• What are some of the works/fruits of my faith that God is doing through me in my community?

• What would tomorrow look like if I responded in my work through the fullness of faith?

CORPORATE CONFESSION & COMMUNION[7] |

(Celebrant)

The table is ready,

here waiting for your arrival.

It is the table of company with Jesus,

and all who love him.

It is the table of sharing,

with the poor of the world,

with who Jesus identified himself.

It is the table of communion with the earth

in which Christ became incarnate.

So come to this table,

you have much faith

and you who would like to have more;

you who have been here often

and you who have not been for a long time;

and you who have tried to follow Jesus,

and you who have failed;

come.

It is Christ who invites us to meet him here; on the day made for us, at the table he prepared for us.

Invite People to the Table to Receive the Communion elements

(ALL)

Loving God,

through your goodness

we have this bread and juice to offer

which has come forth from the earth

and human hands have made.

May we know your presence

in this sharing,

so that we may know your touch

and presence in all things.

We celebrate the life that Jesus has shared

among his family of faith through the centuries,

and shares with us now.

Made one in Christ

and one with each other,

we offer these gifts

and with them ourselves,

a single living act of praise.

Amen.

Song #3 – Jesus Is by PaperHorses

Song #4 – The Gospel is All that I Have by Nathan Partain

BENEDICTION | Philippians 2:12-13

As we rest in the day made for us, we prepare to enter into the work for which we are made [LIGHT THE CANDLE], remembering…  

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence but much more now in my absence, work on your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

---

[1] Douglas Moo, James: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Vol. 16 (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2015), 59.

[2] Dallas Willard, 46.

[3] Douglas Moo, James: An Introduction and Commentary, 139.

[4] Douglas Moo, James: An Introduction and Commentary, 140.

[5] Douglas Moo, James: An Introduction and Commentary, 139.

[6] Willard, 19.

[7] Adapted from Common Prayer: a liturgy for ordinary radicals, 564.

Facing Up to Partiality

James 2:1-13

Chaz Holsomback

Sermon Notes & Liturgy | Worship Music

CALL TO WORSHIP | Psalm 25:1-10

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.

Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.

Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Song #1 – New Every Morning by Porter’s Gate

Song #2 – Mercy by Chris Renzema

Dismiss Kids

PRE-SERMON READING | James 2:1-13

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, You sit here in a good place, while you say to the poor man, You stand over there, or, Sit down at my feet, have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

SERMON |  

Good morning everyone, it feels like it has been a while since I’ve done this, and I’m feeling a bit rusty, to put it lightly. Still, as always, I’m certainly glad to be with you in this way, as I enjoy the change of pace and the honor and privilege of sharing in God’s word with you all. So, thank you Sam for leading in song, to make space for this…

If you would, turn in your Bibles with me to James 2:1-13. As you turn there, I want to warn you: this text begins with what sounds incredibly simple. But, like so much of the rest of James, what seems straightforward on-the-face-of-it, turns out to be deceptively so. Because this text is an uncomfortable mirror held right up to our faces.

I actually want to draw your attention to this word: “face.” Think about everything that word conjures, means, invokes: the human face, or the sur-face of something… the mere appearance of… simply the front of something. Or as a verb, to turn towards, to expect something—to face it… to own up to something (as in “to face up to”).

Today, I want to suggest that the face… is a summons.

Hopefully this will make sense by the end.

Ok, so let’s begin, verse 1. James begins with who Jesus is.

1. My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

Apparently, this has been famously argued over—namely, that the phrase “of glory” stands in apposition to Jesus Christ.[1] In other words, Jesus isn’t just glorious; He is the Glory—the sheer, blinding manifestation of the divine presence among us. Recent commentary is a bit more cautious, preferring “our glorious Lord,” but he insists the phrase is remarkably fitting here precisely because we, as Christians, give far too much glory to mere human beings.[2]

If Christ is the divine Glory, partiality isn’t just bad manners, being rude at a party. No, it is a direct contradiction of our Christian confession. Think about the absurdity of it: a church honoring the expensive ‘look’ of this or that persn or those with resources that could benefit the church… all while ignoring the poor, even though the God revealed Himself to us in the crucified, lowly, and impoverished figure of Jesus Christ? The problem isn’t just that the poor person is mistreated—though that certainly matters; it is that the church has forgotten where the real Glory is!

The Greek word translated “partiality” here is central (some of your Bibles may have “favoritism”). The Greek word for partiality (prosōpolēmpsiai) literally means "receiving the face." It names the act of evaluating a person by their prosōpon — their social face, their presented surface, their display, the mask and/or profile by which the rest of the world sees them.  In a fallen world, we evaluate a person by their presented social surface—the “face” by which ‘the machine’ orders them—rather than by the dignity and election of God.

The twentieth century philosopher Emmanuel Levinas gives us a helpful lens here I think. While Levinas did not write from a Christian perspective, he was after all a Lithuanian-French-Jewish philosopher, he does help us name the issue. For Levinas, the face is not merely a visible object, not just a surface to be read, ranked, assessed, or managed. Rather, the face opens up and into incredible depth. The face is the place where another person interrupts all my categories, refused objectification, and thus calls me into responsibility.[3]

Moreover, the face is not just what I see.

The face is what sees back.

This, it seems to me, helps us understand what James may be getting at. The rich man and the poor man both enter a community with a certain ‘face,’ a peculiar kind of appearance but that community does not really encounter their depth. The community only sees the mere sur-face, the label: Rich. Poor. Impressive. Burdensome. Useful. Costly. Honorable. Disposable.

James, of course, gives us our example. Continuing…

2. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3. and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, You sit here in a good place, while you say to the poor man, You stand over there, or, Sit down at my feet, 4. have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Now, don’t misunderstand me: the assembly’s sin is not that they noticed the difference. James does not suggest a kind of naïve blindness to poverty, class, or social power. Instead, the sin is allowing that mere appearance, the sur-face, to govern how a community accepts and values people. We don’t become faithful by pretending poverty and class distinctions don’t exist. We become faithful by receiving new eyes, new hearts, and new minds—by learning to see what God sees, and believing what God says is true about the person in front of us. The work of faith is not naivety or blindness. Faith is re-trained sight.

Faith sees the poor man not merely as “poor,” but as an heir of the kingdom. Faith sees the rich man not merely as “important,” but as a neighbor under the same royal law. Faith sees the face as an invention to immense depth, not surface; faith at work sees the face as a summons, not a category; as a person, not resource.

Look again at verse 4. One commentator suggests the verb in, here, “making distinctions,” points to an inner dividedness—a split mind, looking back to Chapter 1—a faith fractured by a petty, worldly standard.[4] Professing faith in the person of Jesus but still seeing through the world’s metric of honor, class, and prestige isn’t just snobbery; it is a fractured perceptual system, a divided heart and mind.

Besides, partiality is often just fear disguised as prudence. The wealthy, polished, affluent family seems to stabilize the community, while the poor person feels like a burden. Of course, we are not limited to speaking about money—though that is the immediate context—wealth can take many forms. The point is that we sometimes run a quick ROI analysis to determine who is worth our time, who gets our attention, our presence… based on the value return we think they represent. James exposes that cold, corporate calculation for what it is: “evil thoughts.”

Because… the face is a summons.

James also insists that the poor are not merely objects of our pity; they are the very ones God has chosen to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. Recall Jesus’s words from the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor.” Thus, James doesn’t speak of a simple class reversal where the poor are flattered and the rich are demonized. He is asking: will we begin to recognize and receive people by way of God's choice design, or continue to see through the world's superficial, status and prestige system?

5. Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6. But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7. Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

This is what happens when we refuse the invitation into the depth of the face. We do not merely make a bad social calculation. We objectify the other person… dehumanize them. We absorb them into our own private or collective story of usefulness, or threat, inconvenience, or ladder-climbing. The poor person becomes "a problem." The rich person becomes "an opportunity." And neither is allowed to stand before us as a neighbor, created in the imago dei whose existence is more mysterious and profound than our categories.

We might think all this a bit dramatic. But hear me out.

Last November, some researchers from Google DeepMind published a paper on the possibility of personhood for AI systems. (Now, this is a whole thing, which I don’t have time to go into, but…) What I found most interesting, was their historical re-telling of how our notions of personhood have evolved over time, and how we arrived at the particular understanding of person that is common today. Beginning around 200 years ago or so, a fairly significant shift took place—influenced primarily by the rise of shopping as a cultural practice and individual, autonomous voting legislation—which gave most of us our unthought assumptions concerning personhood:

the figure of the autonomous chooser, an ideal forged in the cultural crucibles of the marketplace and the voting booth… On the one hand, they are the rational, utility-maximizing actor of classical economics-a kind of Homo economicus… On the other hand, they are a being defined by expressive choice… the chooser who leverages their 'unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness' and the freedom to form their own social affiliations to construct a meaningful life according to their own tastes.[5]

Consumer culture trains us to look at the world and the people in it as a series of options for the self. Who do I want? Which relationship benefits me? Which person increases my comfort, my status, my security, my brand, my freedom?

Perhaps, worse: this idea of personhood assures us that it is a path to freedom. Freedom from limits. Freedom from obligation. Freedom from need. Freedom to curate the life, the image, the church, the social circle, the family, the spiritual experience, the community, the relationships that best expresses ME.

But that is not liberty. It is bondage.

8. If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. 9. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11. For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

If my freedom requires me to reduce your face to a surface, if my freedom requires me to treat you as a cost, a threat, a tool, a customer, a donor, a demographic, a problem to manage, or an opportunity to leverage, then I am not free. I am enslaved to the same old economy of fear and status. I am not seeing you as a person.

The royal law steps into the middle of the consumer gaze and says: No. That face is not inventory, it is not an accessory, or social capital. That person is not raw material for your comfort, your platform, or your security.

James invokes the Royal Law: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Ref. Deuteronomy 6 and Jesus’ pronouncement in Matthew 22)

This is the law that holds the whole law together. It exercises regal authority over all other laws—it is the supreme law of love, the Old Testament law fulfilled and filtered through Jesus. Love God, love neighbor.

Law and liberty are not mutually exclusive. They are not contradictions. The law of love is the shape of liberty. The royal law does not constrain freedom; it rescues freedom from self-absorption, from the excesses of our individuality. It frees me from the exhausting project of arranging every social circle, every dinner, every circumstance around my own advantage, and it frees me to receive the other, the face of the other as a person before God.

Consumer society and its ideas of personhood cannot give us the law of love. It can give us choices. It can give us upgrades, new gadgets. It can give us novelty and convenience. It can give us the illusion that nobody has a claim on us unless we consent to the transaction. But it cannot give us love. And it cannot give us the kind of liberty that looks at the vulnerable person and is not threatened or inconvenienced. And it certainly cannot give us the kind of freedom that is able to accept our own vulnerability, and to see ourselves as poor in need of a Savior.

The royal law and the love of neighbor is entirely incompatible with partiality. James is blunt: favoritism is willful sin. It is an active choice. James refuses to let us write it off as a personality quirk, a cultural habit, or administrative necessity. No. Faith that sees rightly, faith at work… speaks differently, sees differently, thinks differently, listens differently, protects differently, accepts differently, and belongs differently.

Faith at work sees the face differently… it recognizes the face is a summons.

Which brings us to the final few verses:

12. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

The law of liberty is not lawlessness. It is the law fulfilled in Jesus—who takes possession, becomes Lord of, our whole life. It sounds strange to even say, but the gospel places a kind of demand for obedience written on the human heart, as we come to know more and more of God’s will for us. Verse 12 is jarring because it refuses to separate our freedom from our judgment. The free are still judged. If we were not free, there would be no basis for judgement. Our speech and our actions matter. We cannot confess faith in the Lord of glory and then evaluate relationships using a metric of utility, return, and convenience. The law of liberty frees us from the world’s vicious, consumeristic calculus so we can love without partiality, but it also judges whether that freedom has truly begun to shape our lives—our actions, our words. And this is a good thing! In Jesus, Mercy triumphs! In Jesus, the judgement is mercy. Which is precisely why we are called to impartiality, to radical acceptance, and to non-judgement!

Unfortunately, though, many of us still see through judgmental eyes today. We do it when we subtly exclude people based on their race, disability, age, politics, or simply the clothes they are wearing. We avoid. Look the other way.  We may not literally say, “Sit under my footstool.” But we decide whose emails get answered. We decide who to sit with—and who not to… We determine whose pain gets the benefit of the doubt, whose complaint is reasonable. We decide whose questions are thoughtful, whose mental illness is handled with patience. We decide whose poverty is judged as irresponsibility, and whose wealth is automatically interpreted as wisdom and prudence.

We should ask ourselves, right now… Whose presence makes me feel important, and whose presence makes me feel burdened? Why?

Verse 13 again:

“Judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Curiously, James uses the specific word mercy rather than the more generic word for love, as a way of saying, perhaps, mercy is the exact form love takes when it confronts suffering. Mercy is the real, practical, pragmatic activity of love.

The triumph of mercy is not mere sentiment. It doesn’t erase the warning, the obligation; but it does allow those caught up in the story of salvation, those united with Christ in the work of God’s mercy to stand under the warning, and to receive its invitation: for a community that has received mercy can become merciful.

Mercy is what happens when judgment stops reducing the face to mere appearance. Faith at work recognizes the depth: the suffering I cannot fully see, dignity I did not bestow, a history—past present and future—I do not control, and a summons from God I do not get to ignore, and mercy moves in as the activity of love. Judgment impatiently says, “not worth my time and attention, not a good ROI.” Mercy says, “this is my neighbor.” Judgment reduces the person to a shallow, superficial, surface. Mercy receives the person before the face of God. Because we now see with eyes of faith, impartial, free, merciful.

Mercy, triumphant, receives the face as a summons. And mercy has a face.

The face of Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, who did not come to us with worldly prestige, who was despised and rejected, who was treated as disposable, who was dragged before unjust courts, who was stripped, mocked, and crucified outside the city. And there, in the place of exclusion, the mercy of God was revealed.

[Grab communion elements]

This bread and this cup tell us that mercy has triumphed over judgment. Not because judgment was ignored, but because Christ bore it. And now we who have received that mercy, are free to be merciful in return.

REFLECTION |

Reflection Questions:

• Do I see by the worldly facade, or by the divine Glory?

• Has the mercy I've received become visible over judgment? Do I see it?

• How am I responding to faith at work within me? What would tomorrow look like if I responded to and with the faith at work within me?

CORPORATE CONFESSION & COMMUNION[6] |

(Celebrant)

The table is ready,

here waiting for your arrival.

It is the table of company with Jesus,

and all who love him.

It is the table of sharing,

with the poor of the world,

with who Jesus identified himself.

It is the table of communion with the earth

in which Christ became incarnate.

So come to this table,

you have much faith

and you who would like to have more;

you who have been here often

and you who have not been for a long time;

and you who have tried to follow Jesus,

and you who have failed;

come.

It is Christ who invites us to meet him here; on the day made for us, at the table he prepared for us.

Invite People to the Table to Receive the Communion elements

(ALL)

Loving God,

through your goodness

we have this bread and juice to offer

which has come forth from the earth

and human hands have made.

May we know your presence

in this sharing,

so that we may know your touch

and presence in all things.

We celebrate the life that Jesus has shared

among his family of faith through the centuries,

and shares with us now.

Made one in Christ

and one with each other,

we offer these gifts

and with them ourselves,

a single living act of praise.

Amen.

Song #3 – Kingdom of God by Jon Guerra

Song #4 – Altogether Good by Citizens

BENEDICTION | 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

As we rest in the day made for us, we prepare to enter into the work for which we are made [LIGHT THE CANDLE], remembering…  

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

---

[1] Craig L. Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell, James, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), Kindle, 106-107.

[2] Douglas J. Moo, James, rev. ed., TNTC (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2015),121.

[3] See Emmanuel Levinas, Totality and Infinity: An Essay on Exteriority, trans. Alphonso Lingis (Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press, 1969).

[4] Moo, 122

[5] Joel Z. Leibo et al., "A Pragmatic View of AI Personhood" (Google DeepMind, 2025), https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.26396.

[6] Adapted from Common Prayer: a liturgy for ordinary radicals, 564

Participating With Faith

James 1:19-27

Jeremy Pace

Sermon Notes & Liturgy | Worship Music

CALL TO WORSHIP | Psalm 37:1-11

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

Song #1 – Sovereign Over Us by Aaron Keys/Michael W. Smith

Song #2 – I Will Be Still by Young Oceans

Dismiss Kids

INTRO |

Thigmomorphogenesis. Thigmomorphogenesis is the phenomenon described in the Letter of James, well, sort of. Thigmomorphogenesis refers to the observed phenomenon in plants in which exposure to “physical disturbances such as wind and touch generally [result in a] reduction in the rate of stem elongation and shoot height, and [an] increase in stem diameter... [When a plant experiences external stimuli, calcium ions and ethylene production [within the plant] are activated, especially at the core and base of the plant.] This response is purely adaptive and allows individual plants to compensate for the different levels of stress that occur in their natural environment. The advantage of this is… stronger plants [that] are less easily damaged by natural mechanical stresses (especially wind) than their… counterparts.”[1]

Essentially, the idea is that if you want sturdier plants, and, as we discussed last week, sturdier people, and thus, by extension, plants and people that reach maturity and the fullness of their purposes (fruitful) potential, you should not shelter them from the disturbances of the natural environment and, to various degrees, induce stresses to ensure their sturdiness

James, in some sense, describes this phenomenon in the life of faith, even arguing that this process is the life of faith. James draws on an old wisdom that holds that when we face disturbances in our natural environment, especially in the context of our relations and responsibilities, something within us, namely faith, is activated and developed so that we might be complete, reaching the end of our potential in God. 

Indeed, James contends that life's disturbances help ensure our maturation and completion. God-orchestrated exposure to the trials of making life, good activates and purifies our faith, ensuring we reach our purposed end (telos): the work of God being complete in history through our maturation. And James does not want us to miss out on this process but rather to participate in it with full devotion. Unlike plants, we have a spirited, embodied soul, which means the experience of the process is contingent upon our conscious, willed response to stimuli without and the workings within. 

In some ways, I think entering James with this idea helps clarify some of the “debate” around the Letter of James. This debate has historically centered on the apparent tension between James’ exhortation that “a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (2:24) and Paul’s declaration, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28). 

But if James is writing not to describe how we are declared right with God (another issue with James) but rather presumes that fact, and is thus writing to help us see how, being justified, we reach completeness: maturity and perfection, to the glory of God and the good of our neighbor (and the world), then the tension is resolved. All this depends, of course, not only on what James says but also on who he is and who he is addressing. 

The author of James, according to the early church and attested throughout history (though not universally), is “James the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19), whom the recently converted Paul met in Jerusalem in Acts 9:26-30. The same James who affirmed and commissed the ruling of the so-called “Jerusalem Council” in Acts 15,

“After they [Paul, Barnabas, and Peter] finished speaking [arguing that ‘we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” (v. 11)], James replied, ‘Brothers, listen to me… my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.” (Acts 15:13-20)

James, Jesus’ brother, like many in the first church, recognized and submitted (became a servant, 1:1) to the reality of the Logos, the Christ and Lord become flesh, only after his resurrection. Yet it was not his relation to Jesus of Nazareth that raised James to leadership in the first church in Jerusalem, but his knowledge of what we now call the Old Testament, coupled with his recognition that Jesus completed (and is completing) the storied history of God’s purposes on earth in and through His people.  

And if you remember, the early church was not made up of just Judean (later, Palestinian) Jews but “devout men of every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5), who, at Pentecost, heard the story of Jesus’ fulfillment of the old stories,

“each in his own native language… Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cetans and Arabians [hearing] them telling in [their] own tongues the mighty works of God.” (Acts 2:8-11)

These, along with “about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41), were baptized into the life of God, who is Father, Son, and Spirit, that day. Many were from Judea, the land of the Hebrews, but many more were “Hellenists” (those in the Greek-speaking/thinking world) who were not. Thus, the need arose for the Hebrew apostles to appoint Hellenistic deacons to care for the Hellenistic widows (those without families) as described in Acts 6:1-6, who were being “neglected in the daily distributions” (Acts 6:1) of all those things the church shared with one another (Acts 4:32-37), those things they had in common so that none who had stayed in Jerusalem to hear the apostles’ teachings about this Jesus whom they now believed in and would be without during their years of stay in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42-17, 4:32-37).

It would be from these Greek-speaking first Christians that the way of Jesus, Christ and Lord, would spread across “the Dispersion” (1:1), leaving Jerusalem “because of the persecution that arose of Stephen [traviling] as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews” (Acts 11:19). This was some two to four years after Pentecost. And some of these, “men from Cyprus and Cyrene… spoke to Hellenists also preaching the Lord Jesus. And the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:20-21). A number of returnees increased in the forthcoming years, and, under the sanctioned persecution of Herod Agrippa I, they found the environment between the ascension and return of Jesus one that required resilience. 

It is believed that James, the brother of Jesus, leader of the church in Jerusalem, and one learned in the old ways and committed wholeheartedly to the Way, Truth, and Life in Jesus, writes this letter to his sisters and brothers who had now either returned to their homelands or at least dispersed from Judea. A letter written primarily to Jewish or converted Jews (proselytes) who had spent enough time together under the “prayers and ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4) of the apostles to be grounded in their faith; but who, nevertheless, like you and I, needed encouragement, admonishment even, to let faith do its work in them, as well as wisdom on how to do that amid the disturbances without and within. 

Perhaps this is why Luther placed James, along with Hebrews, Jude, and Revelation, as an appendix of sorts in his Bible. While not removing these books from the canon of Scripture, Luther’s less-than-subtle suggestion was that they should be read after the foundations of faith were laid, or they might prove more confusing than helpful.  

Nevertheless, if we enter James, like his faith family, as his sisters and brothers who know the foundation of our faith and desire to see the faith complete us (mature and perfect us), then we can see in James his invitation to see that faith at work within us and to participate in that work of faith which makes us sturdy and so able to mature and reach our purposeful and fruitful end. 

So, let’s see what James has to show us about faith at work within us. Let’s read James 1:19-27 together, then talk about it.

PRE-SERMON READING | James 1:19-27 (ESV)

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

SERMON | How We Participate With Faith

One of the major critiques of James’ letter is that it lacks continuity and structure. It seems to jump from topic to topic, which, in a sense, follows the proverbial or wisdom literature of old. But my contention is that James does so with a rather specific goal in mind. He desires his brothers and sisters in Christ to let faith do its work, to see faith at work, a work that brings them to full maturity as individuals and brings our life together in Christ to our telos, our purposed end. That is, James, in rather succinct and pointed allusions and admonitions, grounded in the nature of God and the earthiness of daily living, aims to show us how faith completes us.

As we discussed last week, James develops this vision of faith at work in the opening lines, but as you notice in your Bible, there seems to be a hard break between verse 18 and verse 19. Remember, verses and headings were added much later, after the scriptures were circulating, so while they are helpful and thoughtfully placed, they are not necessarily accurate breaks (or, at least, are not to be considered authoritative).

Here, I think, is one example of the need to read through the break to avoid missing the connection.

Verse 18 says,

“Of his [the Father’s] own will he brought us forth by the word of truth [which is?], that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures [which means?].”

Because we are “brought forth,” or “birthed’ (and “born again”) from the will of God, because God desires to bring us into life, including life full and forever, and does so through the Word and His Spirit of Truth, we can ask God (Father, Son & Spirit) for wisdom, believing that God will lead us in accordance with His nature and purposes, which are, our good (v. 5). And so we need not be double-souled, divided because we misunderstand God’s nature (vs. 6-8) or our own (that we want or will settle for something less than what God has for us – v. 13-16).

Implored to see that we persevere (endure) because of the loving will and work of God, how do we “let steadfastness (this preserving life in faith at work) have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (1:4)?

Verses 19-26, rather than being, as some commentators contend, a proverbial side track, actually begin to bring us into the practicality and participation in the work of faith. Notice all the connections to “the word” in these verses and the expectation of how we respond to faith in this word at work:

            v. 19 | “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger”

• Be quick (i.e., prepared or ready) to listen to what? “the word of truth” which speaks life; i.e., the living voice of God  (John 14-16)

• Slowly speak what and why? Slowly give a definitive statement on our place, purpose, what God is doing, and how, because what comes from our mouth originates in our heart, which is often restless. 

• Be slow to anger, at what? The circumstances and persons through which you are being developed, growing up; those stimuli through which faith is activated for our maturation and perfection. Anger at God? Why?

            v. 20 | “produce the righteousness of God”  

Because anger doesn’t produce (firstfruits) right relating to God, ourselves, others, and our earth… because it keeps us from listening and discerning… recognizing what is at work within, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13) So…

v. 21 | “receive with meekness the implanted word”

Repent. We put away (take off) the old way of relating to God, ourselves, and others, the filthiness or uncleanliness (ways of living not from Wisdom) and “all that remains of wickedness” (NASB), the heart that is “evil from its youth” (Genesis 8:21), and receive (take on) the new, the yoke made for you, in meekness (the heart of Jesus) that saves (brings rest) to the soul (Matthew 11:25-30); for this is the heart that is now yours (planted in the soil of your embodiment – Matthew 13:1-23). How then do you ensure the soil is “good”? Well, obey…

            v. 22 | “does of the word, and not hearers only”

Don’t be deceived (vs. 16); you cannot merely affirm what you believe; you have to respond to it; after all, that is how you live… make a life… how we remember who we are and what we are for…

v. 23 | “a hearer of the word and not a doer… looks intently at his natural face in the mirror [what mirror?].”

“looks intently at his natural face in the mirror of Christ…” but only looks at himself in Jesus and then…

            v. 24 | “and goes away and at once forgets  what he was like [who is he like?].”

who he is working with, whose yoke he shares, who he truly is, and what he is for. Thus, the need for our “scheduled-habits” of work! For,

v. 25 | “But the one who looks into perfect law, the law of liberty and perseveres… no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts [on what?]...will be blessed in his doing.”

Christ, as the law of freedom (the word written on the heart by the Spirit), which always leads us to respond to the life of God in us, with us, and for us, will not always find an easy life, but a blessed (happy, whole) life through his doings (work). Indeed, this is what religion (wisdom) seeks, is it not? So, don’t be one who,

            v. 26 | “does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart”

It is not enough to think we are religious because we see rightly. We have to speak rightly, which comes from listening first and acting in obedience (doers). Any other way is “worthless” religion, worthless attempts to relate to God rightly (as well as to ourselves and others). So, how do we become “doers” of a word?

The action presumes that the word of truth, the living voice of God within us, is leading us, guiding us, commanding us. So we cannot merely listen; we must obey, for only in doing what the word of truth says are we able to remember and live as who we truly are (not forgetfully)… but this is not a law of a slave but of freedom, freedom to be who we are and are made to be in Christ with the Spirit… indeed, this is what religion truly is, a life complete with God, blessed and so, don’t be deceived, take control of your tongue, how you use words to speak of God, of yourself, of others, of what God is doing, for that is the tell-tell sign of the heart, a heart unbridled, unsubmitted, not lowly, and so making all the ways of relating to God of no use. 

True religion, life of faith birthed from the word of truth and the work of faith within us (vs. 18), says James,

“Religion that is pure [without admixture] and undefiled [free from that by which the nature of a thing is deformed and debased[2]] before God the Father is this: to visit the orphans and the widows [the lowly (v. 9) & remembering Acts 2-6] in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world [free from the anti-natural state (vs. 14-15)].” (James 1:27)

So, amid the stressors of making life good, how do we respond to faith at work within us?

We learn to be ready to listen to the living voice of God, to speak slowly (bridle our tongue), to put off the “old” way of responding (anger and lust), and to receive with meekness (the heart of Jesus) what is within us (the word of truth... the life of Christ through the Spirit).

James will work this out in greater and more practical detail throughout the letter. But let us consider whether this encouragement is not only to recognize the working of faith but also to participate in (respond to) faith at work. 

REFLECTION |

• How am I responding to faith? Am I quick to listen (to what?), slow to speak (a brideled tongue), slow to anger (meek)?

• Do I live true to myself in Christ, participating with Christ in the labors of my day, free to be self-giving and free from all that binds?

• What would tomorrow look like if I responded to faith, and lived true?

CORPORATE CONFESSION & COMMUNION[3] |

(Celebrant)

The table is ready,

here waiting for your arrival.

It is the table of company with Jesus,

and all who love him.

It is the table of sharing,

with the poor of the world,

with who Jesus identified himself.

It is the table of communion with the earth

in which Christ became incarnate.

So come to this table,

you have much faith

and you who would like to have more;

you who have been here often

and you who have not been for a long time;

and you who have tried to follow Jesus,

and you who have failed;

come.

It is Christ who invites us to meet him here; on the day made for us, at the table he prepared for us.

Invite People to the Table to Receive the Communion elements

(ALL)

Loving God,

through your goodness

we have this bread and juice to offer

which has come forth from the earth

and human hands have made.

May we know your presence

in this sharing,

so that we may know your touch

and presence in all things.

We celebrate the life that Jesus has shared

among his family of faith through the centuries,

and shares with us now.

Made one in Christ

and one with each other,

we offer these gifts

and with them ourselves,

a single living act of praise.

Amen.

Song #3 – Joy to Be by Citizens

Song #4 – Psalm 46 by Bifrost Arts

BENEDICTION | James 5:7-8

As we rest in the day made for us, we prepare to enter into the work for which we are made [LIGHT THE CANDLE], remembering to…  

Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.

See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

You also, be patient.

Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

---

[1] Accessed here.

[2] https://biblehub.com/greek/283.htm

[3] Adapted from Common Prayer: a liturgy for ordinary radicals, 564.

Complete(ing) Faith

James 1:1-18

Jeremy Pace

Sermon Notes & Liturgy | Worship Music

CALL TO WORSHIP | Psalm 63:1-8

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

Song #1 – Praise to the Lord, The Almighty by Traditional

Song #2 – This is How I Thank the Lord by MosaicMC

Dismiss Kids

INTRO |

Thigmomorphogenesis. I am sure we are familiar with that word. Right? Well, for the few of us who did not take botany in college, Thigmomorphogenesis refers to the observed phenomenon in plants in which

“physical disturbances such as wind and touch generally respond through reduction in the rate of stem elongation and shoot height, and they increase in stem diameter... [When a plant experiences external stimuli, calcium ions and ethylene production are activated, especially at the core and base of the plant.] This response is purely adaptive and allows individual plants to compensate for the different levels of stress that occur in their natural environment. The advantage of this is that… stronger plants are less easily damaged by natural mechanical stresses (especially wind) than their… counterparts.”[1]

Essentially, the idea is that if you want sturdier plants, and thus, by extension, plants that live longer and have a more fruitful existence, you should not shelter them from the disturbances of the natural environment, and perhaps, to various degrees, induce stresses to ensure their sturdiness. 

The idea that persevering through stressors builds strength and increases the potential for fuller longevity has been applied to parenting. Several years ago, we brought in Keith McCurdy, a well-respected licensed professional counselor and marriage and family therapist who specializes in helping parents, in his words, “raise sturdy kids,” by guiding them through disturbances and placing them in context to build resilience. In fact, you can find his book by that title here. 

McCurdy is not alone. Jonathan Haidt’s “Anxious Generation” highlights the deficiencies and damages of overprotective parenting on children’s development, especially in recent generations. This widely popular book concludes with an exhortation to let your kids struggle and face stressors to develop resilience, a trait necessary for them to mature and succeed in life outside the home. The presumption is that humans, like plants, mature amid stressors through exposure to the disturbances of daily living. Something within us is activated and developed so that we might become complete and reach the end of our potential. 

What has been observed in the natural philosophies and chronicled in the social sciences has its roots in our scriptures. There is an old wisdom that recognizes a right wholeness that comes from facing and overcoming trials of various sorts, and the twistedness that comes from failing to do so.

“for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” (Proverbs 24:16)

A wisdom that knows that, when facing disturbances in our natural environment, especially in the context of our relations and responsibilities, something within us is activated and developed so that we might be complete and reach the end of our potential. A wisdom that James, the author of our text for the summer, encourages us to lean into.

Let’s read the opening words of James’ letter together, and then we will walk through what he invites us to recognize and take up as we enter summer together.

PRE-SERMON READING | James 1:1-18 (ESV)

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved sisters and brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

SERMON | Complet (ing) Faith

For all the flak the Letter of James has gotten over the centuries, especially since the Reformation, and especially for its emphasis on “works” (in a religious sense) in the life of faith, I believe James’ main concern is for his faith family to live a complete faith. Rather, he desires a faith that completes them. That is, he desires his brothers and sisters in Christ to let faith do its work, to see faith at work, a work that brings them to full maturity as individuals and brings our life together in Christ to our telos, our purposed end. James, in rather succinct and pointed allusions and admonitions, grounded in the earthiness of daily living, aims to show us how faith completes us (maturation and telos). 

Completeness—maturation and perfection (telios)—of and through faith permeates the opening lines of James’ letter. Let’s re-read his words to see if we can discern James’ intentions.  

 “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…” (1:1a)

In the opening phrase, James not only provides us with evidence of a mature posture before God but also affirms a mature, complete doctrine of God. Only in this verse does the title “servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” occur in our scriptures. James is not merely confirming the belief that Jesus is both God and Lord; rather, by combining these titles and separating them from “of God,” he acknowledges the foundation of his faith, namely that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the long-awaited deliverer King who would bring to completion God’s purposes through his people and for the world. For Jesus is not merely the savior but Lord, the master of our daily labors, one who not only delivers but is to be followed, a title that makes its first appearance at Pentecost, when, through the Spirit, Peter proclaims, 

“God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36)

James’ faith is a complete vision of God and his purposes. A robust theology, which he doubles down on in the next phrase of the greeting.

 “To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.” (1:1b)

Amid the exile, Israel’s expulsion from the promised land and dispersion of its peoples across the ancient world, God, “through the prophets [like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah, to name a few], promised he would gather the exiled people…and so reconstitute the twelve tribes once again. This was the common expectation,”[2] argues theologian Douglas Moo, especially in the intertestamental time as attested to by pseudepigrapha known as The Testament of Benjamin,

“But in your allotted place will be the temple of God, and the latter temple will exceed the former in glory. The twelve tribes shall be gathered there and all the nations, until such time as the Most High shall send forth his salvation through the ministration of the unique prophet.” (T. of Benjamin)

For James, the time of this reconstitution had come: the salvation brought by the ministry of the unique prophet, Jesus, the Lord and Christ. Because God’s purposes were complete, reaching their end in Jesus’ work to reclaim His people for the blessing of the world. Because we are caught up in that work, completed for all time through Jesus as Jesus’ body, his brothers and sisters in the family business. Because this was what James had faith in, he could contend with wisdom, old and new, that we can,

“Count it pure (unalloyed) joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials (process of testing) of various kinds (all sorts), for you know that the testing (purifying) of your faith produces steadfastness (perseverance, resilience). And let steadfastness perfect its work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (1:2-4)

James is inviting us to enter the process of life, the process of faith at work within us to ensure that we reach our maturation and telios, that indeed we can, as Paul encouraged the Thessalonians,

“Aspire to live quietly, resting from the labor that is not yours, attending to the work made for you. You’ve heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, able to live dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

James argues that we should “let” what is activated within us during life’s disturbances (i.e., faith) produce perseverance and let perseverance do its work, meaning that we mature not in one moment but over many, many moments. Our completion, though finished in Christ the Alpha & Omega, is nevertheless a process, a process of facing the disturbances of our natural environment (daily wind and touch, not just storms) and being strengthened by our faith through them. This is the old wisdom. A wisdom that James presumes we might at times lack, either because we do not ask for it or because we are double-souled. And so, James not only invites us to see faith at work but also shows us how the process works. Look at verses 5-8 again quickly. 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives singularly (simply, undividely) to all without reproach [without finding fault], and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting [without division], for the one who [is divided] is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind [never finding its shore or reaching its crest]. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded [double-souled] man, unstable in all his ways [not just in his faith, but in his identity and purpose… how could you know what is wise if you have no compass… no true north].” (1:5-8)

So, activation of faith through the disturbances orients us amid the chaos and whims of daily labors of living; giving us the strength to experience what comes from the process of living by faith, a mature and purposeful life. One commentator describes the life lived with enduring faith as “spiritual integrity, or wholeness,” and a life lived divided, tossed between believing and not believing, as “spiritual schizophrenia… a basic division in the soul that leads to thinking, speaking, and acting that contradicts one’s claim to belong to God.”[3]

The trials we face, whatever they might be, are not meant to destroy, but rather activate and strengthen what is given to us, what is in us, the Spirit of Christ for the Father’s glory and our good. So we can say with  Calvin,

“Since we see that the Lord does not so require from us what is above our strength, but that he is ready to help us, provided we ask, let us, therefore, learn, whenever he commands anything, to ask of him the power to perform it.”[4] (John Calvin)

With such faith in the Wisdom of God, that what God starts in history and in us, he finishes in history through us, in the very circumstances, including disturbances and trials, of this very day, then we begin to discern that we are living off abundance (all that we need – bread for tomorrow) rather than striving for it—that indeed, who we are is a gift received in humility not the product of appearances. Let’s keep reading, verse 9:

“Now let the brother of humble (lowly) disposition boast of his high position [heavenly realm from which the Spirit descends and Christ ascended], but the rich person [the fully resourced person via external things] in his humiliation [ironically, lowly, fleeting condition], because he will pass away like a flower of the grass. For the sun rises with its burning heat and dries up the grass, and its flowers fall off, and the beauty of its appearances is lost. So also the rich person [the person fully resourced via external things] in his pursuits [his journey of making money, doing business] will wither away.” (1:9-11)

When faith does it work, it allows us to persevere through “the natural” (worldly) rhythms, that “annual death of vegetation,” which always concludes with the fading of appearances. For the one who loves the wisdom of the Lord,

“He is like a tree, planted by streams of living water that yields its fruit in its seasons and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:3)

Indeed, as James continues in verse 12,

“Blessed is the person who perseveres under trial (the purifying of faith), because having been approved (their faith validated), he will receive the crown that is life (the reward of a race completed) that God has promised to those who love him [not who produced something or got everything right].” (1:12)

Lest we think that is some kind of emotional or religious game, and not the Wisdom-of-God-created means of maturing and reaching our telios; not a test to determine if we have faith, but an accutation of the faith we have been given, the life that is ours by gracious, self-giving, love—James differentiates the difficulties and disturbances of living in a world full of stimuli that happen to us, from the temptation within us towards decay and ateles (imcompletion). Verse 13 reads,

“No one who is being tempted should say, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.” (1:13)

In other words, God cannot be tempted or enticed to act against life and the good (i.e., Himself, His nature and purposes), and so does not entice or try to get us to do the same. God is not out to get us, to prove our failure, or to see if or when we will fail. It is not a test from the Lord to want something wrongly or that is wrong; it is, as James contends, a matter of our heart. Verse 14, 

“But each one is tempted when he is dragged away and enticed [led] by his own desires. Then, desire, after it is conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is brought to completion, gives birth to death.” (1:14-15)

There is a difference between trials and temptations. One is external (even if intimately so). The other is internal, a heart unsubmitted, unsettled, restless. One leads to maturation and perfection, to completion because of what has rebirthed us. The other has a natural order as well, but it is a movement backward, against life, toward decay and nothingness.

The strengthening of our faith is also the development of our discernment, the ability to distinguish between trial/test and temptation. To recognize that amid the testing of our faith, like Jesus in the wilderness, we too might be tempted to choose something less than the Wisdom of God for life, to end our persevering faith and settle for something we desire that is wrong (whether because it is not what God has for us at the moment or because it is wrong). 

We are either, through faith at work, being completed (maturing, telos) or moving toward incompleteness. There is no neutral state. We are in a perfected position or a withering position (either high or humiliated, eternal or transient (temporal, terminal)). So, verse 16,

“Do not be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters [either by the nature of sin or by misunderstanding the nature of God]. Every good giving [there are a lot of things that give, but not all are good] and perfect gift [that which leads to our purposed end] is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of change. By his will he gave birth to us through the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” (1:16-18)

One commentator draws this conclusion from James’ opening sentences,

“Endurig trails of various kinds is naturally essential to maintain [develop] spiritual wholeness [integrity]… remembering that God… never seeks our downfall. Indeed, James concludes, God is the source of every good gift we enjoy—including the new birth that Christians enjoy and that makes up the first step in God’s plan to bring “wholeness” to all of creation.” (Douglas Moo)

Before we take a moment to reflect on James’ invitation, let’s hear it in its entirety one more time, this time paraphrased by Eugene Peterson to help us hear it afresh. May the Spirit allow it.

JAMES 1:1-18 (THE MESSAGE)

I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello! Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that’s a picture of the “prosperous life.” At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing. Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer. So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.

REFLECTION |

Process with the Lord any emotions, thoughts, doubts, or affirmations that arise as you reflect on the following:

James contends that the disturbances of life help ensure our maturation and completion. Indeed, God-orchestrated exposure to the trials of makong life, good, activates and purifies our faith, ensuring we reach the end of our potential: the work of God being complete in history through our maturation. 

CORPORATE CONFESSION & COMMUNION[5] |

(Celebrant)

The table is ready,

here waiting for your arrival.

It is the table of company with Jesus,

and all who love him.

It is the table of sharing,

with the poor of the world,

with who Jesus identified himself.

It is the table of communion with the earth

in which Christ became incarnate.

So come to this table,

you have much faith

and you who would like to have more;

you who have been here often

and you who have not been for a long time;

and you who have tried to follow Jesus,

and you who have failed;

come.

It is Christ who invites us to meet him here; on the day made for us, at the table he prepared for us.

People to the Table to Receive the Communion elements

(ALL)

Loving God,

through your goodness

we have this bread and juice to offer

which has come forth from the earth

and human hands have made.

May we know your presence

in this sharing,

so that we may know your touch

and presence in all things.

We celebrate the life that Jesus has shared

among his family of faith through the centuries,

and shares with us now.

Made one in Christ

and one with each other,

we offer these gifts

and with them ourselves,

a single living act of praise.

Amen.

Song #3 – All You Do is Good by Nathan Partain    

Song #4 – Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor by Matt Boswell

BENEDICTION | James 5:7-8

As we rest in the day made for us, we prepare to enter into the work for which we are made [LIGHT THE CANDLE], remembering to…  

Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

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[1] Accessed here.

[2] Douglass Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, 49.

[3] Moo, 63.

[4] John Calvin, Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles, 282.

[5] Adapted from Common Prayer: a liturgy for ordinary radicals, 564.