James 2:1-10, 14-17

My sermon from a couple of weeks ago.

Holy Lord, maker of us all,
you call us to love our neighbors as ourselves
and teach us that faith without works is dead.
Open us to the opportunities for ministry that lie before us,
where faith and words and the need of our neighbor
come together in name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.[1]

Attitude and Action

When you think of faith – what do you think about?

Some of you might think of the great song by George Michael – “you gotta’ have faith, faith, faith…”[2]

Others might think a little more Biblically… having faith as small as a mustard seed.[3] Hebrews 11:1 is one of my favorite verses about faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”[4] “We are justified by faith alone”[5]

You also might recall stories of how Jesus healed some people because of their faith. Mark 5:25-34 is about the woman who had faith in Jesus to just touch Jesus’ robe and was healed.[6]

We might think of people who have great faith: Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, and John Wesley. You might have an image of a grandparent who was strong in their faith.

Now these are all good examples of faith. But really what is faith? And, really, what should we do with it?

James 2:1-10 and 14-17 gives us a pretty good idea of what faith is. And even gives us some examples of what faith is not.

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? ²For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, ³and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, ⁴have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? ⁶But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? ⁷Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8 You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁹But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, ¹⁶and 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? ¹⁷So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.[7]

James seems pretty hard on these people saying: you don’t really have faith – because your actions show otherwise. And if you don’t live out your faith – you don’t really have faith. But I think that he’s right. If we speak about our faith – and use Christian language – but don’t act on our faith – and show others that we do believe… our faith might as well not exist. You know the saying actions speak louder than words. You can put your trust in someone who says they are going to do something, but until they actually DO it – you may not believe them fully.

So again we ask the question: But really what is faith? And, really, what should we do with it?

Faith as defined by the dictionary is: “the confident belief in the truth that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.”[8]

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Confidence, not logical, not material. That sounds like faith to me. We see from the scripture, the life of Jesus and all the great men and women of faith who have gone before us that faith is more this definition.

Faith is a verb. An action. Something we participate in.

Faith as a verb or an action is also what the author of our scripture is talking about today. He is upset with his readers for showing favoritism – which is against the law because favoritism assumes one person is more important than another.[9] He also reprimands them for not helping those in need.

He is upset with them for not living out their faith. For not taking action in their faith – and loving God and loving neighbor.

In the first part of the scripture James describes to us a situation that contradicts faith in Christ.

Having faith in Christ is more than just believing. It’s being inspired to act. Having faith is having a heart that beats more and more like God’s.[10] If our hearts are beating like God’s we’ll begin to be inspired to action. Inspired to live for, and seek God in a way we haven’t before. This is why James said faith must be accompanied by works. If our hearts are beating more like God’s we will begin to love the things God loves and seek to do God’s work in the world.

God’s work in our world is to bring us back into a perfect relationship with God and with each other. That is why James is upset with these people. They have judged one person to be more important than another, they have not done anything to help those in need.

We often do the same thing. We ignore those who need our help. We tend to show favoritism. This isn’t the way God works in the world. God wants to care for those in need and God doesn’t show favoritism. God loves all.

Why is James so adamant about living out the faith through actions?

Because – as James tells us in the second half of this reading – faith without works is dead – it isn’t real faith. And he gives a pretty good example. “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?”[11] In this example we hear religious jargon. “God bless you. God be with you. God will provide for you.” James points out that this person is cold and hungry, and the response that is given is “God bless you and good luck.” Instead of doing something about this person’s needs it’s almost as if they quote scripture and leave it at that. But quoting scripture won’t make food and clothing magically appear.

I don’t get too excited about mission trips to third world countries where only the gospel will be preached. I don’t believe that only preaching the gospel is living out the faith. For others to live fully – needs must be met. The same is true of trips which only meet the physical needs of others and don’t share the gospel. Faith is not about belief alone or works alone. We must have belief and works.

You must work hard to support that which you believe in.

We all have our favorite football teams. And we have faith that this year OUR team will win. Every year – as our love for our team grows we support our teams. We show others our faith in our team by wearing team colors, by watching the games, by attending the games, by talking about our teams and comparing statistics. Our actions of support for our team who others our attitude or how we feel about our team. We don’t just say we support a team and then ignore them for the whole football season. Our attitude of faith in our team is lived out so others know exactly whose team we’re on.

Shouldn’t our attitude about faith exhibit the same action we show for our teams? Shouldn’t we show others our support for our faith by attending church, by caring for others as Jesus would?

Living out your faith is hard. It’s not a simple thing as author James Ogden of Going Public with One’s Faith, states: "Do not expect your faith to be the answer to all your questions. Faith is not so much the answer to questions as it is the courage to live with [and to seek] unanswered questions"[12]

Think of Abraham – he gave up the life he knew to follow where God told him. Link this to missionaries – many of those missionaries sent from the United States give up comfortable living situations to live out their faith in the way God has called them to. And it’s not because they have to – it is because they believe they must. They believe God wants them to serve others in this way.

Our inspiration to live out our faith doesn’t come from a sense of responsibility. I don’t know too many people who have a cheerful heart when they are required to do something they don’t want to do. [If I am required to serve God – I’d rather not have faith.] Being required to do something is much different than having the privilege to do it. Because we have faith in God – we are privileged to serve God, we are privileged to worship, we are privileged to offer our gifts. Our attitude needs to reflect this sense of privilege so that our actions will show others our privilege. What an honor to get to offer up our gifts to God – out of a sense of gratitude and willingness. When we are privileged to offer these gifts – we understand that the gifts we offer can help God reach out to more of the world.

Faith is not something easy. It’s not an inactive thing. It’s not recharged each week when we come to church. Former president Jimmy Carter says:

“My faith demands -- this is not optional -- my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”[13]

<> That is a strong word! James is saying the same thing! Faith DEMANDS action. James is saying the same thing: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters,^* if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?”[14] James goes even further in verse 17 to say that faith without action is dead. It really isn’t faith at all.[15]

Our inspiration to live out our faith comes from within. It comes from our hearts which are beating and aligning with God’s heart.[16] When we are aligned with God we are more focused on what God wants. It is my understanding that if you have two heart cells that are beating at their own rhythm – when you bring them close together they will begin beating together – synchronizing their rhythm.[17] If we grow closer and closer to God – we will undoubtedly begin to synchronize with God. When our hearts are aligned with God’s heart – we can see what God wants. We can see those who are rich and poor as equal children of God. When our hearts are aligned with God’s we can see that the immediate need of those who are naked and hungry is not a spiritual need – but a physical need. By our faith we are inspired to action because Christ lives in us.[18]

My faith in God inspired me to act. Through my faith in God I felt a call to ordained ministry. I don’t think I would be happy serving God any other way. As Methodists we believe in the ministry of ALL believers. This means that every work you do in the world can and should reflect your faith in God. Your attitude at work should reflect your belief that God loves all – and does not show favoritism. Your attitude at school should reflect the faith you have. Your faith in God should inspire you to act.

HOW? As your heart beats more and more like God’s you will be inspired. We are inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit to guide us. Because you have Christ in you, when you begin to adjust your attitude of faith and put it into action - you will find that you do have a passion for ministry and to do God’s will.

I believe as a church we are doing God’s will. Our church has done a great job of serving everyone in our community... the rich and poor, black and white, old and young. And our ministry to the community will only grow as we open the doors to our second campus. Our ability to serve the community – without showing favoritism or ignoring needs- will be even greater. And we must ALL live out our faith. There will be double the opportunities to work with the youth and help them grow in their faith. There will be double the opportunities to serve on a team that welcomes new visitors into our church. Double the opportunities to serve in missions, Bible Studies, fellowship groups. All of our ministries help us and help the community actively live out the faith.

As the reality of opening a second campus draws closer we must begin to realize that faith will continue to inspire us to minister to our community through programs in the church. How will all this ministry be done? Through the faith and the works – through the action of you – the congregation.

I truly believe that our hearts are aligned and beating with God’s and we have built this second campus to share God with the community. This attitude and love that we have for God – MUST be put into action.

There are many opportunities through the ministry of our church - to put your faith into action to do God’s work in the world.

However you decide to put your faith in action – don’t be reluctant to live out your faith. Be inspired to act.

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[1] http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/prayers.php?id=218 (2.9.2009)

[2] Michael, George. Faith. 01.11.1987. Epic.

[3] Matthew 17:20, NRSV.

[4] Hebrews 11:1, NRSV

[5] Galatians 2:16, NRSV.

[6] Mark 5:25-34, NRSV.

[7] James 2:1-10, 14-17

[8] faith. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faith (accessed: September 02, 2009).

[9] Leviticus 19:15, NRSV.

[10] Bell, Rob. Sunday. Nooma Videos. 004.

[11] James 2:15-16. NRSV.

[12] Ogden, R. James. Going Public With Ones Faith. Judson Press. 1975. [as quoted to me by a friend with my additions in brackets]

[13] http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_faith.html (2.9.2009)

[14] James 2:14. NRSV.

[15] James 2:17., NRSV.

[16] Bell, Rob.

[17] http://health.howstuffworks.com/heart4.htm. (accessed 4.9.09)

[18] eds. Heitzenrater, Richard P., and Outler, Albert C. John Wesley’s Sermon’s: An Anthology. p 42.