James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8,14,15,21-23
14th Sunday after Trinity
St Barbara’s 01.09.2024
Rev Tulo Raistrick
Political parties pay large amounts to advertising firms to come up with catchy, memorable phrases that will get their message across. I recently heard an interview with one of the Saatchi brothers from Saatchi & Saatchi who famously came up with the Conservative slogan in 1979 “Labour isn’t working”. They said that unless a political message could be condensed to no more than five words it would fail to be remembered. Labour managed to reduce its message at the last general election to one word “change”. It may be one of the reasons it won.
Companies do the same. Nike – “just do it”; Loreal – “because you’re worth it”; McDonalds – “|’m lovin’ it” to name just three.
And we do it too with everyday sayings. We remember wisdom that is passed down to us in memorable phrases. So,
- Actions speak…(louder than words)
- Good things come … (to those that wait)
- Don’t judge a book… (by its cover)
- Don’t count your chickens… (before they’ve hatched)
We all know these sayings don’t we. They are like modern-day proverbs. Well, the letter of James is the nearest thing we have in the New Testament to a book of proverbs. It contains lots of practical advice, often in the form of memorable, pithy statements. It may not delve into the deepest theological issues, it may not provide poetic and inspiring prose on the majesty and awesomeness of God, but as a simple, down-to-earth guide on how to live the Christian life with integrity, it is a brilliant guide. And during the month of September we’re going to be giving time to exploring and learning from it.
But before we jump in, its worth taking a step back and asking something about the author. In the next few weeks I will be leading a series of evenings entitled “exploring our life journey”. Whatever stage of life we are at, it will be an opportunity to think about “where have I come from – what has shaped me to be the person I am?”; “where am I now?”; “what is the wisdom/ the experience/ the gifts that I can share with others?” Do give serious thought to joining these evenings. Well it is worth asking those questions of the author James. How did his background, his life story, shape what he brought to the writing of this letter?
He was most likely one of the brothers of Jesus. You may remember two weeks ago how we came across him then in our Gospel reading, one of the sceptical members of Jesus’ family, doubting Jesus’ claims. But after he meets with the risen Jesus his life takes on a whole new direction and he becomes a key figure in the early church. This is someone who understood both doubt and faith.
Not only that, he is someone who understood the hardships of staying true to one’s faith. When many Christians were forced to flee Jerusalem because of persecution, he stayed, at significant cost and danger to himself, and became the leader of the church there.
Later, he was the person the church turned to at a moment of great crisis and potential division – the dispute over the status of non-Jewish Christians – to chair the debate and bring about reconciliation and agreement. That experience must have shaped him.
And he was someone that was also shaped by prayer. The Jewish historian Josephus described him as having knees like a camel – not a rather back-handed compliment about his looks, but rather a comment that he spent so much time on his knees in prayer, his knees had become as tough as a camel’s.
The author James is someone who knows over a lifetime of experience what it is to wrestle with faith, to suffer, to work for reconciliation, to stand up for justice, to pray.
All of this shapes what he writes. I wonder how your experience of life and faith shapes the wisdom you share with others? You may want to take time this week to reflect on your own story, and what it may have to offer to others.
The letter of James offers us some wonderful guidance on how to live the Christian life, and how to live it with integrity. Its a letter relevant to us all.
So, having hopefully whettened your appetite, let’s dig in to finding out what this letter is about. Its a letter that starts in an unusual way. Think about a meal. Usually we have a certain order – a starter, a main course and a dessert. But if you have ever had a taster menu meal, you will know its quite different. You may get 20 tiny courses, each only a mouthful in size – a bit of prawn cocktail, a thimble-full of soup, a slice of lasagne, an inch-square of cheesecake, and so on. The plate gives you a taster of what those full courses could be like.
The first chapter of the letter, of which we heard the second half in our reading, is a bit like a taster menu. There are lots of different, sometimes inter-woven topics, all of which are tasters which will be returned to in more detail later on. Trying to read it as one coherent, flowing chapter, with each paragraph logically connecting to the next, doesn’t really work, like having a mouthful of beef after a bite of lemon meringue. Each bit needs to be eaten slowly, reflected upon, and then returned to later as part of a fuller dish. And so in the opening of his letter James introduces us to many important topics.
He writes about the trials, the challenges, of life and how a Christian should respond to these with prayer, with patience and with joy (a theme he returns to in chapter 5). “Consider it pure joy, my brothers,” he writes, “whenever you face trials of any kind, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” If you are facing trials or challenges – maybe the thought of starting back at school or work this week, or coping with growing physical limitations, this letter is for you.
He writes about wisdom, choosing to believe in the generosity and goodness of God no matter our circumstances (a theme he returns to in chapter 3, and that we will look at in three weeks time). For as he writes, “every good and perfect gift is from above.” Its an encouragement to us to be grateful for God’s goodness. To recognise his love in the small as well as big things of life.
He writes about turning the world’s values upside-down and valuing the poor, and not cosying up to the rich and powerful (a theme he explores further in chapter 2 and that we will look at next week). Is it right that someone as wealthy as Elon Musk or a party political donor should have more influence than someone whose life experience is that of poverty? James has a few things to say about that.
He writes about being “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (a theme he returns to in chapter 3 and that we will look at in a fortnight’s time). The instantaneous nature of social media – the ability to fire off an unthought through message to large numbers of people – can cause so much harm and strife. James’ letter could almost have been written for our tech-laden world.
And he writes about how true faith is about putting our faith into action – not just listening to the word, but doing it. Taking control of our tongue, caring for those in need (the orphans and widows and those in distress), living holy lives.
That last theme – putting faith into action – is key to understanding the whole letter. Faith matters only if we live it out. Just saying we believe, that we are a Christian, is not enough. It needs to be lived out. And the whole of James’ letter is about what that looks like – simple things such as how we welcome people in church, how we speak about others, how we care for those in need, how we respond when faced with crises and difficulties, how we pray.
If you’re anything like me, September is often a time of girding the loins, of jumping back in to the activities of life after a brief summer recess. Well, lets start this September with James as our guide. Take time this month to read and enjoy this letter of pithy wisdom.
