This sermon was preached on the 16th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 18B) at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles. You may watch the video of this sermon by clicking here. The readings which inspired the sermon were the following:
Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
Psalm 125
James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17
Mark 7:24-37
Holy God, let my words be your words and when my words are not your words, let your people be wise enough to know the same. Amen.
Beloved friends, this passage from the Letter of James confronts us with a powerful challenge: Can faith without action truly save us? By this I mean, will an inactive faith bring us into the fullness of Life in Christ? In our lives, it can be easy to speak of faith, to talk about love and mercy, but as James reminds us today, words alone will not reveal the kingdom of God in our midst. This is not a comfortable teaching, as it calls us to account for our actions—or, as James suggests, for our inactions.
We see in James's vivid imagery the practice of favoritism that has, sadly, plagued humanity for centuries. James was the half-brother of Jesus and was tasked with leading the nascent Church in Jerusalem after Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father. James led this community of the Way through challenging times, like the Romans’ destruction of the Temple. As a pastor, James saw first-hand the social distinctions of his day.
The one with gold rings and fine clothes is invited to sit at the place of honor, while the one in rags was told to sit at our feet or to stand in the back. Do we not see this same behavior today? We may be subtler about it; however, in our assemblies, in our workplaces, even in our churches—do we not sometimes give deference to those who appear more powerful or more well-off while overlooking those whom we deem less significant?
I think about the countless ways our society divides us. Wealth, race, education, and social status all play into this ugly game. Almost thoughtlessly we comply with the competitive nature of our society. We buy into a myth, a lie that says scarcity is the way, that life is all or nothing, you either win or you lose. But James holds up a mirror to us: “Have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” God shows no partiality, and neither should we. In truth, James reminds us that God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith, heirs of the kingdom. If we dishonor them, we dishonor God’s own heart. This does not have to be our way. Instead of following the rulers of this world we may choose to follow Christ the King.
James urges us to fulfill Christ’s royal law. What’s the royal law? According to Christ Jesus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” We already know this, but there’s something that may be harder to know or at least harder to admit: It’s easy to love the neighbor who looks like us, thinks like us, or lives like us. The real challenge, as James points out, is loving the neighbor who might make us uncomfortable—the one who calls us out of our bubbles of security and forces us to reckon with the brokenness in the world. This love requires us to go beyond sentiment; it calls us to action.
Fortunately for us in our hurting and broken world, there is a lot of action for us apostles to complete. And, today, right after this service you’ll have a host of ways to participate in apostolic action. Stick around today to participate in the Ministry Fair. There you can learn about and sign up for ways to grow your faith, to live out your faith, and to connect your faith with works that have the power to move us collectively from the feeling of love to the action of love.
James certainly knew about this need to have a living faith. Perhaps, that is why James was insistent that faith without works is dead. Now, make no mistake, he’s not saying that we earn our way into God’s grace through good deeds. No, our faith is a gift. But if we have received the gift of faith, how can we not respond by living it out in the world? How can we look at a person in need and simply say, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ without providing for their needs? And yet, even when we miss the mark here God’s grace abounds.
For at the heart of this passage stands the transformative power of mercy. James says, 'Judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.' What a radical idea! We live in a world that often values judgment—whether in the legal sense, in social media, or in our day-to-day interactions. We can even become judgmental of those who do not serve others or help those in need. But God’s law of liberty calls us to show mercy to all, to meet others where they are with compassion, to offer not condemnation but healing.
This is not easy. Showing mercy can be exhausting and uncomfortable, especially when it challenges our preconceived notions of who deserves help and who does not. However, if we are truly living into our faith, then mercy will rightly reside at the center of our actions.
Alongside mercy, we are called to embody our faith through works of justice and love. When we see someone in need, our response cannot be limited to mere words of well-wishing. If we have the means, we are called to act. If we do not have the means, we are called to find ways to support others in the work of mercy. This is how the world sees the Body of Christ alive and at work in the world—through our collective efforts to heal, feed, clothe, and love. They will know we are Christians by our love. I think there’s even a song about that.
This passage from James is as relevant today as it was when it was written. The gap between rich and poor, the divisions of class and status—these are still with us. But in Christ, we are called to a different way of being. We are called to tear down the barriers that divide us, to lift up the poor, and to live out our faith with integrity. Faith without works is dead because faith, at its heart, is about transforming the world in love. Not a love of sentimentality, but a love of sacrifice, of self-giving, and of service, especially to the least, the lost, and the unloved.
So, my beloveds, let us not be content with empty words. Let us not fall into the trap of favoritism, judging others by their appearances or status. Instead, let us live out Christ’s royal law of love. Let us be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Let our faith shine brightly, not only in what we believe but in what we do—how we love, how we serve, how we welcome all into the fold of God’s grace. May our faith be alive with the works of mercy, justice, and love that reflect the heart of God.
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