James 1:17-27
For the last couple of weeks we have been looking at what is means to be careful how we live; what Paul calls wisdom.
It can be summarised as focusing on becoming disciples of Jesus, allowing ourselves to be directed by God into the fulfilling of his purposes, which will always result in being able to stand, no matter what.
But how do we do that in practical terms? How do we become a disciple of Jesus Christ who thrives? This week, we’re continuing this focus by beginning a short walk through the book of James, the most practical of books.
How to develop a faith that truly works.
James was one of Jesus’ younger brothers. Scripture tells us of five boys in that family. There was Jesus, then Joeph Jr., then James, Simon, and Jude. It was James who led the brand-new church in Jerusalem and an important figure in the church’s early development.
James begins today’s passage by asking us to ponder – ‘who is God to you?’ The response that James presents is pure gospel. God is identified by what he gives.
Every perfect gift comes from above, the gifts come down from the Father of lights (v.17). James later turns to questions about human giving, but does not do so without speaking first about God’s giving.
The people to whom James writes are those who have received life from God. So the letter is for us in Drayton. We acknowledge that we, God’s people, have something to give precisely because we have received from God.
And that brings us to the second question James causes us to ponder, ‘Who are you to God?’ This question is a little more complicated, because in order to answer it, James has to remind us of who we are not.
We are not to be people who give in to anger. We are not to be the kind of people who can’t control their own tongues, who say things without thinking. Most of all, we are not to be people who deceive ourselves into thinking we are okay with God when our lives give no evidence that this is true.
Instead, we are first fruits. The first fruits were the offering brought to the temple at the beginning of harvest. These offerings were perfect examples of the produce that had been grown.
They were given to God in thanksgiving for a good crop, and they served as down payment on offerings that would be brought when the harvest was complete.
We are the down payment of God’s promises to the world, James says. We are God’s gift to show what righteousness is supposed to look like. This requires us to do something. Which is why James can be a very uncomfortable read!
This is who we are to God, ‘first fruits’ of the harvest of Jesus. It seems that everywhere else in the New Testament, we are urged to speak boldly, to proclaim the gospel at every opportunity.
But James suddenly sounds a lot like his big brother Jesus, turning what we expect to hear on its head. “Know this, beloved,” he says. “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”
Instead of telling people about Jesus, James tells us that the first thing we should do as first fruits is to listen like Jesus. As God’s gift to a hurting world, we are to listen to the pain, the need, and the despair around us, just as Jesus did. Just as Jesus still does.
Even more than this, we must be quick to listen to God’s word. James tells us to welcome the implanted word into our lives (v.21). It isn’t enough to sit back and let the word of God run in one ear and out the other.
We are to let it be implanted in us which means we will be “doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves” (v.22). This is pure wisdom. The word that James is referring to is both the upper-case Word of God, Jesus, and the lower-case word of God, Scripture.
The primary way God talks to us is through the Bible.
Now for me to be a doer of the word, I need to know what the word says, which means opening my bible. If we get into a habit of reading a small bit of the bible every day, the word grows in us, and bears fruit.
If the word of God is planted deep inside us, it’s going to show up on the outside (just as Jesus says in Mark’s gospel this morning).
So if we say we follow Jesus on Sunday, the way we live Monday to Saturday needs to be in line with that statement. What James is saying in a very practical way is, “Now that you know who God is to you, and now that you know who you are to God, what are you going to do about it?”
He says in vv.26-27, “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27 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.”
Who can we think of in that position today? Well, widows and widowers of course, but also orphans, those who have no one to care for them except visits from Anglicare or Blue Care.
Those who, after supporting their families all their lives, have suddenly become alone and are fearful of becoming a burden to both their families and the world.
In all these things we start local, because we have people like this sitting beside us today! Now if God’s word is implanted in us, we will do this instinctively, which is what I see in our parish often!
Then best way to do this is to be quick to listen and slow to speak. If we truly listen to people, we very soon find out what their unmet needs are.
When we do, we help others to bear their pain. Bearing someone else’s pain doesn’t mean that you take it on yourself completely, so they don’t have to bear it. It means walking alongside them and helping them carry that load by being present with them.
By listening first, and speaking later, by guarding our tongue, and by not getting angry at the drop of a hat. It means being Christ to someone else, just as Jesus is Christ to us.
He asks us to picture ourselves standing in front of a mirror, so let’s pause there a minute. James asks, “Do you see who you are?” Ordinarily, standing in front of a mirror might mean that we see ourselves as thin or overweight, blemished, dishevelled, wrinkled, or scarred.
Instead, we are to look at ourselves in light of what has just been said. Do I see who I am?
You are someone who has been blessed by God’s gifts, someone who has been brought to new life through God’s word – a person who is a first fruit, set aside as someone who belongs to God.
As we prepare to take communion this morning, I invite you to ask yourself this one question. Is Jesus the centre of my life? When I look in the mirror, do I know that? We lose nothing by making him so and gain everything.
An inexpressible joy that comes by knowing we are truly doing the will of God, and the absolute peace that comes from knowing we are written in the lamb’s book of life.
Let me pray. Father, these teachings of James really put us on the spot because we are required to do something. By the power of your Spirit, enable us to enter each conversation truly eager to listen and slow to speak. Fill us with your grace that we may truly live out our faith and not pay lip service to your wonderful and holy word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.