First United Methodist Church
September 8th, 2024
Rev. Lauren Hall
Feasting with Jesus: Everybody Matters or No One Matters
Let us pray: Take over, Lord, and give us your truth. Open our hearts and minds this morning to your word, that in hearing we might believe, and in believing trust you with our lives: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
One day, long ago, when the church was just getting started, two people came in. One of them was wealthy, had great looking clothes on, fine jewelry, manicured, polished, put together. About the same time, a poor person arrived, dirty clothes, disheveled, hair a mess, obviously hadn’t shaved or washed for weeks. It wasn’t a very big church so everyone there could see everything that was happening. And what happened was that the usher, or whoever was watching the door that day, made a big fuss over the rich person, extended the right hand of friendship, showed him to a good seat, even held the chair for him. And then that same person told the poor person that all the seats were full, so he’d have to stand in the back near the door. Everybody saw what was happening and someone whose name was James went right home, got out his pen and legal scroll and wrote a little letter of protest to the ministers and elders and people of that church. There are a lot of people named James in the early Christian church and we’re not sure which one he is, but we do know he didn’t like what he saw in church that day and he said so.
He describes the incident in harsh detail. And then he goes on to make a few points that are so important that his little protest letter ends up in the Bible. His first point is that all people are equal in God’s sight. You’d think that everybody already knows that, but one of the lingering tragedies of human history is that people don’t believe it, or don’t want to believe it. James’ first point is that at the heart of the Jewish religion and this new Jesus religion— at the very bedrock—is the radical idea of human equality. Although the gospel seems to suggest that Jesus is hesitant to help the Syrophoenician woman (and I have to admit that this is one of my favorite passages in the gospels because even though he uses a metaphor, Jesus states a theological reason why he should not help the woman, and she counters with the same metaphor, pointing out why she is worthy of his love and attention – if we took a deeper look at some of our own theological biases, we might see areas where we need to interpret them differently as well). At the end of their discussion, he gladly heals her daughter and is impressed by her faith. Jesus shows us through his actions that all persons are worthy of receiving his love.
There aren’t any special privileges or prerogatives in God’s eyes, and in that simple, profoundly radical Judeo/Christian idea, we have the basis for what would later emerge in human history as democracy. In a democratic society, every person, no matter what their social status, should have equal access to education and opportunities for employment. It was Judaism and Christianity that suggested that there is an inherent, God-given, God-blessed equality about us, and James insisted in his letter that equality should be a fundamental practice within the church, where God’s people assemble to worship and learn and sing and eat together.
The second point James makes, and this goes a little deeper, is that religion, true religion, has more to do with how you live than what you say you believe, or even the religious rituals you perform. When we think of the term worship, we are generally referring to the ecstatic, mystical praise and celebration. In James, worship is what you do both inside and outside of church when you physically carry out the teachings and ministry of Jesus. This is not a new idea. It goes all the way back to the prophets of Israel who kept insisting that the people had it backwards. The practice of animal sacrifice was the beginning of their redemption from sin, not the end. What God really wants is justice in the marketplace, kindness in society, and mercy and compassion between neighbors and families.
James is talking about active faith. Many people, including Martin Luther, dislike this particular epistle because they claim that a works-based religion disregards the meaning of the cross. Grace is enough, they claim. But Wesley reminds us that it is because of God’s grace that we are able to have faith, and faith is grounded in our love of God and neighbor. Wesley claims that it is impossible for a person to truly love God and not also love their neighbor. And this is what James is saying also. James wants people to act out the implications of their beliefs. Wesley believes that faith and good works are united in God’s love. God expresses God’s love for us in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ; and we, in turn, express our response to God’s love through our good deeds, particularly to those in need.
One of the most profound statements in James’ letter comes at the end of the passage that we read today. James offers us a subtle reminder that you really don’t believe something until it shapes and forms what you do and how you live. "Faith without works is dead," he says. "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?"
Charles Shultz illustrates this point in one of his comic strips. Charlie Brown and Linus are trudging through the snow. The wind is blowing; the snow is falling. They are bundled up in their snowsuits with fur hats and scarves and gloves and boots. They encounter Snoopy, shivering, naked — as dogs ordinarily are, in front of his doghouse, his dish is empty; he looks cold and hungry and just miserable. Charlie Brown says, "Be of good cheer, Snoopy." Linus echoes: "Yes, Snoopy, be of good cheer." And off they go, leaving Snoopy with a rather quizzical look on his face.
"What is the good of that?" James would ask them.
Unless we internalize the teachings and ministry of Jesus Christ and allow ourselves to be defined and shaped by God’s love, we will continue to send out mixed messages to those we encounter. I remember years ago during a week of winter camp when I walked by the table where the six-year-old girls were sitting. I was wearing a brand-new white hooded sweatshirt that I had won as a prize for something (so it wasn’t replacable), when one of the girls, whose hands were covered in ketchup and mustard, reached up to grab my arm. In that moment I had a decision to make. Do I step back out of reach or do I lean forward, give the little girl a big hug and risk ruining my sweatshirt?
I knew the girl’s story – she had been homeless her entire life, and this week of camp was one of the few opportunities she had to be on equal footing with everybody else – a safe place where she wouldn’t be judged. She had seen me “hug” other girls in her cabin that I knew from the summer, and she probably just wanted a hug too. While I might justify an action to keep my shirt clean, she might think that I just didn’t want her to touch me. Since we don’t always have time to analyze every action before we take it, the “simple” solution is to allow our faith to define who we are by putting God’s love into action. Jesus would never worry about getting his shirt dirty.
Wesley identifies these little actions as “works of mercy,” which are just as important as “works of piety.” Works of piety are those personal practices that enrich our spiritual lives and bring us closer to God. Works of mercy are the things we do to care for and identify with our neighbor. We are saved by God’s gracious mercy, not by keeping the law. But Christ gave us a special command, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19). Jesus lived out this command in everything he did. He calls for us to do the same.
Let us pray...
Invitation to Discipleship:
Faith and works are the core of the Christian life; when grounded in Christ’s love, they can do no harm.
I’d like leave you with the advice of John Wesley:
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
Go in peace! Amen.
