James 2: 14-26 | Pray, Yes! But then act

PRAY, YES! BUT THEN ACT

JAMES 2:14-26

JANUARY 10, 2016

HIS NAME WAS HAL SMITH. HE WAS BORN IN 1915. HE WAS ONE OF THREE SONS. HE WENT TO BERRY COLLEGE, IN NORTH GEORGIA WHERE HE WAS ONCE THE PRESIDENT OF THE ALUMNI/ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION.

HE SPENT HIS WORKING YEARS IN THE ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY. HE WAS A FATHER OF TWO SONS HIMSELF.

HE WAS A SCOUTMASTER, A PRESBYTERIAN ELDER, A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER, AND A COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER WITH MANY AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS AROUND TOWN.

IN RETIREMENT HE DELIVERED MEALS-ON-WHEELS, ANSWERED PHONES OVERNIGHT AT THE EMERGENCY HOTLINE, AND PLAYED IN THE SENIOR NEIGHBORS ORCHESTRA.

HE SERVED ON THE BOARD OF AN INNER-CITY DAYCARE CENTER AND WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF MY BECOMING HIS PASTOR HE INFORMED ME THAT THE PASTOR OF THE CHURCH HAD ALWAYS SERVED ON THE BOARD AS WELL (NOT TRUE);

BUT FOR THE NEXT 16 YEARS I WOUND UP SERVING ON THE BOARD OF THAT DAYCARE CENTER TOO!

HE DROVE AN OLD, AND I MEAN OLD, BROKEN DOWN VOLKSWAGEN VAN;

LIVED IN A MODEST HOME; AND WHEN HIS FIRST WIFE DIED, WHOM HE TOOK CARE OF FOR YEARS BECAUSE OF HER BI-POLAR DISEASE, HE WAS LATER MARRIED A SECOND TIME TO A FAMILY FRIEND WHO HAD LOST HER HUSBAND.

HE LIVED HONESTLY; PLAINLY; SIMPLY; WITHOUT MUCH FANFARE, AND WAS, WITHOUT A DOUBT, ONE OF THE MOST AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANS I’VE EVER KNOWN.

HE LIVED SIMPLY SO THAT HE COULD GIVE HIS MONEY AWAY TO HELP OTHERS, WHICH HE DID OFTEN, AND GENEROUSLY;

HE DROVE AN OLD CAR AND WORE THE SAME OLD CLOTHES YEAR AFTER YEAR, SO THAT HE COULD DO FOR OTHERS, WHICH HE DID ON A DAILY BASIS;

HE INVESTED WISELY SO THERE’D BE SOMETHING LEFT FOR HIS SONS AND WIFE WHEN HE DIED;

AND WHEN A FAMILY IN THE CHURCH NEEDED A HOME, HE GAVE THEM THE LAND ON WHICH TO BUILD IT FOR FREE.

THEY AND EVERYONE ELSE IN THE CHURCH SAID IT WAS “AN ANSWER TO PRAYER,” AND IT WAS, BUT IT WAS ALSO HAL SMITH IN ACTION.

IT WAS JUST THE SORT OF MAN, THE SORT OF CHRISTIAN, HE WAS.

PRAY, YES! BUT THEN ACT.

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THOSE WORDS RECENTLY IN LIGHT OF THE VARIOUS TRAGEDIES THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN OUR NATION;

WHERE SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED, SOMETHING TERRIBLE, AND VARIOUS LEADERS, OFFICIALS, NEWS PEOPLE, CLERGY, ETC. HAVE BOTH URGED US ALL, AS WELL AS ASSURED THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES:

THAT THEY ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS!

AND IT IS TRUE –WE HAVE BEEN THINKING OF THEM, AND ARE PRAYING FOR THEM, BUT THEN WE NEED TO ACT.

IN WHAT MUST CERTAINLY BE THE MOST JOLTING HEADLINE ABOUT GOD SINCE THE NEW YORK TIMES PRINTED THEIR ARTICLE BACK IN JANUARY OF 1966 ENTITLED: GOD IS DEAD;

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE SAN BERNARDINO SHOOTINGS PRINTED A FRONT PAGE ARTICLE ENTITLED: GOD ISN’T FIXING THIS;

IN WHICH THE PAPER TOOK TO TASK OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, CLERGY, NEWSCASTERS, AND BASICALLY ALL OF THE REST OF US, WHO OFFER MORAL PLATITUDES IN THE FACE OF REAL LIFE PROBLEMS AND TRAGEDIES, BUT LITTLE IN THE WAY OF REAL ACTION.

PRAY, YES! BUT THEN ACT.

IF WE WERE LISTENING TO OUR READING THIS MORNING FROM THE LETTER OF JAMES, THEN WE KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT A NEW IDEA.

“WHAT GOOD IS IT, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, IF YOU SAY YOU HAVE FAITH BUT DO NOT HAVE WORKS?”

THE AUTHOR OF THE LETTER OF JAMES ASKS THAT QUESTION, AND NOT AT ALL RHETORICALLY, I MIGHT ADD; HE WANTS ANSWERS, AND WHAT’S MORE, HE WANTS ACTION!

“IF A BROTHER OR SISTER IS NAKED AND LACKS 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?”

THE AUTHOR OF THE LETTER OF JAMES THEN SPENDS THE NEXT 10 VERSES OR SO SHOWING US THE ERROR OF SUCH THINKING, AND EXTOLS US TO PUT OUR FAITH INTO ACTION; OUR PRAYERS INTO ACTION; OUR BELIEFS INTO ACTION.

IN SOMETHING AKIN TO THE TWO TITLES OF THE TWO ARTICLES I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE AUTHOR OF JAMES CLOSES THIS READING WITH SOMETHING OF A JOLTING TITLE OF HIS OWN:

“FOR JUST AS THE BODY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT IS DEAD, SO FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS ALSO DEAD.”

IT’S NOT THAT GOD IS DEAD, AND NOT FIXING THIS; IT IS FAITH WITHOUT WORKS, THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS WITHOUT ACTION, THAT IS DEAD!

RECENTLY I SAW A FACEBOOK POST FROM SOMEONE THAT READ, IN ESSENCE:

“I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF TERRORISM; I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT VIOLENCE IN OUR SOCIETY; BUT I DO KNOW HOW TO LOVE, AND I’M GOING TO DO IT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.”

SHE’S “HAL SMITH-ING” IT!

I’M SURE MY FRIEND, MY MEMBER, MY ELDER, MY VOLUNTEER, HAL SMITH HAD OPINIONS ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD AT THE TIME;

KNOWING HIM, I’M PRETTY SURE I KNOW WHERE HE WOULD HAVE STOOD ON MOST ISSUES;

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I CAN’T REMEMBER A TIME WE EVER TALKED ABOUT ANY OF THAT, BECAUSE I CAN’T THINK OF A TIME WHEN HE WAS EVER STILL LONG ENOUGH TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH HIM!

HE WAS CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE, HELPING SOMEONE, DOING SOMETHING, LEADING SCOUTS, TEACHING ADULTS, DELIVERING MEALS, COMING OFF HIS OVERNIGHT SHIFT ON THE HOTLINE, HEADED HOME TO RELIEVE THE SITTER WHO WAS CARING FOR HIS WIFE WITH BI-POLAR DISEASE.

TALK ABOUT YOUR “ROLLING STONE GATHERING NO MOSS” I GUARANTEE YOU THERE WAS NO MOSS GROWING ON HAL SMITH.

AND I KNOW YOU KNOW PEOPLE LIKE THIS; AND I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE PEOPLE LIKE THIS.

YOU DON’T JUST KEEP OTHERS IN YOUR “THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS” – YOU ARE THE ANSWERS TO THEIR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS!

YOU DON’T JUST OFFER MORAL PLATITUDES – YOU PRAY TO GOD – AND THEN BECOME THE ANSWER TO YOUR OWN PRAYERS FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS!

IN SOME WAYS THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION RUINED THE IDEA OF FAITH AND WORKS; RUINED THE LETTER OF JAMES FOR THE CHURCH AND FOR US.

SO CONCERNED WITH THE “THEN-THEOLOGY” OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF SELLING INDULGENCES TO BUY A LOVED ONE’S WAY INTO HEAVEN;

OR THINKING THAT GOOD WORKS CAN SAVE US AND OTHERS;

THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION BECAME FAMOUS FOR THE IDEA OF OUR BEING: “SAVED BY FAITH” (NOT BY WORKS); LATER MODIFIED TO “SAVED BY GRACE, THROUGH FAITH.”

AND WHILE THAT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE – WE ARE SAVED BY GOD’S GRACE ALONE, AND NOTHING ELSE, AND THROUGH OUR FAITHFUL RESPONSE TO GOD, OUR LIVES BECOME THE PROOF THAT GOD HAS SAVED US;

SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY WE PROTESTANTS LOST SIGHT, SLIGHTLY, OF THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD WORKS;

AND THAT OUR SALVATION ISN’T SIMPLY OUR GET-OUT-OF-THIS-LIFE-AND-INTO-HEAVEN CARD; NOT JUST A SALVATION-SELFIE;

BUT REALLY – OUR SALVATION IS GOD’S WAY OF SAYING, I SAVED YOU FOR A PURPOSE – SO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?

WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH – YES! BUT THEN WE NEED TO ACT AS THOSE WHO ARE SAVED BY DOING THE WORKS OF CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.

WE HAVE BEEN CALLED TO A PARTICULAR AND PECULIAR WAY OF LIFE.

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE NOT ENOUGH – “FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD.”

WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE THE WORLD; WE MAY NOT KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS TO TERRORISM, OR TO THE VIOLENCE IN OUR SOCIETY;

WE MAY NOT KNOW HOW TO SOLVE THE MANY AND VARIED PROBLEMS OF OUR WORLD;

BUT, BY GOD, (AND I MEAN THAT LITERALLY) BY GOD, WE SURELY DO KNOW HOW TO LOVE, BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN SHOWN HOW TO IN THE PERSON OF HIS SON, OUR SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.

TOM LONG TELLS A STORY OF HAVING SERVED ON A PANEL DISCUSSION ABOUT CAMPUS MINISTRY. THE PANEL WAS MADE UP OF A COUPLE OF CHAPLAINS, SEVERAL PROTESTANT MINISTERS, A COUPLE OF PRIESTS, AND A RABBI.

DURING THE QUESTION AND ANSWER PART OF THE PRESENTATION A MAN GOT UP FROM HIS CHAIR TO ASK ONE OF THOSE IMPOSSIBLY OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS THAT SUCH OCCASIONS SEEM TO INVITE.

“TELL ME WHAT TODAY’S COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE LIKE.”

THE PANEL MEMBERS GLANCED AT EACH OTHER WITH A “WHO-WANTS-TO-FIELD-THIS-ONE” LOOK. FINALLY ONE OF THE CHAPLAINS BEGAN TO ANSWER.

“I THINK YOU WOULD BE PLEASED BY THE ATTITUDES ON CAMPUS THESE DAYS.” HE WENT ON TO DESCRIBE HOW, IN THE MIDST OF THE UNDENIABLE CAREERISM AND FINANCIAL AMBITIONS OF TODAY’S STUDENTS, THAT THERE WAS ALSO AN ADMIRABLE AND UNSELFISH VOLUNTEER SPIRIT EMERGING.

CASES WERE CITED OF STUDENTS WHO WERE GIVING THEIR TIME IN NURSING HOMES, SOUP KITCHENS, AND CAUSES LIKE DIVESTITURE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

AS THE SPEECH PROGRESSED, THE RABBI ON THE PANEL BEGAN TO SMILE QUIETLY, THEN TO GRIN WIDELY. DISTRACTED, THE CHAPLAIN TURNED TO THE RABBI AND ASKED, “AM I SAYING SOMETHING FUNNY?”

“NO, NOT REALLY,” REPLIED THE RABBI. “WHAT YOU ARE SAYING IS THAT THE STUDENTS ARE GOOD PEOPLE. AND THEY ARE. YOU’RE SAYING THEY DO GOOD THINGS. AND THEY DO. I WAS JUST THINKING, THOUGH, THAT THE ONE THING THEY LACK IS A VISION OF SALVATION.”

1. LONG SAID THEY ALL LOOKED AT THE RABBI. HE THEN WENT ON TO EXPLAIN HIS OWN CONVICTION THAT ETHICAL IMPULSES CANNOT BE SUSTAINED ON GOOD INTENTIONS ALONE.

THE PROBLEMS PERSIST, AND THE FLAME OF IDEALISM FINALLY BURNS ITSELF OUT ON DISCOURAGEMENT.

PERSEVERANCE IN ETHICAL ACTION, HE INSISTED, DEPENDS UPON MAINTAINING SOME VISION OF WHAT GOD IS DOING IN THE WORLD, A VISION THAT EMBRACES BUT ALSO TRANSCENDS OUR OWN EFFORTS, IN SHORT, A VISION OF SALVATION.

FOR A LOT OF US, I KNOW THIS IS WHERE WE ARE. WE’VE SPENT OUR ENTIRE LIVES BEING GOOD PEOPLE, DOING GOOD THINGS, AND THE WORLD ISN’T GETTING ANY BETTER; (OR SO IT SEEMS)

IF ANYTHING, IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE; OR AT LEAST THE PROBLEMS PERSIST, AND THE FLAME OF IDEALISM IS GETTING DANGEROUSLY DIM;

AND MANY OF US ARE THINKING, “O THE HELL WITH IT; MAYBE THE NAYSAYERS AND DOOMSDAY-ERS ARE RIGHT;

MAYBE WE’RE ALL GOING TO END UP IN A “MAD MAX FROM THUNDER DOME,” “ROAD WARRIORS,” OR ONE OF THOSE OTHER END-OF-THE-WORLD-TYPE-MOVIES WHERE EVERYONE IS KILLING OFF EVERYONE ELSE.

WE ARE TIRED OF “ROWING” TO USE THE METAPHOR WE ARE NOW STUDYING WITH REGARD TO THE CHURCH IN OUR ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS, AND WERE READY TO BOAT OUR OARS, AND TIE UP AT THE DOCK TO WAIT OUT THE STORM.

IF WE CAN’T SOLVE IT ALL, IF WE CAN’T MAKE IT ALL BETTER, IF WE CAN’T SAVE THE WORLD, AND IN SOME CASES, FROM ITSELF, THEN WHAT’S THE POINT? LET’S HAND IT OFF TO THE NAYSAYERS AND DOOMSDAY-ERS.

BUT WE’VE BEEN CALLED TO A PARTICULAR AND PECULIAR WAY OF LIFE.

WE’VE BEEN CALLED TO GO SAILING IN PRAYER AND BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

WE’VE BEEN CALLED TO BELIEVE, AND TO PUT THOSE BELIEFS INTO ACTION.

WE’VE BEEN TOLD “FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD.”

AND BY GOD, WE’VE BEEN SHOWN HOW TO LOVE BY JESUS CHRIST!

THE RABBI’S RIGHT – WE NEED A VISION OF SALVATION – WE NEED TO SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING IN THE WORLD, AND CLAIM GOD’S VISION OF SALVATION AS OUR OWN.

AND WE ALL NEED TO KEEP “HAL SMITH-ING” IT;

OR WHATEVER- OUR-NAME-IS-ING IT;

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

ONCE MORE, FROM THE LETTER OF JAMES:

“SHOW ME YOUR FAITH WITHOUT WORKS, AND I BY MY WORKS WILL SHOW YOU MY FAITH.”