James 5 – Prayer Matters

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James 5 – Prayer Matters

The many forms and styles of prayer – which we’ll talk about soon – help us create and nurture healthy, life-giving relationships with God, with ourselves, and with others. When we choose to engage with this powerful tool, the Kingdom of Heaven is filled with the energy of Divinity Itself. That energy, that power has transformed communities and lives for millennia; and prayer can do the same for us today. Let’s embrace this power and open our lives to God’s transforming Spirit.

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James 4 – Let’s draw near to God

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James 4 – Let’s draw near to God

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” What a beautiful, interactive image. Imagine how you feel when you are naturally drawn to a beloved person or pet. Think about that desire you have to share time, touch, conversation. This is the kind of intimate relationship God wants with us. Notice that there is no qualification or “entry fee” to connect with God – if we simply make the effort, God is always ready and anxious to connect with us.

No matter who you are, what you have or have not done, what you have or have not achieved… none of that matters. The Kingdom of Heaven’s doors are open to all. Let’s draw near to God, together.

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James 3 – The Power of Words

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James 3 – The Power of Words

Rather than fall into the black holes of fear and hopelessness, we can embrace our freedoms and choose to let our faith inspire and direct us to try to be the best people God created us to be. We won’t always get that right, but if we make a consistent effort, we will become better models of heavenly wisdom over time. And that’s progress, and progress is good.

The world wants and needs to hear what we are for more than what we are against. The Good News is that we are for peace; with whom can each of us share some peace? We are for gentleness; with whom can we share some gentleness? We are for humility, not arrogance; how can we model that? And we are for mercy; how can we show mercy, not might, this week?

Let us freely use our words to marvelously remind people that we are ALL precious children of God, created to love and to be loved. This is what it means to be the Kingdom of God – welcoming others, with their flaws AND our flaws, into a community that cares about and wants the best for each other.

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James 2 – Favoritism and Faith in Action

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James 2 – Favoritism and Faith in Action

In today’s reading, James addresses what it means to reflect the personal, caring relationship God wants with every person. To offer extra grace or mercy to someone because of their higher socio-economic status implies that God’s grace and mercy are limited and only available to the highest bidders. But that’s not how the Kingdom of God is supposed to operate. Our doors should be open to ALL people, equally.

Our Christian faith proclaims that the Good News of God’s Love is for everyone so we shouldn’t get distracted by the superficial. I would love nothing more than for our town to describe us as “the church that will take anyone, it doesn’t matter who you are; if you want to love God, love yourself and love others… that’s all they seem to care about.” Let’s make that dream a reality.

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James 1 – Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger

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James 1 – Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger

The key to fully appreciating James’ urge for us to be slow to anger is being able to first recognize our emotions and the emotions around us and then understand how everyone’s feelings are responses to our environment. Wrapping that in prayerful conversations with God can lead us to managing our anger (and other emotions) so that we’re motivated in a positive way to fulfill what James calls the purest definition of religion: caring for the most vulnerable people in our society (in his case, widows and orphans).

How can our anger at social injustices motivate us to be quick to listen to the needs of our community, to the cries of the vulnerable? How can we then speak out for their needs?

By listening quickly, speaking slowly, and acting with great compassion, we can be God’s loving, transformative presence for our community.

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