First Lutheran Church
August 29, 2021 – The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost B
James 1:17-27
17Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 19You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. 22But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. 26If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27Religion 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.
“True Religion”
Pastor Greg Ronning
Over the next few weeks, the appointed epistle lessons from the lectionary feature readings from the book of James. The history of the book of James, and its inclusion in the New Testament, was somewhat controversial. There was not complete agreement that it belonged. Chiefly, there was scholarly debate regarding its apostolic authorship.
Martin Luther was not really a big fan of the book of James. Luther famously wrote, “Therefore St. James’ epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to these others, for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it.” Luther preferred the writings of Paul, the theology of justification by grace through faith. In Luther’s mind James contained nothing of the good news of salvation. He writes, “… it is flatly against St. Paul and all the rest of Scripture in ascribing justification to works…” However, Luther did seem to appreciate the book of James. He begins his “Preface on James” by saying, “Though this epistle of St. James was rejected by the ancients, I praise it and consider it a good book, because it sets up no doctrines of men but vigorously promulgates the law of God. However, to state my own opinion about it, though without prejudice to anyone, I do not regard it as the writing of an apostle…”
So, what does the book of James have to offer us today? Why are we reading it aloud in the assembly? It barely made it into the bible, and Luther said it was good, but was essentially “straw” when it comes to the good news of the Gospel. What’s the point, what’s the takeaway?
Well, I for one believe it has a message that we need to hear today, a message to help us understand the true purpose of religion, a message that might help us discern our religious behaviors, a message for a people seemingly hopelessly divided over religious issues. In today’s lesson James describes genuine religion, “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 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.”
Religion, humanities attempt to understand and respect the sacred, observe and serve the divine, practice and proclaim faith; has been, and still is, responsible for both our best and worst individual and collective moments.
In the practicing of religion, humanity has created the most amazing works of art, music that comforts and inspires, buildings that invite us into heavenly spaces, and literature that transforms the heart, the mind, and the soul. In the name of religion, we have fed the hungry, housed the homeless, clothed the naked, healed the sick, and loved the other. In the name of religion, we have made the world a better place.
Yet in the practicing of religion, we have also demonized each other, we have gone to war with each other, we have tortured, colonized, and enslaved each other. We have killed each other. And we have destroyed art, literature, music, and architecture. In the name of religion, we have made the world a worse place.
Religion has the capacity to bring us together and religion has the capacity to tear us apart. Theologian Debi Thomas writes, “Religion has always had the power to elevate or ruin us. To make us compassionate and creative, or stingy and small-minded. To grant us peace, or stir us to war.”
This summer a number of us studied Richard Rohr’s book, “Falling Upward.” In the book Rohr describes the work of true religion. “It is religion’s job to teach us and guide us on this discovery of our True Self, but it usually makes the mistake of turning this into a worthiness contest of some sort, a private performance, or some kind of religious achievement on our part, through our belonging to the right group, practicing the right rituals, or believing the right things.”
In the end, for many, our religious experiences, are tragically marked by fear, judgment, and shame. They lead us into smaller groups pitted against other smaller groups, hard defined notions of who’s right and who’s wrong, strict boundaries that determine who belongs and who doesn’t belong, the civil religion of political division, lines drawn in the sand over issues that don’t really matter, lines drawn in the sand over issues that do matter but keep us from finding common ground; unfortunately too often religion can lead us farther away from the Kingdom, instead of deeper into the expanding grace-filled reign of God’s love. As Debi Thomas says, religion has made us “stingy and small-minded.”
Too often religion in our world has become nothing more than words, and all too often nothing more than a war of words. We shout “our words” believing that the loudest word will win. We use “our words” like weapons to demonize others. We spin “our words” to create scapegoats in order that we might be justified.
And so it is, in the end, James is right, most of these words, and the religion they produce, are worthless. “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.” James wants us to do more listening and less talking. James wants us to listen with our hearts and respond not with more words but rather with acts of love, with a religion that is pure and undefiled by those empty words. “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.” He asks us to listen to the orphans and widows that are all around us, the ones who are suffering, the ones who are neglected, the ones who don’t belong, the ones who live on the margins of life, and even, maybe especially, the ones who are often the victims of “our words.” He asks us to listen to their words and reach out in love. James reminds us that we are called to serve, to practice the grace we have received, by sharing that grace with others.
And Luther is right too, we are not “saved” by these works, but we are “blessed” in the doing of these works. Salvation is not “earned” in serving others, but salvation is “experienced” in the serving of others. James writes in today’s lesson, “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, ...” When we become doers of the word and not just hearers of the word, (or idle talkers of the word) we find ourselves in the presence of God, we become participants in the divine drama, we are blessed by the transforming – healing - inspired power of love. It truly is “more blessed to give than to receive.”
The Book of James will not save us, it does not contain a theology that exposes us to the amazing grace of God. But James does help us expose and discern our religious behaviors. It does teach us how to “live out” and “live into” the faith that we have found in grace, it does lead us deeper into the full experience of our salvation.
Debi Thomas writes about discerning our religiosity, “Notice what fruit your adherence to tradition bears. (your adherence to your religion) Does your version of holiness lead to hospitality? To inclusion? To freedom? Does it cause your heart to open wide with compassion? Does it lead other people to feel loved and welcomed at God’s table? Does it make you brave, creative, and joyful? Does it prepare your mind and body for a God who is always doing something fresh and new? Does it facilitate another step forward in your spiritual evolution? Or does it make you small, stingy, and bored? Fearful, suspicious, withholding, and judgmental?”
Today we are invited to consider our practice of religion, our religious experience, and ask these critical questions. These words today are not offered in judgement but rather as an invitation to enter more deeply into the grace and love Christ, to participate in the gracious and life-giving unfolding of the kingdom, the kingdom that came in Christ, the kingdom that comes today in our presence, and the kingdom that one day will come for all and forever. Afterall that’s what we really want, that’s why we practice our religion, to know and to experience and to share - the love of God!
We continue with our hymn, “Peace Prayer.” This hymn is based upon the “The Prayer of St. Francis.” St. Francis, famously said, perhaps in the tradition of the book of James, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.”
“If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 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.”
Amen.