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James 5:13-20
Proper 21B
Jesus’ most faithful followers are often people of faith in action. We want to actively love God above all and our neighbors as ourselves. Christians feel called and expected by God to do things like share the gospel, worship the Lord, care for people who are materially needy and be good stewards of God’s creation….
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Proper 20B
I recently conducted a wedding of a dear brother and sister in Christ. Since they weren’t especially fussy about the shape and substance of the wedding service, they largely left its planning to me. That left to me the question of whether to ask the bride to “submit” to her husband. After all, the order…
James 3:1-12
Proper 19B
It’s not a little ironic that most of us who preach this Sunday on the potential dangers and blessings of the use of our tongues will do so with our tongues. So we do well to let the Spirit speak to us through James 3 before we even begin to preach. After all, it strongly…
James 2:1-10 (11-13), 14-17
Proper 18B
“Faith without works is dead.” In a world where so many things divide Christians, nearly all sides unite to claim this famous verse for themselves. Both “progressives” and “traditionalists” cling tenaciously to this profession. While some see it as a call to a strict(er) obedience to God in response to God’s grace, others focus on…
James 1:17-27
Proper 17B
Were you to ask North American citizens of the 21st century, “What is God like?” you might get, especially in some culturally diverse areas, as many as 15-20 answers. Some of them would reflect long-standing religious traditions. Others might reflect a kind of DIY theology. And some answers might reflect an atheism or agnosticism. Few…
James 5:7-10
Advent 3A
The central place the New Testament gives to the prospect of Christ’s return may surprise Christians for whom the prospect of that return is largely peripheral to their daily lives. The book of Revelation, for example, devotes much attention to it. Paul also speaks at length of Christ’s second coming especially in his letters to…
James 5:13-20
Proper 21B
Were “community” in the deepest sense of the word a commodity that’s traded on some kind of stock exchange, it would be soaring in value. That’s partly because of the law of supply and demand. Genuine community the word is in such short supply that the demand sometimes exceeds the supply. So many things isolated…
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Proper 20B
My friend whom I’ll call Wayne is struggling to submit to God (4:7) right now. In fact, that struggle has produced a fairly deep crisis of faith in him. Yet to Wayne’s credit, he’s honest enough to share that struggle with me as well as seek my help in becoming more submissive to God. Wayne…
James 3:1-12
Proper 19B
“Not many of you should presume to be didaskaloi (teachers),” James begins this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson (1). About now, many teachers might agree with him. A few weeks (or days) into the new school year have probably begun to tax even the most dedicated teachers in ways that may leave them considering some kind of…
James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17
Proper 18B
When I hear James tell his brothers and sisters in Christ in this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson not to “show favoritism” (1), I’m tempted to respond, “That’s easier said than done.” Favoritism isn’t, after all, both common and dangerous. It’s also terribly difficult to eradicate. Favoritism is an at least perceived fact of daily life. Almost…
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