Help me finish this sentence: “We make money the old fashioned way…we eeeaaaaarn it.”

 

I guess a lot of you remember that famous ad John Houseman did for the investment firm Smith Barney.  And the idea of earning something is deeply imbedded in us from childhood.  We learn early that we must earn what we want to have.  We hear it at home: "Eat just a few more vegetables, and you can have some dessert!"  [I’ve been using that one on my children for years!]  It’s emphasized in school: "Work hard and get good grades, so you can get into a good college.” [I use that one, too!].  And it’s reinforced in the working world: “Work hard at your job, and you can move up the ladder and earn more money.” 

 

Because the idea of earning what we want to have is so ingrained in us, we are skeptical of getting something we have not worked for or feel we don’t deserve.  Our human nature tells us that if somebody is trying to give away something, there must be a catch, or strings attached, or that it’s a scam. 

 

And while we may be able to earn money and promotions and good grades, even dessert, the same cannot be said about God’s love.  God’s love is not something we get through our own efforts, nor is it anything we can earn through our performance; God’s love comes through something called grace – the free, unmerited gift of God. 

 

Sometimes I’ll say to my son, “If you’re really good, Mummy will… get you a toy, or buy you a snack, or – the big prize – take you to McDonald’s.”  But the same isn’t true of God.  God doesn’t say to us, “If you’re a really good person, or if you’re really nice to others, or if you help people, THEN I will love you.”  No no.  God loves us first – just as we are, warts and all; we cannot achieve God’s love, we cannot earn it, we cannot manufacture it, and we cannot conspire for it.  It is grace, pure and simple.  And we can only accept it, receive it, and believe it. 

 

The Apostle Paul summed it up in his letter to the Ephesians:  “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works…”  [2:8]

 

What then, are we to make of James’ words in this morning’s scripture lesson?  James, the brother of Jesus, could not separate faith from works, and he writes, “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”  Later on in his letter, James writes, “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” [2:17].

 

This practical attitude toward doing good deeds seems to stand in opposition to Paul’s understanding of salvation by grace through faith.  One of the major emphases of the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago was that only through faith in God through Jesus Christ could one be righteous.  The great church reformer Martin Luther went so far as to dismiss the book of James as “an epistle of straw.”  In fact, even though James’ epistle was accepted as part of the canon in the third century, when Luther translated the Bible into German, he separated the book from the rest of the New Testament with the clear warning that it was spiritually inferior material.

 

But biblical scholars have come to understand that when James talks about “works,” he does not mean doing good deeds that will earn us a place in heaven or help us score points with God.  That’s what’s known in theological lingo as “works righteousness.”  Instead, James is saying that good works are a part of faith, our response to God’s love and grace. 

 

Indeed, throughout the Bible, God has always put a premium on hearing and doing:

 

In Deuteronomy, we read: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them … You shall bind them as a sign on your hand... and You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates...” [6:4-9].

 

Hearing AND doing.

 

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says,  "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

 

Hearing AND doing.

 

The Christian faith is a call to action, and our faith should not just stir our emotions but also put us in motion. 

 

So what is it, exactly, that we are supposed to do?  James is specific:  "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this,” he says, "to care for orphans and widows in their distress..."  In other words, it’s about social justice.  We are to show concern for all people, especially the disempowered, the disenfranchised, the marginalized, the poor, the forgotten.

 

Our church demonstrates this concern in a variety of ways, through our active, hands-on support of Evelyn House and the Stoughton Food Pantry; through mission trips; and through special offerings to help the less fortunate, whether they be AIDS patients in Africa, hurricane victims on the Gulf Coast, or needy persons right here in our community. 

 

But being “doers of the word” is not only about social action; it’s also about how we treat each other.  In this morning’s scripture passage, James says, “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues, but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless” [v. 26].  And “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger” [v. 19]. 

 

Jesus tells us many times and in many ways how we are to treat each other.  “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” [John 13:34-35]

 

And also:  “Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you…Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” [Luke 6:27-28, 31].

 

The Apostle Paul expands on Christ’s commands: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you… Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace…” [Colossians 3:12-13, 15].

 

The Christian faith is not just about simply coming to worship, hearing a sermon, pondering a thought or two, singing a hymn, saying "amen," and going home.  Just hearing the Word, the good news of Jesus Christ, is not enough.  Saying that we believe is not enough.  Saying that we give our heart and soul to Jesus is not enough. 

 

We are to put our faith into action.  Hearing AND doing.  It is not just James’ directive.  It is Christ’s command.  Amen.

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