Path of Wisdom -Talk the Walk James 1 & 2 assorted verses

Faith that results in action, that's what the little book called the Letter or the Epistle of James, nestled near the end of the Christian scriptures is all about. Even though Martin Luther famously referred to it as "an epistle of straw," with "nothing of the nature of the gospel about it," this little book is, according to most scholars, a kind of Christian wisdom literature. It is attributed to James -who some scholars believe was the brother of Jesus, a leader in the early church who, having the heart of a pastor, held a vision for what, with God's grace, his community of faith might become and he sought to call his people into the fullness of that vision.

In the opening verses of this letter James urges his people to pray for wisdom which he sees as practical knowledge, God-given understanding and the ability to see things as God sees them. It is this kind of wisdom that leads to righteousness -doing the right thing at the right time for the right reasons- and spiritual maturity. It is this kind of wisdom that helps us face life's struggles with confidence and live in God's way with courage.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been drawn to this little book. As I have read and re-read it in many different translations something seemed to call to me with the promise that in its simple direct words there is food for the nurturing of our lives and this community. So today and for the next two weeks we are going to explore the Letter of James. Today we will see what it might mean to Walk the Talk.  Next week it will be Talk the Walk and October 4^th it will be Heal the Hurts. It is my prayer that these three weeks will enrich your lives and this community as much as the study of James has enriched mine. I would encourage you, as part of your own spiritual practice, to read James -all of it; it's only 5 chapters long. Read it in different translations if you can. And as you do, join me in praying for wisdom that will guide us in the living of our lives and the growing of our faith.

Perhaps the best known and in some ways most controversial aspect of this letter is the relationship between faith and works:

"Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? (2:17) You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.(2:18) Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands? (2:26)

James seems to be saying what my mother always used to tell me, "Nancy, remember your actions speak louder than your words!"

James shares two very concrete examples of the kind of actions that speak louder than our claims to be followers of Christ. The first points to how we treat others within the community of faith. By its "don't do this" kind of reasoning, it invites us to treat each and every person with dignity and respect, valuing the gifts and graces of all people equally, meeting each person where they are and inviting them into the embrace of God's transforming love. If we do not, James says, we are demonstrating that we have not allowed the wisdom of God to penetrate our hearts and shape our lives; we do not see as God sees; and we are not acting with the love of Christ.

As I thought about this I remembered a time, early in my ministry when I was a counselor at a high school church camp in Ohio. The leaders of this camp talked with the youth about creating the Beloved Community -a community where all are valued and we treat one another with respect and care. That's the way the adults treated the youth and one another and that's the way the teens began to treat one another as well. I saw this in most vividly my cabin one year. Most of the girls brought more clothes than they could wear in a year and they often changed outfits two to three times a day. But one young woman, from a very poor family didn't even have enough outfits to wear a different one each day. It was also obvious by her behavior and attitudes that she came from a world that was much different than the rest of the cabin. She was most certainly an outsider, both in dress and behavior. But by Wednesday, her cabin mates had taken her under their wing. They began sharing their clothes with her and when they heard her sing, they encouraged her to sing a solo at vespers. When the banquet and dance at the end of the week came around, they made sure that she had something beautiful to wear, fixed her hair and helped her put make-up on. Near the end of the week she said to me, "I never want this camp to end. It's the first time in my life that people have ever cared about me, encouraged me and treated me like I have value and worth. It helps me believe that God really does love me."

After pointing to our actions inside the community of faith, James turns our attention to how we treat those in need wherever we find them. According to James, prayer is great, but if it stops there, our faith falls short; if we fail to do something for the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those without the basic necessities of life, what good is our faith?

Another example: In the mid-90's I lived in Berkley with my friend Yolanda. It was a whole different world from my safe and familiar mid-west life. The most notable difference was the number of homeless people I encountered everywhere I went. I wanted to do the typical thing and pretend that I didn't even see them, keep right on walking as if they were not sitting their asking for help. But not my friend Yolanda! As I soon discovered, she intentionally carried change and small bills in her pocket to give to the homeless folks she met. Not only did she put coins in their cup or hat or whatever they had, she stopped and talked with them, learning their stories and when possible pointing them toward help that might get them off the street. To her they were very real people, with very real needs; people of dignity who deserved to be treated with kindness and respect.

In his book Streams of Living Water, Stephen McCutchan wrote: "The letter of James stands as a challenge to any Christian who, having been saved by grace, does not then allow his or her life to be transformed into a life of generosity and love. James will not allow Christians to be causal about the grace by which they were saved. It should result in fruits of the Spirit if it is to be a testimony of gratitude to what God has done... James did not deny that salvation was by grace alone, but he was clear that it should then result in a changed life."

As I pondered McCutchan's words, and read James once again praying for the wisdom to understand the truth it contained, it occurred to me that when I really truly allow the love of Christ to penetrate my life and change how I see the  world and what I do, I experience the joy of living fully alive. Think about it. When you give with generosity and love, doesn't it feel good? When you put some effort into helping someone in need, isn't there a sense of peace that floods your being? When your labor has helped to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, comfort the sick, welcome the stranger, heal the hurting or empower the desperate doesn't it feel good? Don't you have a sense of peace and joy? I know I do.

So perhaps this little letter is inviting us to allow Christ to grow us, so that the fruit of the Spirit -love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) is visible in the way we think, the way we speak, the way we act, in the office and the classroom, the sanctuary and the grocery store, the board room and the bedroom, at the communion table and the kitchen table.

May we all come more and more to walk the talk! Amen.