James 5:13-20
We have come to the end of our walk through the book of James, and this Sunday we've come to the end of the church year. Next Sunday begins Advent, a time for looking ahead and thinking about what we're hoping for, what will be new.
Today, we focus on James tying up loose ends. First, he suggests that people should pray- if they are suffering, if they are sick, if they've done something wrong and it's making them sick. The whole community should pray for each other. He suggests that they pray like Elijah who could make it rain or not by praying. This is a clear sign that James is a first century man and not a twenty-first century man. Today we can explain what causes it to rain or not scientifically, and while there are lots of farmers and fire-fighters who frequently pray for rain, there aren't many who think prayer is the cause of the weather- or of illness or of war or of many other conditions we deal with in life.
We know a lot about science these days and we can explain a lot of things. When someone is ill, we have many more tools at our disposal to help them get well. We're grateful for the advances that have made our lives longer and easier for everyone. We don't know much about prayer, because prayer doesn't work by any scientific method. There have been studies that show that prayer has a positive impact on healing. There have been studies that show that meditation can lower crime rates in big cities. We each have stories about when good things happen that we attribute to prayer. But we don't know much about how it works or why.
I'm going to suggest that we don't need to know. Not knowing how a TV works doesn't keep me from turning one on and watching shows. Not knowing how plants grow doesn't keep me from planting a garden. Not knowing how prayer works doesn't keep us from praying and getting good benefit from our prayers.
Let's put a pin in that for a minute and look at the second thing James tells us in closing- keep each other in the truth. I suspect that James would label “truth" those things he's told people in his letter. Truth is the way James understands what God is up to in the world and how people participate in this God-work. I hear that as "stick with the community" and hang in there together. Don't make trouble for each other.
These two bits of advice here at the end of the letter, say to me, "Take care of one another." Build up the community for the benefit of everyone. That’s pretty good advice. How do we put it into practice in our time? How did people put it into practice in James' time?
First, they gathered. They came together. We gather on Sunday (and welcome people who listen in online) because it helps to be connected to each other. If you have to stay home and listen to church on the radio, it's good that's an option, but it's better to be together. To see friends. To wave or shake hands and talk with one another.
When they gathered, they ate. They feasted in fact. Today we are going to feast. If you're listening online and live nearby, come on over after worship. There’s plenty for everyone. Their feasts too k time. They told stories about their week. They told jokes and laughed. They lived in hard times, but that didn't keep them from enjoying life together. We live in what may become hard times. We need to help each other keep our sense of humor and hope, and we do that by being together.
They prayed for each other. We pray every Sunday in gratitude for things that are going well and for help for people and situations that are in trouble. Is prayer magic? Does God intervene in the world in unpredictable ways? I don't think so. But I do believe that all of life is interconnected and that the positive energy we create as we pray is effective in bringing good. I also believe that when we pray for someone or something, we're more likely to do helpful things to make a difference. Prayer opens us up to finding ways to change the world. Prayer reminds us that a friend needs a phone call or a hotdish. Prayer connects us to each other in important ways.
James' friends were followers of Jesus and so are we. What does that mean? I think it means we try to see the world like Jesus saw it. Jesus had a God-sized vision of the world where everyone was loved, and everyone loved folks back. We see the world through a love that values each person and wants the best for everyone. We talked about making a commitment to one another that we would approach this time with the eyes of love, and that's an important way we follow Jesus.
With that vision, Jesus taught people to take care of each other. For him, that meant sharing clothing, shelter and food. It meant accepting those the village cast aside. It meant welcoming the stranger. In my mind, Jesus asked us to form strong, loving communities to take care of one another. We can do that when it's easy, and over the ages folks have done that when it's hard. No matter what, we're in this life together and we can cheer each other on.
At our Justice conversation this week we read an article about Bernice Johnson Reagon, a founder of the singing group Sweet Honey in the Rock. She spoke of how Gospel songs like "We Shall Overcome" started out as "I Shall Overcome." Over time they became collective, not individual, because when you're working for justice and peace, a Jesus-shaped vision, you can't do it alone. A movement has to be "we" because sometimes " I" need a break. Everybody needs to take a rest and pass the work to someone else for a while. But the movement continues, and we move forward together.
Living in community is hard. There are always moments of irritation or disagreement or wrestling over the best menu. But Jesus taught us that it's essential. Faith isn't about me getting saved, it's about us creating the reign of God right here, right now, so everyone can see it. It's a group effort. Everyone is essential and we can all take care of each other.
So, in the days ahead, speak up about what you need. Tell us when you are sad or angry. Tell us what you're worried about, who you're worried about. Don't be shy when you have a good idea. We're creating the presence of God in this time and place, and God is going to add a whole lot of energy and power and hope to that process. To quote a friend,