James 5:1-12
We are just one week away from the last sermon (for a while) on the letter labeled James. Today we have a laundry-list of four topics James want to remind us about. Let’s take them in order.
First James berates the rich. They have so many possessions they can’t even take care of them all while thousands of people face despair and starvation. Jesus did the same, often chastising those with means who took advantage of the poor.
We just had an election where grocery prices were a big issue. It’s expensive to eat. But most farmers aren’t getting rich. In 2022 the USDA tells us farmers/growers received 14.9 cents of every dollar spent on food (and spend 7.9 cents on their own costs, which includes the wages of farm workers). Processors, wholesalers, retailers, all take a chunk. Food service gets the biggest bite – which means more food dollars go to eating out than to grocery stores in our country, an amount that would include food prepared at universities and in hospitals and nursing homes. I looked this up because I thought it would tell us someone was getting rich from our need to eat, but it just told me that food is very complicated. It doesn’t take Robert F. Kennedy Jr to tell us that lots of folks aren’t eating very well for all the money we spend. Or we could point out that for all the funds put into rent, there’s a lot of folks unhoused. For all the funds going to health care, there are too many going without. We can believe in the benefits of a capitalistic system without signing on to the belief that rich folks should have unlimited ability to get richer. Jesus, the prophets before him, James and the first century church all preached that people deserved to be fed, clothed, housed, and made well. Everyone does better when everyone does better. When Jesus said, “The poor you have with you always, he wasn’t endorsing poverty. He was citing reality. Then he fed people and taught his followers how to form communities where no one was left out. Now that Elon Musk is in charge of the world, I’m pretty sure Jesus has some suggestions for how he spends his time and wealth. I’m not thinking Elon is interested. But we sure are. We have our work cut out for us standing up for those who don’t have the power to stand up for themselves, and inviting them to join us.
Second, James encourages us to be patient. He connects patience and endurance in the face of hardship. We don’t have to go looking for hardship these days; there’s about to be plenty to go around. Enough that we don’t need to make up extra by worrying about what hasn’t happened yet. But like our ancestors, we need to be watchful. We need to be ready when our neighbors are about to be harmed. The ACLU is making plans. The teachers’ unions and labor unions are making plans. We can watch for what part of protecting the vulnerable comes to us, and then we can make plans. Or we can support those who are in position to have the best effect. Marsha from the Connections group said that in the week after the election, she added $5 to several of her monthly gifts to people who are watching out for others. Not a bad plan. James would approve.
James would also approve of our commitment to love which we made 2 weeks ago. It’s still in effect. There are lots of reasons to be angry and divisive, but we’re going to act with love. Tough love. Tomorrow I’m going to begin calling Senators’ offices to remind them how smart they are about what makes cabinet officers qualified. We’ll have lots of reminding to do in the next weeks because we deserve qualified public servants, not folks looking for wealth and retribution. We can do it with love, and the expectation that we’ll be heard.
Finally, James tells us not to swear. I have just spent the weekend with half of my grandchildren, one of whom is getting frequent flyer miles on words his grandmother has never once spoken and hopes to never speak. That’s not the kind of swearing James is talking about. James is talking about promises you make and don’t intend to keep. Campaign promises, perhaps. Empty promises, for sure. This isn’t a time for promises without substance. This is a time when we need to keep faith with one another. We need to be able to trust each other. When we say we’re paying attention to what’s happening, we need to really be paying attention. When we say we’ll contribute, we need to do it. When we say we’ll show up and stand up for one another, we need to follow through. Those are promises we can make and keep if we help each other do it. No one can do it all. Everyone needs a break from time to time. This is a tag team project and we all need to be on the team.
James doesn’t say, “remember to laugh,” but I’m saying it. Remember to take a break. Rachel Maddow says, “Close the refrigerator and hydrate.” Mr. Rogers says, “Look for the helpers.” We need to do all of those good things to keep ourselves strong.
Two thousand years ago the followers of Jesus faced hard times. They stuck together and they made it through. So far, our times don’t come close to the hardships they faced. If we stick together, we will more than make it through. We aren’t doing this just to be self-righteous or to look like the good guys. We’re doing it to show what God’s way of life looks like when we live with love and joy. Which means, God is in the thick of it and we aren’t alone. We can do it and we will. Together!