Once more, we’ll end the week by swinging over to the epistle reading and see what James has to say to us this Sunday. As usual, he does not mince words, stressing the “social action” aspects of being a Christ-follower, not merely the spiritual. In fact, he says faith with no visible outcome in ministries toward the poor and marginalized is worth little:
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
He has been lambasting his readers for their tendency to favor the wealthy and well-put-together over the poor and raggedy, reminding them that the troubles they’ve faced have come from those with wealth, not from the poor. He is saying their solidarity should be with the economically challenged – a message many Christians could stand to ingest today, as we watch the wealth gap grow ever wider. Close to 40% of our nation’s wealth is now held by the richest 1 % of its citizens, most of whom pass it along to their relatives. It is estimated that the bottom 90% of Americans hold almost 75% of all debt. That translates into an ever increasing number of people and families in need. (More tax relief for the wealthy, anyone? How about that opioid crisis?)
James exhorts us to follow the “royal law,” and love your neighbor as yourself. He says that those who show partiality to the well-off are breaking God's law, and if you’ve broken one law, you may as well have broken them all. This tracks with Jesus’ teaching on justice and generosity and money.
But James’ intent is not to generate guilt. He wants to get us moving. “Faith without works is dead.” He says it does no good to lament poverty, or hope the hungry can find a meal, and not do something to provide one. James wants those who call themselves Christ-followers to actually follow Christ’s example, and teaching, and self-giving.
Of course, there is always the “how.” In a world of such tremendous need, where do we start? That questions is enough to paralyze some. But this world of tremendous need is also a world of tremendous resources. We control some resources, we have access to others, and we have the power of persuasion and creativity to create pathways for others to share what they have. We don't have to meet every need; we can also help transform structures to eliminate the need.
The “how” will always be particular. What is universal, and non-negotiable, is that we be active in seeking justice and equity. God took on human flesh in Christ to redeem the world; God still takes on human flesh – ours – to bring to fullness that work. We may have our hearts in the heavens, but we need to put our flesh on the line, our skin in the game, if we truly want to consider ourselves followers of the penniless King, our savior Jesus Christ. And he said, "Feed my sheep."
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