The Message, September 1, 2024: "Be Doers (2024)" James 1:17-27

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
September 03, 2024

 

“Be Doers”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
James 1:17-27

[As I was preparing for this week’s message, I looked in my sermon file on my computer and realized that I preached on this same passage of scripture three years ago this weekend. As it turns out, I also gave the message the exact same name … “Be Doers.” However, the world is a very different place today than it was three years ago. Three years ago, I offered this message in an empty sanctuary! So, this is not a recycled or refreshed version of a message from three years ago. This is a message for today.]

            Three years ago, we were closed. I often rattled around the church alone. Even though we are still dealing with the reality of a COVID world, our doors are open. But as you well know, our lives are very different.

            Three events occurred this week, and they all happened on the very same day. On Wednesday, a gentleman stopped into the church looking for a pair of shoes. Someone had told him that he could get a pair of shoes here. I told him that he could look through the shoes that we had and was welcome to take any pair that would work for him. He asked me if I was the pastor, and when I said that I was, he asked me if I had a couple of minutes to talk.

            He told me that he was fifty-nine years old and from the Los Angelos, California area. He also told me that he is not homeless, he is “on the road.” He was not looking for a hand-out, or money, just a pair of shoes. He then began talking to me about the way that people treat him. He said, “They treat me with such disrespect.”

            He shared that just the day before, he had been asked to leave a restaurant. Apparently, they thought that he was ‘undesirable.’ He told me that he makes a little money doing odd jobs here and there, and that he never goes into a restaurant unless he is able to pay his tab and leave a tip. But his clothes were a little dirty and so they asked him to leave.

            That same morning there was an incident on the bridge between Saco and Biddeford. From what I can gather, someone got into an argument with one of the unhoused in that area and threw their belongings into the river. A witness reported that a person had been pushed off of the bridge, so there was a very large police and rescue response. Thankfully, no one was thrown into the river. But someone’s clothing and food had been.

            And, on that very same morning, we had another individual come into the church. She asked me if she could hang a flyer on our community bulletin board. She represents an agency that provides services and resources to individuals struggling with substance abuse and addiction. She said that they do so without judgement and without making them jump through a hundred hoops or forcing them to navigate a sea of red tape. She also said that this work was personal and important to her since she is a recovering addict herself.

            I told her that she was more than welcome to hang up a flyer on our bulletin board. Then we exchanged contact information so that we can work together in that mission.

            As I reflected on these three events that all occurred on the same day last week, my mind went to Jesus’ parable that we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan. When an expert in the law asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus responded by saying: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

            Then the expert asked the follow-up question, “And who is my neighbor?”

            We know how the story goes. A man was on the road to Jericho. He was attacked, beaten, robbed, and left for dead. A priest came by, saw the man … and walked on by. A Levite came along, saw the man … and walked on by. Then a Samaritan came by, saw the man in distress … and rendered assistance.

            And Jesus asked the expert in the Law, “which one of them was ‘the neighbor’ to the man that had been attacked?”

            And as we know, the expert replied, “The one who showed the man mercy.”

            To which Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.” Go and DO … likewise.

            In the events of this past Wednesday that I shared, who was the neighbor? Was it the restaurant worker who asked the man with dirty clothes to leave? Was it the person that threw the unhoused individual’s belongings into the river? Or was it the person offering support and resources to other people struggling with substance abuse?

            I am not an expert in the Law, but I think that the answer to the question is obvious. The one who showed mercy. To which Jesus would say to us, “Go and do likewise.” Go and DO.

            The Letter of James that we are looking at this morning is an interesting piece of scripture. It was not written to a specific group or church. It was addressed to the “Twelve Tribes scattered among the nations.” It is sometimes referred to as the “Epistle of Straw,” as if it is something without strength or merit; something that could simply be cast into the furnace. But some scholars point out that straw was added to the manufacture of bricks to make the bricks stronger.

            James has some pretty good credentials. As one the of the bothers of Jesus, James has an authority of his own. His letter was not crafted as an elaborate theological treatise filled with lots of scholarly language. Instead, James is very direct using simple, easy to understand language, images and metaphors.

            God is the Father of Lights. God is the Author of Creation. God gave us Light and Life. God is steadfast and true. God is the Giver of all good gifts.

            God is the Giver of the Word of Truth. There is no being greater than God. Therefore, there is not truth greater than God’s Word of Truth. God gave us physical life. The Word of Truth gives our spirits life.

            And God’s Word of Truth offers us fulfillment and freedom. Living according to God’s Word of Truth … God’s Law … allows us to fulfill that which we are created to be. It fulfills our purpose as we realize our God-given destiny.

            And here is where the rubber hits the road … how are we to do that? By being doers. By being followers of God’s Word of Truth. Essentially … do the things that Jesus told us to do. Hear … then do. Learn … then DO.

            All of that money that I spent on my seminary degree, and I could have just read the Letter of James. Hear and do.

            Everything that we hear in this sanctuary, in this worship service, should speak to that God seed that is planted within us. Everything that we hear in our team meetings should speak to that God seed, as well. That seed should be watered and fed and then it should bring forth fruit. We hear the Word, we sing the Word, we discuss the Word, but if the Word is to offer light and life to the world, we must DO the Word.

            When the individual with the dirty clothes comes into our restaurant, we welcome them. We offer them respect and dignity.

            When we are in disagreement with someone, we bridle our anger. We listen, we open our minds and we learn.

            Some translations say that we accept the Word of Truth with humility. The original word is “gentleness,” but there is no exact English word that translates from the original. It means an absence of anger. It means that our emotions are in perfect balance or control. It refers to serenity and a teachable spirit. It refers to a spirit that is open to hearing and learning the truth, even if it is difficult to hear. It refers to a spirit that is not blinded by prejudice. “Gentleness” is control of anything which would be a hindrance to hearing, learning and obeying the Word of God, the Word of Truth.

            How do we live as God intends for us to live? How do we fulfill our God-intended purpose?

            We hear. We listen gently. We learn gently. Then we do.

            We love. We care and we share. We DO the things that others may not be willing to do. We welcome those whom others might not be willing to welcome.
            We care for those for whom Jesus cared.
            We welcome those whom Jesus welcomed.
            We love as Jesus loved.

            How are we to live? We hear … we learn … and then we DO. Amen.

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