Daily Scripture: James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but has no actions to prove it? Is such “faith” able to save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food, 16 and someone says to him, “Shalom! Keep warm and eat hearty!” without giving him what he needs, what good does it do? 17 Thus, faith by itself, unaccompanied by actions, is dead.
Reflection Questions:
We've seen that James called his readers to be doers of the word, not just hearers. He challenged the human tendency to show favoritism toward the wealthy. This was not just economics, he insisted, but a matter of faith. And true faith, James said, shows itself in action. James' strong words form the foundation for Resurrection's work to lift up others, in Malawi, in specific disaster areas, or in our inner city partner schools.
- James vividly pointed out the flaw in thinking that genuine faith could ever be limited to kindly thoughts. "Imagine a brother or sister who is naked and never has enough food to eat. What if one of you said, ‘Go in peace! Stay warm! Have a nice meal!'? What good is it if you don't actually give them what their body needs?" Whose example most strongly drew you to a faith that includes your heart and your hands as well as your head?
- James didn't say we need a good "balance" between faith and works, a 50-50 mix of the two. We need 100% of both. Our works of compassion and generosity need to grow out of our faith, as a grateful response to God's generosity to us. What are some of the actions, the works, which you have seen grow in your life as you have responded to God's grace?
Loving Lord, you accept me as your child, and you daily reshape the way I live as I respond to your love. Let my works always find their source in you, and bring you glory. Amen.Insight from Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.
This past weekend Doris & I took the boys, as part of their Christmas present, to an Oklahoma City Thunder basketball game. On the way home, we toured the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri. Established in 1943, it was the first National Park designated to honor an African-American.
George Washington Carver, as the boys quickly picked up on, was famous for his study of the peanut, creating 105 recipes & developing 100 different by-products. This naturally spurred some fun from our “peanut gallery” in the back seat like, “Will it take long to get there or will we be there in a Jif?” & “Do you know where peanuts by their gas? At a Shell station. Chortle, Chortle.”
Um, perhaps there is more to Carver’s story that can help us better understand the challenge presented in today’s excerpt from James’ epistle.
George Washington was born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri around 1864. When George was an infant, Quantrill’s raiders raided his home, killed his mother, & kidnapped George. Susan Carver, wife of the Washington’s master, was so upset she sent her husband, Moses, to try to save young George. Moses met up with Quantrill’s gang at a dark crossroad at midnight & traded his horse for George, who was thrown at him in a burlap bag. Moses held George next to his skin under his coat to keep him warm as he walked home. The Carvers would later adopt George & his brother, James, & raise the brothers as their own children.
George Washington Carver’s (GWC herein to prevent carpal tunnel) life is renowned for his devotion to learning about nature, his faith in God, & his love for his fellow man.
GWC rose every morning at 4:00 to spend time in nature. As he wrote, “Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.” He used this time with nature to commune with God saying, “I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.”
GWC’s teaching methods & research at the Tuskegee Institute brought him to national prominence, yet GWC didn’t revel in this fame or try to profit financially. His focus remained on serving his fellow man. He eagerly shared his knowledge saying, “If I know the answer you can have it for the price of a postage stamp. The Lord charges me nothing for knowledge, and I will charge you the same.” He wanted his work to benefit those in need, writing, “The primary idea in all of my work was to help the farmer & fill the poor man’s empty dinner pail. My idea was to help the “man furthest down,” this is why I have made every process as simple as I could to put it within his reach.”
Finally, he viewed a life of service as being the ultimate goal of every person’s life. “No individual has any right to come into the world & go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it….Selfishness & self are at the bottom of a lot of troubles in the world. So many people fail to realize that serving God & one’s fellow man are the only worthwhile things in life. It is service that counts.”
GWC’s tombstone has these words: “He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness & honor in being helpful to the world.”
This past weekend Doris & I took the boys, as part of their Christmas present, to an Oklahoma City Thunder basketball game. On the way home, we toured the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri. Established in 1943, it was the first National Park designated to honor an African-American.
George Washington Carver, as the boys quickly picked up on, was famous for his study of the peanut, creating 105 recipes & developing 100 different by-products. This naturally spurred some fun from our “peanut gallery” in the back seat like, “Will it take long to get there or will we be there in a Jif?” & “Do you know where peanuts by their gas? At a Shell station. Chortle, Chortle.”
Um, perhaps there is more to Carver’s story that can help us better understand the challenge presented in today’s excerpt from James’ epistle.
George Washington was born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri around 1864. When George was an infant, Quantrill’s raiders raided his home, killed his mother, & kidnapped George. Susan Carver, wife of the Washington’s master, was so upset she sent her husband, Moses, to try to save young George. Moses met up with Quantrill’s gang at a dark crossroad at midnight & traded his horse for George, who was thrown at him in a burlap bag. Moses held George next to his skin under his coat to keep him warm as he walked home. The Carvers would later adopt George & his brother, James, & raise the brothers as their own children.
George Washington Carver’s (GWC herein to prevent carpal tunnel) life is renowned for his devotion to learning about nature, his faith in God, & his love for his fellow man.
GWC rose every morning at 4:00 to spend time in nature. As he wrote, “Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.” He used this time with nature to commune with God saying, “I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.”
GWC’s teaching methods & research at the Tuskegee Institute brought him to national prominence, yet GWC didn’t revel in this fame or try to profit financially. His focus remained on serving his fellow man. He eagerly shared his knowledge saying, “If I know the answer you can have it for the price of a postage stamp. The Lord charges me nothing for knowledge, and I will charge you the same.” He wanted his work to benefit those in need, writing, “The primary idea in all of my work was to help the farmer & fill the poor man’s empty dinner pail. My idea was to help the “man furthest down,” this is why I have made every process as simple as I could to put it within his reach.”
Finally, he viewed a life of service as being the ultimate goal of every person’s life. “No individual has any right to come into the world & go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it….Selfishness & self are at the bottom of a lot of troubles in the world. So many people fail to realize that serving God & one’s fellow man are the only worthwhile things in life. It is service that counts.”
GWC’s tombstone has these words: “He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness & honor in being helpful to the world.”
Me: So boys, what did you think?
Boys: Pretty cool stuff. That was neat.
Me: (Smugly winking at Doris.)
Boys: “Hey do you know why peanuts on a flight are so nice? Why? They are complimentary! Chuckle, chuckle. Say, are you a peanut? No, cashew. Gesundheit!
Me: (Sigh.)
Church of the Resurrection
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
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