Words of Welcome

James 3:13-4:3; 7-8a In times past, we Disciples often spoke of being part of “ The Restoration Movement .” This label has come down to us from Alexander Campbell who wanted to “restore the ancient order of things.” He wanted to restore the church practices of the first century because he believed that things were purer back then. You might call that nostalgia for the past. That’s not surprising, because there’s a human tendency to think that life was better back then than it is now. That’s why we still watch reruns of  Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best, and if you spend any time on Facebook, you’ll discover that, at least among my peers, the 1970s was a golden age. They weren’t for me, but I get it! Church people can indulge in nostalgia as well. It’s easy to look back to the 1950s, when the churches were full and influential, and think that was a golden age for the church. Of course, women would have to step down from being elders and only men would get to preach

Delta Fire - Noah Berger, AP James 3:1-12 Growing up, my mother drilled into me that it was unbecoming of a young man to use “swear words.” I seem to have learned the lesson well. While these words have become commonplace in our culture, they’re not part of my vocabulary. Thanks Mom!  As Brett and I drove across the country, this very topic came up. It seems that we had conveyed a similar message to him. That doesn’t mean any of us are perfect in the way we speak. I might not use “swear words,” but I have said things that are inappropriate and perhaps destructive. So, I too am a sinner!   On that note we return to the Letter of James, which tells us: “If anyone appears to be ‘religious’ but cannot control his tongue, he deceives himself and we may be sure that his religion is useless” ( Jms. 1:26 JB Phillips ). James made that comment as he tried to define religion that is “pure and undefiled before God.” Besides controlling or bridling the tongue, he added caring for wid

James 2:1-10, 14-17 Every once in a while I get asked about the rainbow flag that flies next to our sign. I think most people know what it means, but what they want to know is what it means to us as a congregation. This is the way I answer. I just say that the flag is a sign that  everyone is welcome here and fully included. This includes our sisters and brothers who happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Not everyone is pleased with my answer, of course, but many others see this flag as a sign that we are a people of love and grace and mercy. I thought about these questions as I pondered our reading from James 2. It opens with the question: “do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?” When James wrote this, he was thinking about the divide between rich and poor. But I think we can expand the question a bit.

James 1:17-27 What better time to begin a series of sermons based on the Letter of James than Labor Day Weekend? The reason why I say this is that James is best known for declaring that “faith without works is dead,” and Labor Day is all about honoring those who work.  In case don’t know James, let me introduce you to him, because we’re going to spend time with his letter over the next six weeks. I have to begin with a caveat. You see, like many books of the Bible, we don’t know for sure the identity of the letter’s author. Here’s what we know for sure. In verse 1 of chapter 1, James introduces himself to us as “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” So who is this James, who serves God and Jesus? After all, there are several people in the New Testament named James. There is James the brother of John, and James the Son of Alphaeus, along with a few others. The person who most likely fits the story is James, the Brother of Jesus, or at least someone who wri