Revival: Works of Mercy. James 2: 14-18

We are now in the final week of our sermon series focused on revival. We have talked about how different people experience revival in their faith lives in different ways. We have focused on the role of God’s grace in the midst of revival. Today as we end our time together, I want to hone in on what we do once we experience revival in our lives. 

Wesley deeply believed that how we live our our faith lives matters. In fact, Wesley even had a phrase that he used to describe this active, living faith - “works of mercy.” Works of Mercy were intentional acts of care and assistance for those who need God’s help. 

James also understood the necessity of works of mercy in the Christian life. Earlier this year we studied James in our parish Bible studies and discovered that some Christian leaders, chiefly Martin Luther, weren’t big fans of the book of James because they felt that it focused too much on our own works of faith. As a result it has been misinterpreted over the years to be bearing the message that we can be saved by our works - but that in fact isn’t the message of James at all. Instead of saying that we are saved by what we do, James is trying to get across the point that we are saved from sin and death for something - for righteousness. For holiness. For works of mercy. 

James’s message is just as pertinent to the church today. Sometimes we can get caught in the trap of thinking that the entire goal of being a Christian is being born a new. But then we stop. I have often said that I find it much easier to be in conversation about Jesus with folks who do not yet know his love and saving grace then those who say that they know Jesus, but don’t act like it. Then those who say that it is all about them and Jesus and then they stop. When we get caught in the trap of just worrying about whether we are saved instead of asking what we are saved for - which is service to our Heavenly King - then we only have half of the story of being Christian.

Now am I saying that a personal relationship with Jesus isn’t necessary - not in the slightest. Nor am I trying to say that accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior isn’t absolutely vital - because it is. But what I am trying to get across is the fact that being saved isn’t just about getting to Heaven some day. It’s also about making God’s Kingdom known on this earth here and now. We aren’t just saved for the future when we die, we are saved for the sake of the world we live in now. And Wesley would claim that anything less is spiritual narcissism - being solely focused on one’s self to the point where it is absolutely detrimental to your faith life. 

We see this type of self-focus in the book of James. Remember, authors didn’t take time to write letters about things that were not already problems in the communities that they were addressing. In this particular community, which is actually Jews who have come to known Jesus spread across different geographic regions, James has heard that there has been a problem with how people are treated. Some people, based on their status, wealth, and appearance, are being treated better than others. They get the best seats in gatherings. They get the best food. So James is trying to emphasize that unequal treatment - lifting up some based on their status - that isn’t what this whole Christian thing is about. In fact, what it is about isn’t about being served, but rather serving others. 

Which leads him to ask the famous question posed in today’s scripture passage -  What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Then he goes on to give a haunting example (that I have personally witnessed more than a few folks do in today's world). Someone needs clothes or food or something to sustain their very life. But instead of offering to help in any way - you look at them and say “I’ll be praying for you.” Friends, even if you mean that you truly will be praying for that person, prayer was never meant to be a blow off. Or an excuse not to reach out to someone in need. Should we pray for the folks we serve - absolutely! But James reminds us that faith without action is dead.

Rev. Adam Hamilton states that is exactly where some of our churches are headed today. When the church stops serving - stops reaching out to the least and the last and the lost - exactly the people we are called to be ministering to in Jesus’s name - the church starts to die. 

For Wesley, works of mercy were in no way separate from the teaching about God’s grace that could free people from sin or God’s love. We’ve bought into this destructive lie today that some churches teach about Jesus and some serve Jesus. No! No! No! James reminds us that we do both - we serve because of our faith and in our service we are give profound opportunities to teach about the love of a Savior. Our faith on these points is not either/ or, its both/ and. 

Wesley experienced the power, love, and joy of the Lord in works of mercy when he was invited by a friend to come and serve at Castle Prison, where he taught Bible study and offered prayer, often several times a week. Because our God is gracious and good, often works of mercy aren’t just about the person who is receiving them, but for the giver as well. Think about your own life - how did you feel when you served in the Lord’s name? I know for me, some of the times I felt most deeply connected to God were when I was serving. Time when I was able to engage in works of mercy. In fact, it is one of the many things that I treasure about the United Methodist Church - an emphasis on sharing our faith through word and action as we serve others.

At my last appointment, we discussed how service has no ability or age limits. One year I took two college-aged women from the congregation to York, PA to do home repair through Servants, Inc. I did not know a single thing about home repair and everything that could go wrong went wrong on that particular trip - but I still had a deep joy in getting to serve folks. Another year, we took a group of retired folks down to Mission Central to sort out items for UMCOR disaster kits. On the way home, we kept talking about how good it felt to serve, even if we never get to connect with the folks who will receive the works of our hands. 

What makes works of mercy so meaningful are the values that ungird it when we serve in Christ’s name. Our service proclaims that we value people. We value lifting up Christ’s name. We value being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. We value loving our neighbor as ourselves. And through service, we are changed! Praise be to God!

Wesley, later in life, took service even further. While he still reached out to individuals, he also worked hard to change society to be a reflection of the Kingdom of God. He spoke out about the injustice of the slave trade, even when many people in the Methodist Society made their living off of the works of slaves. Why? Because Wesley believed that we were saved for good works, as a reflection of our heartfelt gratitude of what Christ has done and is doing in our lives. And that leads to yielding ones entire life to Christ - including what we do and what we say. 

Friends, I have often told folks that the only day we know that we are given is today. And I don’t know about you, but I want to yield my life to Christ this day so that I can strive to bring Christ glory in everything I do. That is a reflection and an overflow of my personal relationship I have with Jesus and thankfulness for the gift of salvation I have received. May we go forth from this place, living into the spiritual revival we have experienced, so that others may come to know the love and freedom of a Savior! Amen!