September 29, 2024 ~ 19th Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Beckie Sweet
I have always loved preaching on the book of James. This book is supposed to be a letter from a caring and correcting pastor named James. But truthfully, James’ letter is really an exceptionally long sermon on practical Christian living. Although this is our fifth Sunday focusing on James’ writings, we have covered less than half of the book! As we have shared previously, James was going about the task of confronting, diagnosing, and dealing with areas of misbelief and misbehavior that had turned up in congregations committed to his care. In offering remedies based on Christian teachings, deep and living wisdom is offered here, wisdom both rare and essential. James is able to recognize the foibles of the human condition and give a faith-filled prescription to make corrections.
You might remember that early this month I had mentioned that James carried the nickname, “Old Camel Knees.” He was known for the calluses built up on his knees from many years of determined prayer time spent on those knees. Prayer was a fundamental part of James’ life and faith, and always foundational to the wisdom he was able to offer to others.
In our text for this morning from the fifth chapter, James is talking about those who are suffering, those who are sick, and those who are sinning. ‘Sort of a cross-section of a typical congregation: the suffering, the sick, and the sinful. James gives one prescription for all of them: PRAYER. If you are suffering, he says, pray. If there are sick among you, pray for them. If there is someone among you who has sinned, and they confess their sin, then pray for them.
If you take James seriously, prayer is what the Church ought to be spending its time doing. Every gathering, program, mission, outreach event, fellowship gathering, rehearsal; everything that the church is and does should be bathed with prayer.
Think for a moment about those people that we consider to be the saints of the church, those who have had a strong spiritual influence on us. Why are we drawn to them? I know such people. You know them, too. There is something about their life, its depth and quality, an inner peace; an ability to accept all the seasons of life; the love and compassion that go out to so many others. That “something” about them is an active prayer life, manifesting itself through a constant connection with their Creator, an “in-love” relationship with their Savior, and an openness to the shifting winds of the Spirit.
It was over a quarter century ago now that we first heard of the death of Mother Teresa, and yet we still lift her up when we speak of those whose devotion to a life of prayer changed the course of history for so many. Most have heard the amazing stories about her sacrificial service to the most abject and pitiful creatures on earth, the poor and the dying in the slums of Calcutta, India. How could she serve in those conditions day after day for so long? Most look upon misery and run away from it. She looked upon misery and moved in. How could she do that. The answer is PRAYER. As a nun she devoted herself to a life of prayer. What prayer did was to empty or cleanse her life of all that was a distraction, all that was superfluous, all that was debilitating; and that life of prayer filled Mother Teresa with a transcendent power. So, what the world saw in this small, fragile, frail woman was an apparently inexhaustible and inexplicable power to love. She loved day in and day out, year after year, and through her love made an indelible mark on this world.
James says the Church ought to be characterized by prayer, because we know what will happen if and when we pray. Prayer will change us, and effect change in our interaction with others. So maybe John Donne had it right when he said, “No person is an island. We are all part of the main. What you do affects me, and what I do affects you. So, pray for me, please. And I will pray for you. And we will look forward to sharing God’s future together.”
There is a story about a young pastor visiting a very old and very sick woman in the hospital. At the conclusion of the visit, he asked her, “Is there anything special that you would like me to pray for?” With all the strength that she had left, she said, “Of course. I want you to pray for me to be healed.” Now he was an educated pastor, with two advanced degrees. He knew how to pray an intellectually acceptable prayer. So, his prayer went like this. “Lord, if it be thy will, we pray that this sick sister might be healed. On the other hand, if it not be thy will, we pray that she might be given a positive attitude and a willingness to accept her situation. Amen.”
As soon as he finished the prayer, the woman opened her eyes, threw back the covers, put her feet over the side of the bed, stood up, and said, “I’m well! I’m well!” She bounded out the door of the room, went down the corridor of the hospital, dancing, and saying, “Look at me! I’m well! I’m healed!” Dumbfounded by this, the young pastor left the room, went to the parking garage, stood by his car for a moment, looked up to heaven, and said, “Don’t you ever do that to me again!”
According to James, the Church ought to be praying. There are two reasons. First because we know what will happen. If we pray, we’ll change. We’ll be renewed. And secondly and conversely, we ought to pray because we have no idea at all what will happen until we tune in with God’s will for our lives and the lives of others. In our UM tradition, we are reminded that healing is not magic. It does not replace medicine or psychotherapy. It is not the same as curing. It is a mystery. It is relational: the relation of mind, body, and spirit. Our relationship to each other. Our relationship with God. Because authentic healing is the work of Christ, who is the Great Physician.
Eugene Peterson paraphrases a couple of James’ verses saying: Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven~healed inside and out.
Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed and free. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with!