120927
Irvington
Baptist Church, Irvington VA
When
I sat down to write tonight’s report, it ended up being more of a devotional
thought than an actual ‘REPORT report’, so, let me preface this by letting you know that,
through the generosity of your churches, we were able to provide school
supplies and backpacks to nearly one hundred children this fall, so thank you
for that.
We
continue to do what we’ve been doing all along – the food pantry, the clothes
closet for newborns and babies, getting people to appointments – primarily
pediatric appointments – as well as helping people get to court when that
becomes necessary.
So
… here we go:
12So speak and so
act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For
judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
14What good is it,
my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can
faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily
food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat
your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is
the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
Over the past few weeks we’ve been going through the
letter of James on Sunday mornings at Jerusalem. This passage was part of the
text a couple of weeks ago, from the second chapter.
James makes us uncomfortable because of what would
seem to border on a works-based message of salvation. It sounds like that might be what he is saying, but if we read the text
closely, there is that all-important two letter word: IF. It sets up a
conditional phrase – (is there an English teacher here? Is that the correct
terminology?)
Whether we are ministering to and in a community
made up primarily of Anglos, or African Americans or Latinos – or whatever
ethnicity might be present – this is something central to our identity as
Baptist believers: what we DO comes out
of who we ARE. More specifically, WHOSE we are. Our doing is in response to our
understanding of our being the
recipients of God’s grace.
Doing has nothing to do with ATTAINING salvation. It
has to do with responding in gratitude TO the saving action of God in Christ.
There’s a fundamental inversion of a rule by which
the world operates. You earn what you get. You work for what you achieve. That’s good and well for your general
run-of-the-mill everything.
But it doesn’t apply when it comes to living out our
faith and the REASON we live out our faith. Earlier in the letter, in chapter
two, he writes this:
12So speak and so
act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For
judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
What he is saying is that, when it comes to God’s
action in the world in Jesus Christ, mercy, or love, trumps everything,
including that ‘earning what you get’ rule.
Through your support of this ministry, what the RBA
is allowing to happen is for that to be communicated in real and
concrete ways to the folks who have not been exposed to that – either in their
native culture, or in many instances in their religious tradition. One woman
who is a faithful member of our community, and doesn’t measure much over 4
feet, 3 inches, made the comment
during one of our Bible studies at the beginning of August at Menokin church,
“I didn’t grow up with a joy for the Lord. I never heard the message of the
love that God has for us. THAT is why I so love being a part of this
congregation!”
A final word, a quote from C.S. Lewis, my friend
Randy Creath reminded me of them:
The rule for us all is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering
whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we
find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone,
you will presently come to love him [or her]." - C.S Lewis
This being able to bring the message of grace and
love that God has for us is a precious treasure. Thank you for allowing us to be
the messengers.
Kenny and Leslie and the kids
