Last week’s quiet time had me in James 2:14-26, a famous passage on faith and works that I preached many times over the years. I have come to a sobering conclusion: I preached it wrong. Not exegetically or theologically wrong, at least as far as I can tell. Instead, my mistake was one of emphasis and application. I spent almost all of my time trying to prove that our church’s theological interpretation of the passage was right contrary to the interpretation of other Christian denominations. But why? James clearly cared far more about the obvious application of the passage: that followers of Christ should constantly do good deeds, especially caring for the poor and vulnerable! All Christians can agree with that application even if we’re divided over the theological details. I missed the forest (the clear application) for the trees (the contemporary theological debate). Notice James’ primary application in the passage: “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” As he does throughout the book, he points us to our care of the poor. Here it is poor Christians. In other passages, it’s the poor and vulnerable regardless of religious affiliation (e.g. widows and orphans generally at the end of chapter 1). His point is that believers are COMMANDED to give sacrificially to alleviate poverty within the global church, at a minimum, and throughout society as a whole, where possible.
But here’s the rub. Many of us, myself included, have built such an isolating middle-and-upper-class existence that we never have unclothed, starving Christians knocking at our doors asking for help! That was a common occurrence in James’ day. It’s not in ours. We can read James 2:14-26 and feel no conviction because our modern lifestyle has so effectively distanced us from believers in desperate need. But the need is still here, all around us! We’ve simply built a lifestyle that is, metaphorically speaking, a “gated community” that protects middle-and-upper-class families from regularly seeing or interacting with the desperately poor, including the poor who are our brothers and sisters in Christ in BCS. This is a troubling reality.
Enter client 109, a single mom names Kaddie. She loves the Lord and attends Skybreak church. She’s got 3 young children and is pregnant with her fourth. She realized she needed help and a new path forward, and found that through her advocate, Elizabeth House Maternity Home. According to Wendy at EHMH, Kaddie’s greatest strength is her ability to ask for help and her determination to learn a better way to live. As they help her craft a beautiful future for her and her kids, they identified lack of sufficient transportation as a major barrier that could trap her family in poverty. Kaddie had worked and saved up to purchase her current car for cash two years ago, but it needed significant repairs and, even if it was working, was no longer big enough to transport her whole family. She’s currently working and saving and even taking a financial management class, but there’s simply not enough money left over from her waitress job at the end of the month to afford a better vehicle on top of her bills. So EHMH nominated her to OnRamp and we joyfully donated this dependable, low mileage Toyota Sienna to her and her kids two weeks ago.
Kaddie is a reminder to all of us that James 2:14-26 is still in play! There are still fellow believers right here in BCS who need a hand up in life. They no longer come knocking on our doors, so it is our responsibility to seek them out and share God’s love with them. Whether through OnRamp or one of the other amazing charities in town, please get involved sacrificially and faithfully to care for those less fortunate. That’s James’ point. May we all obey.
Huge thanks to Mary, Cassidy, and Taylor for leading Kaddie’s case. Thanks to Joe for finding the van for us and CBA for repairing it. Props to my kids and their friend Joshua for helping me clean the van for its new owner!
