James 2:14-26
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How many of you have ever had your fuel light on the dashboard come on? Itâs happened to all of us at some point, right? Sometimes, I like to let mine come on just to be sure itâs working, so that Iâll know itâs there for me when I really need it.
So what do you do when the light comes on? You get gas, right? Nobody looks at it and disregards it, figuring that itâs not important. If you want to keep driving, you get gas.
I once had the misfortune of being on a road trip with a guy who basically ignored the light. I was sitting in the backseat and saw the light come on, and it didnât seem to make much of a difference. We kept driving and driving⦠I didnât want to say anything, since it was hard to miss. Pretty soon, the car ran out of gas. No big surprise to me, but the first thing he said was, âIt usually stays on much longer.â I thought about pointing out that it had been on for the previous 60 miles, but that felt like rubbing salt in the wound. Next thing we knew, we were riding along in a semi.
When the light comes on, we get gas. In other words, we believe what the light is telling us, and it affects our actions. This little marvel of engineering has the power to shape the way we behave. Youâd be considered a fool if you ignored the light, or if you believed the light but didnât actually do anything about it. No one would ride in the car with you, at least.
What Iâm saying is that your belief in your fuel light shapes your actions. Other beliefs shape actions, too. If you believe the lady in front of you in the grocery store checkout line has a coupon binder, youâre going to find another checkout line. If you believe the expiration date on your gallon of milk, youâre going to throw it away rather than take a chance. If you believe that your call really is important to that company, youâre going to hold on the line.
If all of these beliefs shape our actions, and they do, then shouldnât our belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the universe shape how we live and interact? Shouldnât our faith in Christ shape the way we live? If we truly believe that Christ died on the cross out of love for us, atoning for our sins, and then rose from the dead to demonstrate his Lordship, then shouldnât that belief shape the rest of our lives? If the fuel light in our car has the power to affect us, how much more should our faith in Christ shape our lives?
This past week, we read about a life of ministry. I think weâve allowed the word to evolve over time to where it doesnât quite mean what it could or should. When we use the word ministry in the 21st century, itâs easy to let it simply refer to the minister. The minister does ministry. Period. The problem is that this doesnât accurately capture the essence of the call of the Body of Christ. The minister isnât called to go out and do ministry on his or her own. The church is called to active ministry, which means that each and every person in the church is also called to a life of active ministry.
Wondering how youâll have time for a life of ministry in light of everything else you have on your plate?
Ministry isnât setting aside time in the midst of your busy schedule to go save the world. Ministry is allowing your faith in Jesus Christ to shape the way that you live and move and have your being. Ministry is letting your belief change the way you live. Ministry is about letting faith guide you on more than just Sunday morning.
See, whatâs so tempting is to come to church on Sunday morning and believe your heart out, then leave this place and let the busy-ness of life overwhelm you. Once that happens, itâs pretty easy to get so distracted that you forget about letting faith shape and guide you. Youâre probably just trying to make it through the day, through the week, and so you donât really spend time reflecting on faith until youâre in the car on the way back to church the next Sunday morning. Itâs an easy pattern to fall into, and one I suspect many Americans live out each and every week. Perhaps they even assume the minister is taking care of the ministering during the week.
But the church isnât supposed to work like that. The church is called to be a very flat organization, one with Christ at the head and everyone else hard at work, busy proclaiming the Kingdom of God in Word and deed. Weâre call called to be ministers, busy with the stuff of ministering in the midst of our working and parenting and socializing. Weâre called to share this life with one another, and we minister to one another as we go along. We minister, we serve, we show the love of Jesus Christ.
Today is a holiday in the church. Today is the day of Pentecost, a day where we celebrate the Holy Spirit going forth into the world. The church grew rapidly that first Pentecost, adding thousands of believers, and each one had a role to play. Each and every one of them was baptized into a new life in Christ that day, but there was still much for them to do. Pentecost wasnât the end of something, but it was the beginning. Their belief in Christ was now beginning to shape the rest of their lives. If all they had done was be baptized and then be done with it, the church would have looked very, very different.
In our reading from James, this is the distinction being discussed. It doesnât make any sense if someone claims to have faith and yet doesnât allow that faith to shape the rest of their lives. Thatâs not real faithâitâs a fantasy, or an insurance policy, but itâs not faith thatâs alive. The Holy Spirit doesnât call us to affirm Christ as Lord and then go about our business as though that belief doesnât matter. Weâre called to affirm Christ as Lord and then let that belief change the way we interact with one another.
Think of a phrase that is often usedââtake careâ. We say this to one another upon parting, but what does it really mean to take care? Are we taking care of one another? Are we truly caring for the world, for the least of these and for one another? Do we care the way Jesus did, the caring that valued interruptions and was willing to go to any expense to demonstrate the love of God? Do we care like that? Or do we let the words pass our lips without ever making it to our hearts?
Friends, you leave this sanctuary today and go out into the world. You do so as ministers, as baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ. If you truly believe that Christ died for sin and calls us to live in reflection of Godâs gracious love, may that belief shape the way you live, the way you speak the way you work. May it shape all you to, for the glory of God.
Let us pray