by Marcia Mount Shoop
James 2:1-17
“James’ main focus in this book is about how following Jesus should disrupt and erase the social conventions that socialized people to be deferential to the wealthy and to mistreat, exclude and shame those who were financially impoverished. When he talks about partiality, that’s what he is talking about: favoring the financially resources and disadvantaging those without financial resources.
James is speaking to all the Jesus followers of his day–those creating communities of diverse identities. And his big concern is how they are being bamboozled by the things empire has taught them at the expense of the things Jesus taught them. For James, it’s actually not just what Jesus taught them, it’s what their Creator God taught them. For James it is not about conformity to doctrine as much as it is about ethics–the way you live, the way you treat other people, the way you build communities and relationships.
You can’t just talk about faith, you have to do something to embody your faith. You can’t just pray, you have to embody your faith in actions. You can’t say you are faithful and still prioritize the habits and norms of the larger culture.
James is saying that collectives of believers must distinguish themselves in how they do things, not just in what they say. Amen to that! But he is saying more than that. He is also saying, wake up!! Don’t you see who it is that is hurting you, who it is that is breaking trust, breaking relationship, distorting the community’s ways of being together–it’s not those without financial resources, it’s those with high wealth who want to keep it all for themselves–they are the ones taking you to court, they are the ones paying you low wages, they are the ones exacerbating the suffering in the streets.”
Watch the full GCPC service on 9/8/24 here
(Scripture and sermon begin at 53:57)