A Sermon for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 18, Year B)
September 5, 2021
Text: James 2:1-17
I speak to you in the name of our loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
In our lesson this morning from the Letter of James, the author writes, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and 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? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”
That’s a pretty bold statement, isn’t it? Do you agree with the author? Do you agree that “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead”?
It may sound harsh, but I think James was right. Faith by itself, when we refuse to put it into action, is pointless.
But, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure that all Christians are on the same page. I’m convinced that there are some Christians who truly believe that simply professing Jesus as their Lord and Savior and claiming to be a follower of Jesus is enough. I’m convinced that there are some who think that simply showing up to church once a week on Sunday mornings is all you have to do to be considered a faithful disciple. I’m here to tell you this morning, dear friends, that this way of thinking couldn’t be further from the truth. Now, don’t get me wrong. Those things are important. Sharing our faith in Jesus with others and coming to church on Sunday mornings is important. But, it’s only the beginning.
As followers in the way of Jesus, we’re called to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world around us. What that means is that we’re called not only to profess Jesus as our Lord and Savior but also to make the love of Christ known to others through our words and actions. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. The Christian way of life is an embodied faith. James, who was a prominent leader in the early Church in Jerusalem, reminds us this morning in his letter that our faith means nothing unless we put into action what we believe to be true about God and God’s Kingdom.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus speaks about this in his Sermon on the Mount when he says to the people gathered, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
Claiming to be a Christ-follower and casually throwing out the name of Jesus isn’t enough. In the words of James, we do well if we fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Over the years, I’ve come to understand this commandment of Jesus differently. To me, it means more than loving your neighbor as much as you love yourself. It means loving your neighbor as an extension of yourself. To love your neighbor as yourself is to remember that we’re all connected as one human family, as God’s beloved children.
Last week, while my family and I were on vacation at the beach, I had the privilege of performing not one, but two baptisms in the Gulf of Mexico! As a priest, every baptism I get to do is special, but these baptisms were especially important to me.
I got to baptize my younger sister, Haiden, and her nine-month-old daughter—my niece—Everly.
It was a day I’ll remember for the rest of my life. We woke up on Saturday morning, ate breakfast, and got ready to head to the beach for the service. But, before we left the house, I had some time alone on the front porch with my sister to talk with her about the significance of baptism. By the way, this is something I do with everyone who’s preparing to be baptized, not just members of my family.
I asked my sister, “Why do you want to be baptized?”
I asked her this question, not only because I wanted her to think about it beforehand, but also because I was genuinely curious. Neither of us grew up going to church regularly. So, I wanted to know what she was thinking. I wanted to hear, in her words, why it was important for her to be baptized.
I think she was a little surprised by my question. Judging from her reaction, I cold tell that she didn’t quite know what to say.
But, after a moment of thinking about it, she told me, “Well, I want to get baptized so I can invite Jesus to live in my heart.”
It’s probably the same, exact answer that a countless number of people have given when they were asked that question.
So, I looked at her and gave her a little nod, and I said, “That’s a great reason.”
But, then I continued on, and I told her that baptism is about more than just inviting Jesus into your heart. When we’re baptized, we take on a new way of life and make a commitment to living no longer for ourselves alone but also for others. Yes, we’re cleansed of our sins through the waters of baptism, but even more important than that, we become living members of Christ’s Body, called to do the work of building up God’s Kingdom. When we receive the sacrament of baptism, we make a place for Christ to live in us, but we also promise to live in Christ. We make a vow to love and serve Christ in all persons, just as we ourselves have been loved and served by God.
She looked at me as I explained all of this, and I think she understood. Baptism means more than simply having faith in Christ. It means making a daily commitment to live out our faith.
After our conversation, we made our way down to the beach, and I couldn’t help but quietly express my gratitude to God for giving me this amazing gift, to be able to welcome my sister and niece into the household of God and to share this beautiful moment with my family.
During the first part of the service, we gathered around a makeshift altar, set up near the water’s edge, to hear the reading of Scripture and for the presentation of the candidates for baptism.
Then, after the prayers for the candidates, we moved closer to the water, where I stood ankle-deep in the Gulf and said the prayer of thanksgiving over the water. In that moment, I became very emotional and was moved to tears. I think it had a lot to do with where we were and what we were doing, but I think it also had a lot to do with the weight of those words and the understanding that the sacrament of baptism connects all of us with something much greater than we often realize. In that prayer of thanksgiving, we’re reminded of our salvation history and how the same God who delivered the people of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt is the same God who grants us freedom and peace in our lives. We’re reminded in that prayer that the same Spirit who moved over the waters of creation and was present at the baptism of Jesus is present with us, here and now, breathing into us new life and empowering for the work of ministry.
To be honest, I barely made it through the entire prayer. For a moment, I thought I was going to have to stop and ask someone to say the rest of the words for me. But, eventually I made it through. And Haiden and Everly were baptized, and there was great rejoicing in heaven as we added two new members to the Body of Christ.
After the administration of the water, I anointed each of them with the oil of chrism, saying the words, “You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.”
Then, we made our way back to where we began on the beach and shared the Body and Blood of Christ around the altar table.
As members of the Body of Christ, we are sealed be the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever, together with all the saints in heaven and on earth. Jesus promises to abide in us, and in turn, we promise to abide in him. This carries with it an awful lot of responsibility, but thankfully, we never have to go about this work alone. We get to share our lives in Christ with each other—in good times and in tough times—and for that, I say, “Thanks be to God.” Amen.
A video of this sermon is available below, beginning at the 21:36 mark.
The Rev. Eric Mancil 