Tag Archives: Letter of James
What does a good life look like? Reflection on James 3:1-12
We can do nothing about the misuse of Christianity in the USA. But here in our small corner of the world, in our small church, we can seek to live lives drawing on the wisdom from above that is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. Continue reading
The Power and Danger of Speech: Insights from James 3:1-12
The lie that Haitian immigrants are eating pets could be seen as funny. That is the way many people have taken it, you can already order t-shirts with Trump’s quote on them, although it is less funny when we think about the anti-immigrant hatred that prompts such lies. A much more dangerous lie, a lie that we know has sparked a fire, is the lie that Hamas beheaded forty Israeli babies on October 7, 2023. Continue reading
The Importance of Faith in Action: Reflection on James 2:1-10, 14-17
In Greco-Roman culture honour was to be given to the rich and powerful. Our culture is the same. We too place praise and reward the rich, while ignoring the poor or blaming them for their poverty. There is a reason that the media recently reported on Gina Rinehart’s opinions about the curriculum taught in Australian schools and it is not because Ms Rinehart has any particular qualifications or expertise in education. Continue reading
Living the Word: Reflection on James 1:17-27
Over the next few weeks James is going to give us lots of advice. Scholars say that in the 108 verses and five chapters of this letter there are at least fifty commands. Some we will find easy; some difficult. I, for instance, am good at sharing what I have with the poor and dreadful at keeping my tongue still. You will have your own strengths and weaknesses. But James is absolutely certain that we can be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive ourselves, because our generous God has given us every perfect gift. Continue reading
Sermon: Avril preaches to herself
James tells his readers: ‘the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy;’ and I confess that I am frequently not peaceable, gentle, and willing to yield. So in this Reflection I am preaching first to myself. Continue reading
Sermon: The church is called to pray
In recent years as the horrors of the Royal Commission have educated us about the dangers of the wrong sort of touch we have become a little scared of the right sort of touch. Continue reading
Sermon for Police Remembrance Sunday
If we curse people with the same mouth with which we bless God, we are as weirdly unnatural as a fig tree that grows olives. Continue reading
Sermon: We ALL make mistakes
Knight should have acted with the gentleness born of wisdom and apologised, rather than doubling-down and attacking those who criticised it. To repeat what James writes, ‘all of us make many mistakes’. Continue reading
Sermon: Faith that is alive
The gospels are rife with examples of Jesus’ care for the poor and for those whom society considered outsiders. Because we have this example of Christ’s to follow, Christians are different from other people in our attitude to money. Continue reading
(Not A) Sermon: Beginning the Letter of James
Sermon for Williamstown Uniting Church 2nd of September, Pentecost 15 James 1:17-27 For the next month we are going to be reading our way through the Letter of James, attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, and addressed to ‘the … Continue reading
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