James 5:1-6 - Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
These words are tough to hear. I might reply to James, “I’m not rich. Surely
your words are not for me.” But by
comparison, anyone living above the poverty line in America would be considered
extremely wealthy from James standpoint.
So to be faithful, I need to listen and you would do well to listen
too. We need to ask ourselves James’s
questions. Have we ever failed to help
someone in need when we had the power and resources to do so? Have we ever participated in systems that are
unjust to the folks James’s brother Jesus would have called “the least of these?” Have we held our extra resources tightly for
fear of losing them? Are we actually
doing all we can to help those on the margins of our society? Do others suffer because we prosper?
I know these questions are ones
we’d rather not hear. They make us
uncomfortable. They make us feel guilty
about what we have. I know because they
do the same to me. The point is not to
make you and I feel guilty. James’s hope
is that these words would stir our hearts toward compassion for those who
suffer the most in our midst. Most
everyone has suffered in one way or another.
Almost all of us know someone who is grieving right now. Most of us know someone who has lost their
job. All of us know someone who is worse
off now than they were a couple of years ago. However, many of us, relatively speaking, have
been just fine. That’s not to say it hasn’t been hard, but we’ve been taken care of in ways that should cause us to
be thankful – thankful AND compassionate toward others who have not fared as
well as we have.
Although James doesn’t say this
explicitly, the truth underneath his words is that to let our hearts be
hardened or even become numb toward those who are hurting is to become numb and
hardened to a part of ourselves, for we are connected in deep ways with all
other human beings. We are connected in
deep ways to all of creation. We are
wired for compassion. That’s what is behind Jesus’s words, “when you’ve done it
for the least of these, you’ve done it for me.”
Jesus is proclaiming his deep connection with all when he says that but
he is also letting us know that we share that connection.
I have to confess that I used to
feel sheepish about asking people to give sacrificially in order to participate
in work that is done in Jesus name. I
don’t any longer because I honestly believe that it should be natural and
healthy thing for all of us to do. We thrive
when we’re generous with our time, talent, and treasure to help those in need
in the same way a body thrives when all of it’s parts are getting the proper
nutrients. I challenge all of us to take
James’s hard and uncomfortable words to heart and see where there is one step
we can take toward alleviating someone’s suffering today.
Questions: Have we
ever failed to help someone in need when we had the power and resources to do
so? Have we ever participated in systems
that are unjust to the folks James’s brother Jesus would have called “the least
of these?” Have we held our extra
resources tightly for fear of losing them?
Are we actually doing all we can to help those on the margins of our
society? Do others suffer because we prosper?
Prayer: God, give us
your eyes to see those who are hurting around us. Give us a heart to help
them. May You have a stronger hold on
our time, talents, and treasure than we do. Amen.
Prayer Focus: I would
ask you to pray about what you commit to others. Ask God to show you how you can take a step
toward being more generous with your time, talent, and treasure.
Song: Matt Maher – The Least of These
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