Sermon for September 22nd 2024, James gets wisdom.
Sunday, 22 September 2024 The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity As we continue our journey through James’ letter, I’ve was starting to think he may not be my favourite writer in the Bible. While he has many good and useful things to say, he is probably too direct and even harsh for my taste. However, I think James must know his audience, and to his mind, they clearly need to be told what they need to know, in very clear terms. I also know my audience, a little bit at least, and in the end, thought better not to be too tough with you today, and in any case, it wouldn’t look right, because that’s not the kind of person I am. For James though, winning people to follow in the faith means being tough and harsh, after several chapters of warnings and illustrations of the consequences of living contrary to God’s plan, James moves in this passage to describe the good life and give some positive guidance for pursuing it, while still being very direct. We see here some of the cleare