My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. 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.
(James 2:1-17)
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About 20 years ago Lynn and I went to Washington, D.C. on vacation. We stayed at a hotel in the suburb of Georgetown. It was spring and it was lovely weather, so on the first day we were there we decided that we would make the 45 minute walk from the hotel to the White House. As we walked along Pennsylvania Avenue the White House appeared on our right. It was everything that you would expect from the official home of the most powerful person in the world. A beautiful building, with large and well manicured lawns and gardens - it was the epitome of power and influence. What was a little more disturbing was what we saw on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue. To our left was Lafayette Park. I understand that since we were there conditions have changed, but at that time Lafayette Park was a haven for the homeless. It was filled day and night with those who literally had nowhere else to go, so they would live and sleep right across the street from the White House, in full view of the President of the United States if he happened to look out the window.
There’s a story I once heard about the homeless at Lafayette Park. Apparently a local minister developed a concern for their plight, and she began, on her own initiative, a ministry to help provide them with food and some basic necessities. The ministry was quite well received. She would help meet the people’s needs, and she would talk to them. She would talk to them about life, about faith, about the Gospel and about Jesus. The homeless became very attached to her, and some even began attending her church. That was when - and I hope you’ll excuse the language - all hell broke loose. “Those people” weren’t welcome in this minister’s church, people said, and a few months later this minister was dismissed by her congregation apparently for having engaged in an outreach ministry that brought in so-called “undesirables.” Jesus, of course, once said that whatever we do for the least among us - the poor, the homeless, the outcast, the marginalized - we do for him. I wonder what Jesus thought of the decision of this church that ostensibly belonged to him?
It’s a shocking story, and as we hear it we surely think, “that wouldn’t happen with us. Not us. No way.” And I hope it wouldn’t. But - just suppose.
Didn’t James put this exact scenario to Christians long ago? If, on any given Sunday, “a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in …” well, what would we do. How would we react? How would they be treated? Let’s be honest - the wealthy person could take envelopes but the poor person wouldn’t have anything to put in the envelopes; the wealthy person might go on PAR but the poor person might not even have a bank account. Who would get the most attention - the wealthy person dressed in such a way that we KNOW they have something to offer us, or the poor person dressed in such a way that we KNOW that they might need help from us. I wonder. Just suppose.
I speak here in general terms, of course, but I’ve noticed a funny thing about United Church congregations over the years. Most are very generous when it comes to supporting food banks, giving money to charities, helping social service groups, providing meals, etc., etc., etc. But I’ve also noticed that as much as we have compassion for the poor and outcast, we don’t necessarily have a clue what to do when we suddenly encounter the poor and outcast in the midst of the congregation on a Sunday morning. That may not be the case here. I hope it’s not. But I’ve seen it enough to know that at least we need to be confronted with the scenario every now and then so that we can reflect on what our knee jerk reaction might be to those with whom we’re less comfortable. So, yes - just suppose. If an obviously rich person and an obviously poor person entered the sanctuary at the same time, which one would get the most attention? Which one would receive the warmest welcome? Which one would we heartily invite to become a part of the family? To which one would we say “I sure hope you come back next week”?
The people of God have a special responsibility to the poor and outcast. That’s seen throughout the Scriptures, Old Testament and New Testament. We read in the Book of Deuteronomy that the people of Israel were to care for the poor among them, to make sure that they were provided for. This was what you might call an ethical imperative. God’s children are called to care for God’s children, and those among God’s children who have more are called to share with those among God’s children who have less. And if you move into the New Testament, especially in the Book of Acts, you see descriptions of the early church that show that principle being lived up to. According to the description we have of what must have been one of the earliest Christian communities, the community shared equally, so that there were in fact no poor among them. And that community grew and grew - not because they had a great minister or a great choir or great youth programming or anything like that, but because people around them saw real compassion and real caring existing in the midst of a society in which compassion and caring were often in short supply.
I see a lot of hardness in the world today. I see a lot of poverty. I see a lot of people shoved aside. I see a lot of debate in developed nations about refugees, each nation hoping that each other nation will take a few more so that “we” don’t have to take as many. I see an inexplicably serious presidential candidate in the US wanting to build a giant wall along the border with Mexico to keep the undesirables out. I see another who thinks it might be a good idea to build one along the Canadian border. What I often don’t see is a lot of compassion. Sometimes I don’t even see that in the church. And that bothers me. And it should bother all of us. The church is the place that should be extending not just a welcome, but the right hand of fellowship to all - not just being open to anyone who wants to be here, but actually having a place for everyone who wants to be here. Too often I don’t see that.
Jesus told us that whoever welcomes the least, the loneliest, the most undesirable among us actually welcomes him. And the flip side was spoken of us well. Whoever fails to welcome the least, the loneliest and the most undesirable among us fails to welcome him. So every now and then we need to take an honest look at ourselves and we need to say to ourselves, “just suppose.” Just suppose. Just suppose that “a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and … a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in …” Just suppose. What would happen? Who would we greet most warmly? In which one would we see Jesus? Just suppose. And remember the words of James: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?” Let’s make sure we have both!
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