Do We As Christians Really Show Favoritism?

Some Reflections on My Favorite/Least Favorite Book of the Bible: James 2:1-17

Do we as Christians really show favoritism? Do we really prefer wealthy new members in our congregations? 

As the pastor of a wonderful Episcopal Church that has a desire to grow and to bring more people into a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ, I hope that the answer to these questions is a resounding NO. I do, however, believe that James, the brother of Jesus, in his letter to the Churches of his time asks some very, very important questions.

James is concerned about what we do as well as what we say. He seems to believe that our faith has as much, perhaps more, to do with how we act than with what we believe. Today he might even say, “sure, you talk the talk, but do you walk the walk?” He even borders on Heresy when he says, “So faith by itself, if it has no works is dead.”

In our prayers in the Episcopal Church we acknowledge that God’s people come in all shapes and sizes, stages of belief and unbelief, from every race and nation. We pray for “all sorts and conditions of people.” It can, however” be difficult to communicate with people whose backgrounds and life experiences are so very different from ours.

Years ago, in the mid 1990’s in New Orleans, the Episcopal Churches in the metropolitan area formed a feeding ministry for transients, the “semi-homeless,” and the homeless. We filled in the one day a week not covered by other churches or organizations. One of our commitments was to eat with “our guests” as well as to serve them. This was sometimes a challenge because our current life situations were so different: after lunch most of the servers were going back to work or back home. We were going to pick up our children from school and coach their soccer teams; we would eventually go home to a warm house and a good meal and other evening activities.  Most of the people we served would go back out to the parks or the library or a fast food restaurant, any place to stay warm and dry and to pass the time away.

Yes, it is easier to welcome people into our assemblies whose backgrounds are similar to ours. But James is not talking about assemblies only. He is talking about welcoming people into the kingdom of God, of which our assembly is a part, an outpost, perhaps even a “Missionary Outpost.”  From yesterday’s reflections on Proverbs 22:1-2, I am reminded that “The rich and the poor have this (one very important thing) in common: the LORD is the maker of them all.”

With this in common, all differences can be overcome, but respected. In fact, we can learn from one another and our various life experiences, our successes and failures, our words and actions. Our faith will be stronger and as James tells us, “we will really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."