Here is a brief excerpt from this past Sunday's sermon, "Faith or Good Works?" - The sermon text was James 2:1-17. (To hear the entire sermon, click here.)
Our sisters and brothers from the three historically black Methodist denominations (with whom we are in partnership through the World Methodist Council) have called upon the Church to focus this Sunday on ending racism. How does our faith work through love to end racism? - All over the news are stories about refuges from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, fleeing to other countries across Europe. How does our faith work through love to address this humanitarian need?
We are in the midst of a political season, and issues that for Christians should go beyond politics confront us. How does our faith work through love when it comes to immigration in the U.S.? How does our faith work through love in the midst of the changing face of our nation surrounding marriage laws? How does our faith work through love when it comes to the lives of the unborn? - Our response; our actions; our political decisions, as citizens of the Kingdom of God, must be informed, not just by a political party, or political ideology, or by conservative talk radio, or by the liberal media, but rather, as citizens of the Kingdom of God, our responses; our actions; our political decisions must be informed and formed by our faith working through love.
Our faith working through love certainly includes our spiritual disciplines, our devotions, our involvement in the church, our sharing our faith with others, but, as St. James points out, it also includes our response to those who are hurt, who are in pain, who are in need all around us. - Folks, Wesley says this faith working through love is “all inward and outward holiness.”
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