Remember the Father’s good giving.

Sermon for Easter 5, May 10, 2020

Grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied to you who are called and sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ.  Amen.

James 1:16-21  ¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my dear brothers.  ¹⁷ Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, who does not change or shift like a shadow.  ¹⁸ Just as he planned, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creations.  ¹⁹ Remember this, my dear brothers: Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  ²⁰ Certainly, a man’s anger does not bring about what is right before God.  ²¹ So after getting rid of all moral filthiness and overflowing wickedness, receive with humility the word planted in you.  It is able to save your souls. (EHV)

Remember the Father’s good giving.

Dearly beloved of the Father,

            There is no doubt that we each face many troubles in this world.  Presently, we might list this corona virus and the associated shut down of so much of our economy, the stress on families and finances, the havoc in the markets, the shortage of many supplies and necessities.  We also might list things like deceptive politicians, selfish neighbors, and a news media that seems to be driven to scare every person on the planet. 

With all the troubles and scary challenges around us, you might think that the government edicts and restrictions would give us peace.  Yet, to be honest, they seem to be adding to our unease.  For some people, those orders don’t go far enough, while others want every order ended immediately.  For some, the restrictions have become another excuse to self-righteously pat ourselves on the back.  Why isn’t my neighbor doing as good a job of staying safe as I am?  Lying liars on both sides ask, how can the other side not see things our way?  And, I would argue, none of us truly sees the big picture.  It is for times like these, that James tells us to Remember the Father’s good giving.

Our sermon text begins with James’ admonition, “Do not be deceived, my dear brothers.”  What deception is he addressing?  Among several, he speaks of temptations, and especially, the temptation to doubt God, to question His goodness, or even to accuse God of tempting us to sin.

What James wants us to remember is that God always and only gives good things, even in challenging times like the present.  St. Paul said much the same: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) 

Here, James wrote, “Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, who does not change or shift like a shadow.”  Now certainly, someone might challenge me by asking how we could call these worldly troubles good.  And to be honest, I can’t tell you what God has planned.  I don’t know why He allows a virus to kill people.  I don’t know why He allows it to pick and chose who will get deathly ill and who will have almost no symptoms.  What I do know is that every good thing needed for body and soul, and every good effort on our part, comes from God alone.

What I know for certain, is that God loves us, and He provides everything we need to be holy in His sight and to be welcome in His heavenly mansions.  I know that He promises to hear our every prayer, to be with us in every trouble, and that His Son, Jesus, lived, died, and rose again on the third day to give us everlasting peace and a sure and certain future in Paradise.  I also know that God has testified saying, “Certainly I, the Lord, do not change.  That is why you, sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.” (Malachi 3:6)  We exist, and we are not condemned to eternal torment, because God’s love for us never changes no matter what troubles and trials this world presents.

To be honest, the whole world has wondered why bad things happen.  Many are the souls who have cried out in frustration over trials and tribulations that seem to have no rhyme or reason.  Christians, alone, have the peace of knowing that God has a plan, and that He uses events, both natural and unnatural, and the actions of people, both wicked and good, to further His plans to save those He calls.  Furthermore, God tells us that He “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)  Therefore, whether we like the events of worldly life, or not, God’s purpose is to lead all people back to Him.  He is calling for the wicked to repent, and for the faithful to trust His love.  That’s why we are encouraged to Remember the Father’s good giving.

This is also where James’ instructions play in for us in the present.  He tells us, “Remember this, my dear brothers: Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”  Anger isn’t always wrong, but far too often it causes us to offend the weak, to push away those who we might yet reach with the Good News of forgiveness and life in Christ Jesus.  It can even cause us to rebel against our loving Father in heaven.  Therefore, we want to hasten to listen to all that God has done for us.

James continued, “Certainly, a man’s anger does not bring about what is right before God.”  Our anger often leads us astray.  Thanks be to God, Jesus came to give us peace.  If anyone ever had the right to be angry, it would be God’s Son.  Not only was Jesus cruelly mistreated and scorned by the ones He loved, but we too have all mocked and mistreated Christ with the sins we still willingly commit, even after knowing He died to save us.  Yet, the only time anger motivated Jesus, was when the wicked were misusing God’s house to further their unjust ways and to harm those God loves.  Yet even then, Jesus’ actions fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.  Otherwise, Jesus steadily and gladly withheld His wrath, so that He could live for us a perfectly holy life in thought, word, and deed, and then die on our behalf as the substitute for all sinners, bearing our guilt to the cross, so that the Father could gladly and willingly declare us holy.

Remember the Father’s good giving.  Though none of us ever deserved God’s intervention, He made it His business to end the separation between God and mankind caused by sin.  St. Paul wrote, “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Likewise, James tells us, “So after getting rid of all moral filthiness and overflowing wickedness, receive with humility the word planted in you.  It is able to save your souls.” 

We get rid of all moral filthiness and wickedness, when the Holy Spirit calls us to repentance and faith.  Naturally, along with that conversion comes sanctification.  God doesn’t abandon us to the devil’s schemes after He calls us to faith.  He wants us to serve Him gladly for the rest of our days.  Yet, our new life isn’t a life in chains.  Unlike when the devil controlled us, we freely participate in our ongoing holy life.  Now, we know and admit that on our own we can do nothing, so the Lord continues to work His salvation in us through the application of His Word.  That’s why He calls us to worship and feeds us with His body and blood to strengthen us.  It’s why He encourages us to pray and to seek His help in everything we do amid ever trial and temptation we face. 

We are called to “receive with humility the word planted in you.”  The Word planted in us gives us new life, new purpose, and a new sure hope.  Yet, your old you can still be tempted, and many have given in to arrogance, thinking they can handle life’s battles on their own.  Do not be deceived, the Word alone saves us.  God’s Word calls us.  God’s Word works new life in us.  God’s Word is the tool the Holy Spirit uses to free us from the devil’s grasp and keep Satan at bay.  Humility keeps us trusting God’s Word and His promises.  Humility says along with St. Paul, “I know that good does not live in me, that is, in my sinful flesh.” (Romans 7:18)  That same God-given humility then continues, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25)

Dear friends, the list of the Father’s good giving is certainly long.  Today, our whole nation is celebrating Mother’s Day, and it is truly good for us to observe a day of special thanksgiving for mothers, since they are a great blessing of our God for each one of us.  The obvious blessing is that through our mothers we were brought to life, and we each have been blessed, in so many ways, by the loving care, the gentle instruction and guidance, the comforting touch, and the encouragement that mothers give.  God does, indeed, bless us through our mothers. 

At the same time, along with all the family and physical blessings for which we thank God, we must add blessings like forgiveness of sin, holiness before God, the adoption into His family by washing away all our filth in the waters of Baptism, food for our souls through the reassuring body and blood of our Lord Jesus confirming for us time and again that we are redeemed by Christ’s life and death.  To the list we add hope, faith, love, and comfort.  Certainly not least, we add the home in heaven that is waiting for the moment God calls us home.  We add the work we are given here on earth of serving our neighbors as God’s merciful hands and shining the light of Jesus on those around us who don’t yet know of His salvation.  We add the joy of seeing others come to saving faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, and the praise we will receive when we stand before the Father through faith in Christ Jesus. 

Remember “the word planted in you [for] It is able to save your souls.”  Remember the Father’s good giving.  Amen.

Now to the King eternal, to the immortal, invisible, only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.