In the early 1970’s a new rock opera came out, Godspell. It was based on Jesus’ parables in St. Matthew’s Gospel. It seemed like the composer also knew the Epistle of James. One song has a chorus that sings: “All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above.” The chorus ends,
“So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love...” 1
Our reading from James also sings of this theme: “All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights.” The same theme is at the heart of the Mass and the heart of our faith. We thank our God for such good and great gifts.
God is named in the Letter as “the Father of Lights.” There is no darkness in our God, nor wavering in righteousness. God is constant in love and in glory. There is no shadow side to our God. No “dark side of the force” or any such nonsense. The creator of all things has no darkness or flip-flopping. We can depend, for our very lives, on the constancy and glory of our Triune God. The Father of Lights shows forth that glory throughout the creation. When the Hubble Telescope was placed in orbit, one of the first images it produced was of the Pillars of Creation. The three towers of gas and dust rise four or five light years in height while the dust in
those columns is constantly giving birth to new stars. The creation still abounds with marvels and with God’s glory. The Father of Lights is now fashioning the Pillars of Creation in a nebula far away. We can only cry “Glory!”
At the heart of all these good gifts is our God’s giving birth to a people who remain his people. God’s word of truth has given us birth. Our life together is not the result of any particular decisions we make or legislation passed by any government. We are created by the will and power of the same God who said, “Let there be light.” But the writer of James adds a further distinction between God’s people and the rest of creation. By the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are the “first fruits” of his creatures. Last in the eyes of the world, we
are blessed to be called into covenant with all the saints. One commentator described these “first fruits” among us as a “down payment” or “first installment” of God’s truthful word. 2
It is our own conduct, personally and as a people, that reflects the changeless character of our God. We have been birthed into a new people and given such an abundance of gifts. Our baptism and election into this new people is from God. The gifts of the Spirit that cause us to be the “first fruits” of God’s truth are from God. The saving and nourishing Feast at the Eucharist is from God. We are God’s people and will never be abandoned by our Lord Jesus Christ. As this “first installment of God’s truthful word, the promise is that we will be sustained as a community of character, a people who are constant in our love.
On the other hand, there are those whose character is defined by outbursts of anger, by emotions out of control, by beliefs held that they are entitled to more than others. We are not to be among them. A people of God are birthed by the Spirit to be righteous and caring, firm in faith and lavish in love. That is who we are, God’s “first fruits” of this new creation in Christ. St. James sums it up by announcing that we are a people who act humbly, who welcome the saving word of God as it is read and preached and proclaimed. Now it is clear that humility
is a virtue that is out of fashion in this culture. We find ourselves among those who value competition and even arrogance. Others are “canceled” for some point of disagreement with the spirit of the age. Being “saintly” is not celebrated much these days. By contrast, we are a people who honor the saints, revere them for their words and actions. And who are our saints? They are, mostly, humble people who spend their lives for others.
(Here is the opportunity for the speaker to celebrate the life and work of the patron saint of the parish, if appropriate. If the parish’s name is not that of a saint having the virtue of humility, a brief list of several saints such as Sts. Francis of Assisi, the Twenty-six martyrs of Japan, Teresa of Calcutta, and, of course, the Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated.)
This celebration of the saints is crucial for the church to be formed as the “first fruits” people we were birthed by God to be. “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you,” St. James prays. And he adds that it is able “to save your souls.” Now comes the famous quote that St. James gives to the church: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” Not that there is anything at all wrong with hearing the Word. The Word of God is to be spoken and sung and storied in every land. But if our only relationship with God’s Word is hearing it and not doing it, St. James adds that we are deluded!
We are not provided with an exhaustive list of actions that involve our doing of the Word. But St. James does point to a group of people who are the litmus test for doers. We are to care for the orphans and the widows. In Israel and in the New Israel in Christ, this care for widows and orphans is at the heart of our ministry. They are the least of these our brothers and sisters and we cannot forget them or the poor they represent. So if we have a parish Food Bank for the hungry, we are caring for “widows and orphans.” If we offer hospitality to the homeless, perhaps in a ministry with other churches, we are caring for the “widows and orphans.”
And if we provide services for pregnant women that they may bring new life into the world, we are caring for the “widows and orphans.” These ministries of caring are what it means to be doers of the word and not only hearers. Put another way, to proclaim God’s Word without that good news being lived out, as St. James insists, is to be deluded. We are a people who hear the Word and are doers as well.
With the saints, we proclaim and we offer ourselves in mission. So many varieties of “widows and orphans”! We have been given birth to be those first fruits of God who humbly do the Word of God. All good giving, St. James, announces, comes from above. The praise our God who calls us into one body, the Body of Christ. Doers of the Word, that is who we are. Baptized into a people forgiven and equipped to be the first fruits of God’s creative power. Called to be humble
saints, serving the world in the Name of Christ. What a glorious privilege. Now thank we all our God.
Amen
1 “All Good Gifts lyrics,” Godspell, All Musicals, accessed August 24, 2024,
2 A. K. M. Adam, “Commentary on James 1:17-27, Working Preacher, August 30, 2015, accessed August 24, 2024,
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