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A man went to see his doctor because his left knee would frequently give out on him. He was referred to a specialist and waited six months for the appointment only to discover that the doctor specialized in the right knee only!!!! The latter years of the 20th century have been ones of specialists and specialities, though I don't think it has gone that far! By necessity, medical specialists focus on one small part of the body and know little other than the basics about the whole organism. A former parishioner became ill and was rushed to surgery but during the surgery the organ suspected of causing the problem was deemed to be perfectly healthy and the offending organ had to be removed by another surgeon because it was not the first surgeon's specialty! Even without cutbacks, today's patients must travel greater and greater distances for surgery or to receive their treatment. Long gone are the days of one teacher leading 10 grades down the halls of learning. For education to be effective children are bussed to regional schools at every grade level. I think that education and medicine would not make as much of a positive impact on people's lives if it were not so, but the effects are not all good. While progress and good medical and educational practice demands this kind of specialization, this division of life into little pockets also leads to alienation. This alienation reaches to all parts of our lives. The concept of community is disappearing as people live independent and self-sufficient lives even when they live side by side.
The Christian gospel has always been counter-cultural and it is no different in this respect. I have based today's sermon on the Epistle of James but, of course, his writings are based upon his understanding of the good news, or gospel, of Jesus Christ as lived out in individual communities of faith. Today's epistle lesson is one in which the solidarity and inter- dependance of the faith community is held up and is presented over and against the prevailing ethos of sin, sickness, alienation and death.
The Epistle of James is a kind of wisdom literature for the church in that it centres completely on the practical implications of life in the community which gathers in the name of the Christ. In the book of James all the believers are regarded as equals; there is no hierarchy. God is the only 'father'; the only one deserving special honour.
It seems to me that in this passage James is saying that the life of the community should centre on those activities which draw the community together. Those who have been alienated from the community by sickness, or by sin, or by a situation of extreme need, are to be brought back into fellowship and their true needs met. When I visit people who have been in hospital for a long time I am often asked to fill in the patient on what is happening or has happened in the community. People want to know who has died, who is running that new store, who was hired for that job and so on. The regular lines of communication have been disrupted and the regular contacts may no longer be in place. It is important that the members of the community be made to feel that they are still an integral part of the community to which they belong.
The mechanisms of care and contact outlined in this passage serve to keep the community together and aware of those who may not be able to be physically present at worship or other community times. To pray in distress and to sing songs of praise, which are like prayers in and of themselves, is to place our lives within the larger context of faith. God will not forget us in our joys and in our sorrows. James refers specifically to the role of the community in overcoming the alienation often felt by the sick. The elders role in anointing them has the obvious function of asking for God's healing but also the sometimes less obvious function of the care of the community. Such actions say that the community cares enough to keep in touch, to show the community by its presence is a healing force.
Of course this passage raises the sticky question, "Does God answer prayer?" We must be careful here not to confuse healing with cure. I have been with people many times when a cure was prayed for, but in time what came from God was healing. There is a difference. The actions of the community in visiting and in anointing show the love and acceptance of the community which is, in and of itself, a kind of healing.
This passage from James speaks of the prayer of the faithful being able to save the sick and this salvation is acted out in the acceptance of the community of faith. Let me give one example. A young man was dying of AIDS. As a gay man he had received the censure of his church and had long since stopped attending, though he did not stop believing. During his last days he asked to see his priest and the priest came and offered prayers and anointing. To him it was a healing; a healing of the breach of mistrust, misunderstanding and alienation. The acceptance by his church implied acceptance by God and that enabled him to die in peace. It was not a cure but healing was more important for him.
Similarly, this passage talks about the confession and forgiveness of sins. Many times wrongs committed against others in the community are a source of alienation and confession, combined with the desire to walk a new path, will heal the community. I often come across families which are divided by old grudges and long ago wrongs. Sometimes the offending party does not know what has happened to cause the division but often the division is perpetuated by the feeling that the gap is too large to bridge. When this is the case James would give the practical and wise advise found in today's passage: "...confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed." The sins we commit against one another hurt ourselves as well as that other person, and when we are hurting we need to come to God seeking healing.
Ours is a culture of individualism. James presents a picture of a caring community who take the needs of others seriously. James presents a picture of a community whose members go the extra mile to include the sick, those who have been cut off and those who have cut themselves off. He presents a picture of a community who takes care of all of its members in the ways that are necessary to produce true healing and salvation. It is not the easy way not is it always the convenient way but it is the way of Christ. It does not depend on one person doing more and going further, as if they sought to be the proverbial martyr, but upon the entire community who seeks the best for all of the members for when one member suffers all suffer and when one member rejoices in the grace and goodness of God, all can rejoice together.
When a famous person dies it is interesting to watch the process of honouring that person. On Friday evening I watched the national news and heard and saw tributes to The Rt. Hon Pierre Trudeau from the leaders of Canada's major political parties. It seems that in death people are polite if not sincere Eloquent and not so eloquent speeches were given on his positive contributions to modern Canada. I wonder, is it that in normal life we feel compelled to wear the masks of race and nationality and politics; masks which can never unite but only divide. Why can't we take off more of these masks and work together for the health of our communique, rather than exacerbating political and social division because ....well because that's the way things are???
On World Wide Communion Sunday we are called to remember that not all the Christians in the world are like us. Not all of them are white. Not all of them live in Canada. Not all of them believe exactly the same things we do. Not all celebrate using little cups and little cubes of bread. While it seems that the so- called World Wide Communion Sunday is largely a North American Protestant observation, we can indeed use it as a day to think of Christians around the world and to pray for them. On this World Wide Communion Sunday in the year of our Lord 2000 I am able, through the wonders of email, to bring you greetings from the four corners of the globe Now there's an oxymoron, if there ever was one! Through this great technology I am able to bring you greetings from the people of God gathered in York Avenue United Methodist Church and Benedict United Methodist Church, two congregations in south central Nebraska. Clarks Green United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania sends greetings as does Artesia Christian Church in Artesia California. Christians in Brisbane Australia send greetings as do Christians in New Zealand and at the Protestant Chapel on the naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. We are asked to pray for the churches of Papua New Guinea whose people, for the most part, live in abject poverty.
Since there is so much in life that divides people that our faith should be a unifying force. Sadly, it often becomes another point of division. On this Sunday we are called to bring to mind the world-wide fellowship of believers. As we share the bread and cup we are called to remember those who also share the bread and the cup, both down the road, around the corner, or around the world. In the end we have far more to unite us than divide us, and our call should be to work to overcome the other divisions which keep us apart. Our individual identity should not be a specialty that excludes others. Indeed, as the scriptures challenge, our unity in Christ should supercede all other attachments in our lives. Our call as disciples should supercede all other goals in our lives.
Amen.
Rev. Beth W. Johnston
13 Church St.
Rexton N.B. E4W 1Y3
sueboo@nbnet.nb.ca
