Sermon 13th September 2015

Today, one of our Assistant Ministers, Gill Tayleur, continues our study of the book of James. The reading is from James 1: verses 9-18.

DON’T BE DECEIVED

“Don’t be deceived!” says James in that Bible passage I’ve just read. Don’t be deceived! Yet how easily we are deceived.

On April 1^st 1965, the BBC reported a trial of a new technology allowing the transmission of odour, of smell, over the airwaves, to all viewers through their televisions. Hundreds of people reportedly contacted the BBC to report the trial's success!

On April 1^st 1976, British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore told listeners of BBC Radio 2 that a unique alignment of two planets would result in an upward gravitational pull making people lighter at precisely 9:47am that day. He invited his audience to jump in the air and experience "a strange floating sensation". Dozens of listeners phoned in to say the experiment had worked, among them a woman who reported that she and her 11 friends were "wafted from their chairs and orbited gently around the room”.

On April 1^st 1989, Radio 1 reported a plan for converting to "metric time." Under the new system there would be 100 seconds to the minute, 100 minutes to the hour, and 20-hour days. Furthermore, seconds would become millidays, minutes become centidays, and hours become decidays. 3000 people phoned Radio 1 saying they supported the idea, and 7000 phoned to oppose it.

And only a few weeks ago, the Daily Mirror reported this:

For 24 years Steve Feltham has assiduously watched the waters of Loch Ness convinced that it holds a family of prehistoric monsters. But now Steve, who is recognised by the Guinness Book of Records for the longest continuous monster hunting vigil of the loch, believes Nessie is no plesiosaur but a giant catfish first introduced by the Victorians.

Mr Feltham's "Nessie no more" verdict could be devastating to the Loch Ness Monster tourism industry, which is said to be worth around £25m a year to the area.

Don’t be deceived.

Yet we are deceived, not only on April Fool’s Day or about monsters, but often. We’re deceived by adverts that promise their product will make us happy, or healthy, or beautiful. We’re deceived by the lure of unrepayable loans, by clever scams, by the exaggerations and lies put on Facebook about how great someone’s life is. We’re deceived about the small things in life, and about the big.

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers!” says James in verse 16 of that passage I just read.

As Cameron said last week, James was probably the half-brother of Jesus and he was certainly one of the leaders of the early church in Jerusalem. He had stayed there when many believers fled the terrible persecution they faced as Christians. James’ letter was to those Christians scattered far and wide, and is full of very practical teaching about how to put faith in Jesus into action.

In this morning’s instalment, I’d like us to look at what James says in this part of his letter, and how it’s relevant to our lives today, in terms of that quote in the middle: “Don’t be deceived!”

Don’t be deceived – about 3 things James writes about in these verses.

First is don’t be deceived about security, wealth and status. Earning a lot of money, living in a big house, having expensive possessions, are the things our society values. They’re the things we’re encouraged to work for, to aim for, to live for. And people who do so are seen as successful, and important. The rich and famous, celebrities, that’s what we’re to aspire to isn’t it?

But in verses 9 to 11, James reminds his readers of a truth that Jesus taught too: God sees things differently from that. He sees riches and poverty differently. He sees pride and humility differently. Because God loves and values ALL people equally. He’s not impressed with riches and status. James – and Jesus - said the rich and proud will be humbled.

God loves humility and service, not power and pride. Riches can come and go, and a comfortable lifestyle can’t protect anyone from death; that’s coming to us all! …

So we’re not to put our security in our wealth or our job or status, but trust in God.

Those who are outwardly poor have often learned the lesson of trusting God, because they have to.

So we’re to value and serve ALL people. We’re to see things and people as God sees them, each one uniquely and deeply loved and valued by God. Humility, not pride, is what counts before God.

So what’s our attitude to our own, and others’ wealth and status? Including here in the church? Is it this upside down, topsy turvy attitude Jesus taught that’s so different from how society operates? Do we really value and appreciate those who do the less important-looking work? At our work, and here in the church? And in the church, do we want to do what might be seen as the dogsbody jobs ourselves, or are they beneath our pride or comfort?

St Saviour’s: Getting out the chairs for church on a Saturday evening, serving and washing up the coffee, arriving early to welcome others, putting the Bibles away, sweeping the floor after the chairs are cleared, keeping the church garden tidy? (And more!)

St Paul’s: Serving and washing up the coffee, hoovering the church or cleaning the brass? Helping with the lunch club? Decorating for Harvest Festival, or being a helper at Children’s Church or Youth Group? (And more!)

Are we willing to do those humble acts of service? Or are we too important, too busy doing more important things, things for ourselves?

Do we have a Godly attitude on security, wealth and status? Don’t be deceived!

Let’s think about that for a few moments …

Do we have a Godly attitude on security, wealth and status? Don’t be deceived!

There’s another way in which this applies to us today, very especially today. Today is Racial Justice Sunday, a day on which everyone is invited to think and pray and take action on issues of racial justice – and this year’s theme is “Hospitality and Sanctuary for All”. The theme was set as a very important issue even before the current refugee crisis escalated so gravely, and now of course it’s momentous.

Whatever our view on the best political response to the crisis, we can and must respond to the dreadful pictures and stories of men, women and children risking (and many losing) their lives to escape conflict, violence and persecution.

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury said a few days ago:

“As Christians we believe we are called to break down barriers, to welcome the stranger and love them as ourselves (Leviticus 19:34), and to seek the peace and justice of our God, in our world, today.

… With winter fast approaching and with the tragic civil war in Syria spiralling further out of control, we must all be aware that the situation could yet worsen significantly. I am encouraged by the positive role that churches, charities and international agencies are already playing, across Europe and in Syria and the surrounding areas, to meet basic humanitarian needs. These efforts may feel trivial in the face of the challenge, but if we all play our part this is a crisis that we can resolve.”

He went on to say. “I reaffirm our commitment to the principle of sanctuary for people who need our help and love. ….We cannot turn our backs on this crisis. We must respond with compassion.”

There’s a news release about the refugee crisis from the Bishop of Southwark at the back of church as well, do take one. The Church Times website this week has an article on how to respond and help in practical ways. It includes ideas on how to donate, protest, offer accommodation, to foster a refugee orphan, and of course to PRAY. We’ll be doing that a bit later in this service.

Let’s think about how we might each respond, for a few moments …

So, don’t be deceived about security wealth and status.

Then there’s

Don’t be deceived about temptation, sin and death, verses 12 to 15.

James describes the way it happens. First there’s temptation, an opportunity, a pull. Temptation resonates with something inside the individual, something already there, a desire. While many of our desires are good and Godly, there are many that are not, such as pride, greed, self pity, lust, vanity, anger, deceit, to name a few. The temptation hits the desire, and off we go! The person gives in, and there follows the thought word or action. And often it ends in damage or destruction of one sort or another, sometimes even death, physical or emotional or spiritual.

Temptation, desire, sin, death. Don’t be deceived about how this happens, says James. Temptation, desire, sin, death. Don’t be deceived about who’s to blame.

Oh but we love to be deceived about this, we even deceive ourselves!

Have you ever heard yourself apologising, saying I’m sorry, BUT…?!

It’s so easy to blame others and make excuses. We say things like:

It’s the other person’s fault. Or, I couldn’t help it. Or, everyone does it. Or it was just a mistake. Or nobody’s perfect. Or I was pressured into it, I had to, or I didn’t know it would end like this; I didn’t know it was wrong. Sometimes we might even lay the blame at God’s feet: God made me like this, I can’t help my temper! God led me into this situation, so it’s his fault. Or if he had only given me [something I want] then this would never have happened.

We want to avoid responsibility for our sin and failings, or to try and justify them, so that we can carry on without a twinge of conscience.

But James says you’re being deceived. God doesn’t tempt us, it’s the Devil who tempts us, and who deceives us into thinking it’s God; or that we’re not really responsible, or that our sin is acceptable.

CS Lewis’ book the Screwtape Letters, is correspondence between a senior devil and a junior one, with the senior’s advice on how to lead a new Christian astray. I quote the senior devil: “My only fear is, in attempting to hurry the patient, [that’s the new Christian], you awaken him to a sense of his REAL position. For you and I, who SEE that position as it REALLY is, must NEVER forget how totally different it ought to appear to him. He must not be allowed to even suspect that he is now, however slowly, heading away from Peace and the Truth.”

So don’t be deceived about temptation and our responsibility for sin. And don’t be deceived about the destructiveness of it either. Sin is NOT relatively harmless. It has consequences, deadly serious ones. Often sin has immediate and direct consequences, as we hurt others or let them down by our anger, our selfishness, greed or lies.

But even when we feel we have got away with something – we do, don’t we?! – it’s still destructive. Even when the damage is “only” to ourselves, it kills off a part of us inside that is good and relates to God, and it leads us further away from him. It’s a downward spiral.

And it also has eternal consequences, as there will be a judgement when we die or when Jesus returns, and God will call us to account… Make no mistake, sin is destructive.

So, James sets out how temptation, desire, sin and death really work, and he tells us not to be deceived, and to recognise our responsibility for ourselves.

So, let us think, now, how might I be being deceived about temptation and sin? What is my desire, that I give in when tempted? What is there in my life that I am fooled into thinking it’s not actually wrong? Or not serious? Or really not my fault? And what am I going to do about it? Let’s think about that for a few moments…

It’s so easy to deceive ourselves! Sometimes we need someone else to help us to see what’s happening, where we’re going wrong. Might we be open to talking through the temptations and desires in our life, with a trusted friend, to help remove our self deception and reveal the truth about what’s going on?  

Don’t be deceived! Don’t be deceived about security wealth and status. Don’t be deceived about temptation and sin.

And finally, don’t be deceived about God – verses 17 & 18.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.”

God, James says, is the great Father Giver of all good things. Every breath of air we take, every mouthful of food, every note of lovely music we hear, every beautiful flower, every smile on the face of a friend, a child, or one who loves us. All these and so much more

are good gifts from God’s abundant generosity and love.

God’s goodness and love are permanent, unchanging, as he is. James says God is the

“Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”

The words James uses for changing and shifting are astronomical terms. They’re about the variation in the length of day and night, the apparent variation in the course of the sun, the phases of waxing and waning, the different brilliance at different times of the stars and planets. Variability is a characteristic of created things, but God the creator is unchanging. The Jewish morning prayer says, “Blessed be the Lord who hath formed the lights.” The lights change, but the God who created them never changes.

And neither does his word.  “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth” verse 18. God’s word isn’t just the true things we read in the Bible. It’s more than that. When God speaks, things happen, things change, WE change. God’s word is like medicine that goes deep inside us, healing our hurts and changing our desires and motivations, changing us. So that we are not deceived. So that we can live by the truth.

This morning then, will we hear James’ challenge to not be deceived, but instead to know and live by the truth. Let us turn to God, the great giver and Father of all. Let us see ourselves and the world as God does, and respond accordingly, and let us stand firm against temptation.

And now let’s pray, as we sit…