In today’s Epistles reading from the Daily Office, we hear from the Letter of James:
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill”, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”, and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. (James 2:14-26).
St. Augustine said, “Love God and do as you please.” At first hearing, it seems wrong, but if you think about it, St. Augustine is reflecting what we hear in today’s letter of James. If you really love God, then you will want to do God’s will. You will want to please God, not out of fear, but out of love. You will not want to offend God who has loved you first, and has expressed that love for you in Jesus Christ who gave his life so that you might have life to the fullest. Faith and good works go hand-in-hand. We express our faith, we live out our faith by the way we live our lives. If we do nothing, our faith is barely alive, almost dead. If we reach out to others in love as Christ reached out to us, then our faith is alive.
Let us pray: We thank you Lord God for the gift of Your Son who prayed that Your will be done. Enliven our faith with Your Holy Spirit and give us the strength to do Your will and to live as Jesus would have us live, dying to selfishness and giving birth to love and charity. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
Rather than have a service the morning of Thanksgiving, this year we will celebrate a Thanksgiving liturgy on Sunday, 21 November, so that everyone can attend. After the Eucharist, we will have our Thanksgiving luncheon. Please invite your friends and family to offer thanks for all of God’s blessings. Please remember to sign up to bring a dish to share.
Big Mista BBQ fundraiser for the Community Garden, Saturday, 11 December. Melva Pope has tickets, so please pick some up for friends and family. There is also a Facebook page for the event.
Advent begins on Sunday, 28 November. We will use Rite I, and Year A begins in the Lectionary.
PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill”, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”, and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. (James 2:14-26).
St. Augustine said, “Love God and do as you please.” At first hearing, it seems wrong, but if you think about it, St. Augustine is reflecting what we hear in today’s letter of James. If you really love God, then you will want to do God’s will. You will want to please God, not out of fear, but out of love. You will not want to offend God who has loved you first, and has expressed that love for you in Jesus Christ who gave his life so that you might have life to the fullest. Faith and good works go hand-in-hand. We express our faith, we live out our faith by the way we live our lives. If we do nothing, our faith is barely alive, almost dead. If we reach out to others in love as Christ reached out to us, then our faith is alive.
Let us pray: We thank you Lord God for the gift of Your Son who prayed that Your will be done. Enliven our faith with Your Holy Spirit and give us the strength to do Your will and to live as Jesus would have us live, dying to selfishness and giving birth to love and charity. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
Rather than have a service the morning of Thanksgiving, this year we will celebrate a Thanksgiving liturgy on Sunday, 21 November, so that everyone can attend. After the Eucharist, we will have our Thanksgiving luncheon. Please invite your friends and family to offer thanks for all of God’s blessings. Please remember to sign up to bring a dish to share.
Big Mista BBQ fundraiser for the Community Garden, Saturday, 11 December. Melva Pope has tickets, so please pick some up for friends and family. There is also a Facebook page for the event.
Advent begins on Sunday, 28 November. We will use Rite I, and Year A begins in the Lectionary.
PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
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