Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I hope this email finds you, your family, and your friends well. This past Wednesday we experienced quite a powerful storm as the remnants of Hurricane Ida poured torrential rain down on us and spawned several tornadoes. I’m aware of a few of our church members being severely affected by the storm. Please be in prayer for these individuals and families. Let us also be prepared to physically assist them in their recovery from the storm  As the author of James says, “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 do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So, faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (James 2:16-17).

The passage above from James is a part of our scripture (James 2:1-17) for this Sunday’s communion meditation.  In the history of interpretation, this passage has received much attention, mostly due to the influence of Martin Luther as Luther charged that the book of James “drives us back to the law.” However, James doesn’t write about the works of the law, but works of faith. He’s addressing the unity between attitude and action. He is emphasizing the interrelationship between faith and works.

This Sunday we’re going to reflect in our communion meditation on the relationship between faith and works. In addition, being that it’s Labor Day weekend, we will also pause to ponder the relationship between our work and faith. I invite you to consider a few questions as we prepare for Sunday worship. What kind of works does your faith produce? How do the works your faith produces relate to your daily life of work?  How do you live your faith in your daily work?

See you on Sunday in person or on zoom,

Pastor David