A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is from our Epistle, James 2:1: “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! It sounds strange the first few times you hear it. We pray for individuals in the prayers of the church, and among them, we pray for Joseph and Timothy. Now, that doesn’t sound strange in itself until you realize we’re praying for Joseph, our President, and Timothy, our Governor. Suddenly, it sounds inappropriate, disrespectful, or like we’re trying to cozy up or imply that we’re on a first-name basis with people who probably don’t even know we exist. While there’s nothing wrong with praying for people using titles and last names, there’s a good reason for using only first names in prayer. It reminds us of an important truth: God shows no partiality with His Law and Gospel. Out there, He gives us all sorts of different stations and...

Click here to listen to this sermon. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works ” (James 2:18). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! As the delegates drove onto the campus where the district convention would take place, an unlikely figure appeared. The woman was obviously out of place. She was not dressed properly for her surroundings, nor were her advances asking for help welcomed. Throughout the week, she moved among the delegates, who rarely even acknowledged her presence. Occasionally, someone might talk to her, but only long enough to get her to move on. More than one person asked: “What is she doing here?” Or, “Why doesn’t security escort her off campus?” As they gathered for a final day, the delegates’ thoughts were focused on finishing up and going home. Suddenly, there was a commotion near the back door of the auditorium. It was the bag ...