damn good haters

Wednesday September 9^th, James 2:  ¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  Luther was not a fan of James.  Too much emphasis on works, not enough on Grace.  There is some truth in James however.  Grace can bring about changed lives, and changed lives make a difference in the world.  So far the mega churches in Anchorage seem focused on the personal piety of what others are doing wrong in their eyes, without seeing the wrong they are doing through neglect with those same eyes. Our congregation has welcomed a new Boy Scout group that was kicked out of another church for just such a reason.  Our walk with Jesus is about turning our eyes to the poor and needy, the disenfranchised and disheartened.  Who are the ones on the outs, who are the ones denied the fullness of God’s creation?  We are called to love good and hate evil it is true, but all too often the emphasis is on the hating, and of damn good haters, the world already has too many.