Do. Be. Do. Be. Do

James 2:1-17
Do. Be. Do. Be. Do.
James McTyre
Lake Hills Presbyterian Church
Sunday, September 10, 2006

For Protestants, particularly those of us descended from the traditions of Martin Luther and John Calvin, the book of James has always been a problem. Luther hated it, and wished he could tear it out of his Bible. Mainly because of the final verse in our reading today, Chapter 2, verse 17. “Faith without works is dead.” The Apostle continues the argument in verse 18. “But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' OK, says the Apostle. Then, “show me your faith apart from your works.” Well, I'm waiting. Show me that faith. Oh, having trouble? Well, then, he concludes, “I by my works will show you my faith.” The implied question for us readers is, which way, would you think, is easier? Showing the faith of your heart or showing the works of your hands? In the words of the expensive tennis shoe people, “Just Do It.” Just do.

Well, Martin Luther – who had done a lot of good works – hated this argument. Because he had come to the realization that no amount of good works could earn you salvation. John Calvin, the father of Presbyterianism, would say that no matter how high we lifted ourselves, we're still just “worms” under God's feet. It's not good to argue with Luther and Calvin. Salvation is a gift from God. Period. Faith itself is a gift. You can't earn God's favor. It just is. God loves you, like it or not. If you have to prove it, you don't understand. Just be.

But on the other hand, there's a very practical, down-to-earth side to the writings of the Apostle James. And he's not alone in the Bible. “If,” wrote the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, “If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” As James said, you can't see poor people with no clothes and no food and simply say, “I'll pray for you.” You have to put your love and faith into action before it adds up to anything. Just do.

Just do. Just be. Just do. Just be. Do. Be. Do. Be. Do. Said the great theologian, Frank Sinatra. A man who could do just about anything he wanted, AND kick back and enjoy the suave pleasure of just being Frank Sinatra. What about you? Are you more defined by what you do, or by who you be? Do your faith and your works walk hand-in-hand? Or is what you believe disconnected from what you do? Ol' Blue Eyes probably wasn't intending his words so theologically, but he did shed some light on scripture. When it comes to faith, you can't sing a “be” without a “do.” And you can't have a “do” without a “be.” One just leads to the other. Do. Be. Do. Be. Do.

--

We're ordaining and installing elders today. Anyone who's ever served on a church Session will tell you, you can't just be an elder without a pretty fair amount of doing, too. Elders chair committees. They lead programs. They make sure that the church is doing what it says it believes, that we're all practicing what we preach.

We're starting a new year of Sunday School and Youth Groups today. We're kick-starting Scott (which normally only Rhonda gets to do), and restarting the Choirs. Anyone who's ever been a Sunday School or Youth Group leader will tell you, you can't just be a teacher without a heck of a lot of doing. Usually more than the kids. You can't just be a member of the Choir without doing a lot of singing, praying, practicing (and cutting up). Especially if you're a Bass. It's hard to tell what that group is going to do, be, do. Ideally, everyone who comes through the doors of the church is made to be welcome, but also called to do some kind of ministry on behalf of Jesus Christ. God calls all of us to show our faith AND our good works. We're all called to preach and to practice, each in our own ways. You may not be called to sing in the choir, but you might be called to appreciate the inspiration of good music. They do; you be. Some other time, some other way, you'll do. And they'll be – be the recipients of your good works. God may not be calling you to be Billy Graham. You don't have to be some giant of faith to just sit down and pray with somebody. God might be calling you to cook supper for people who've suffered a death in the family. You don't have to be the Emiril of casseroles to care for someone in need. When your faith and your good works are in sync, you're a preaching, witnessing, singing ambassador of God. Your faith is alive. It might not be the best or the strongest, but it's alive. That's what the Bible requires of us. Alive is enough. Alive is integrity -- integrity of word and deed. Whatever we do, whatever you do in this coming year, do it with the integrity of a living faith... and you'll be, the kind of person God wants you to be. And that'll do.

--

“Strangers In the Night,” was the song with Sinatra's famous line of, “Do-Be-Do.” It's at the very end of the song. When you listen to the record, it kind of sounds as though Frank knew he needed to sing a little more, but wasn't sure what, so he improvised. And that little throwaway has become part of music history. The church is called to be a community, not of strangers, but of friends. Friends whose work and whose faith shines in the light of day. The church, in some places, by standards of society, might look like a group of throwaway people. Jesus' original followers, for example, weren't known for their status or education. They weren't known for their great words or miraculous works, although they accomplished both. The men and women who followed Jesus were known mainly because they followed Jesus. They followed. And after Jesus' death and resurrection, when they were called on to form the early church, they improvised. They knew they needed to sing a little more, but they weren't sure exactly what, so they kept on doing and being what Jesus had taught them to.

Nearly 2000 years later, we're the beneficiaries of their doing and being. Sometimes we recite the words exactly the way they taught us. For instance, we read the words of scripture just as they've been handed down to us. And sometimes we improvise. Because it has been 2000 years, and a different world calls for different kinds of doing and being. Like good jazz singers, we're each called upon to sing the words of our faith with our own unique style. Maybe that means singing. And maybe that means sweeping the floors. Maybe it means something else that nobody has ever tried. That's the thing: when you're being a follower of Jesus Christ, there's no telling what you'll do.

Giving Martin Luther and John Calvin their due, the good news is that your salvation is God's business. And there's no way you could ever earn eternal life. No amount of good works can ever save you. But, as the Apostle James might say, your good works won't hurt you, either. And when done in the spirit of Christ, your good works will help the world. When done in the spirit of Christ, your good deeds will help your household, your community. They will help you. When you're hand in hand with the spirit of Christ, when your faith and your works are hitting on all cylinders, you will become a smooth-operating crooner for Christ. You will do. And you will be. You will do-be-do-be and do again, to the rhythms of God almighty.