How is your life different? - November 16

Today’s Readings:AM Psalm 89:1-18; PM Psalm 89:19-52; Hab. 2:1-4,9-20; James 2:14-26; Luke 16:19-31

Usually, when a church (or school) wants to build an expansion, a new building or worship space, or a covered pavilion for basketball and picnics, a very thoughtful plan is put together called a Capital Campaign.  Major donors are usually a part of a feasibility study, then a quiet campaign is launched, followed by a public campaign that gives all of those who have a stake in the church or organization an opportunity to give.  And then when the money is raised, and the project begins, everyone feels a shared responsibility in building their community. 

Did you know that this was not always the case?  In 1506, Pope Julius II began building St. Peter’s Basilica in what is now the Vatican City.  If building a modest campus like that of Saint Stephen’s is expensive, you can imagine how extraordinarily costly it would be to build a major cathedral!  The Catholic Church needed money.  Good thing the Catholic Church had a way of raising money that was far superior, and most certainly immoral, than a Capital Campaign! (This is not a practice today, and Catholic churches, just like Episcopal Churches use the good old Capital Campaign model).

At that time, one of the key Catholic beliefs was this idea that punishment from our sins could be relieved through a work of mercy.  This then led the church into a practice of receiving indulgences or payments to satisfy the punishment for people’s sins.  Seeing this as an extraordinary opportunity to raise wealth in the church, indulgences were extended to family members and even for those who were deceased. Pope Leo X began selling indulgences with the sole purpose of financing the construction of the Cathedral, even for serious sins like adultery and theft.

In 1517, a professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg had had enough.  When the indulgences began to be sold in his town, Martin Luther marched to All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg and nailed 95 Theses on the door, condemning this practice and initiating the beginning of what is now known as the Protestant Reformation.  While most of the 95 Theses focused on indulgences, the Reformation also spurred a deeply needed conversation on the relationship of grace and good works.  

This might be why we are not that familiar with the letter of James.  James is critical of faith without works.  James says, “Can faith save you?” And later, “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”  I am betting that you have never heard in church that faith alone isn’t enough.  The Reformation led us to prioritize faith over works. 

It’s a slippery slope when we claim that our works are more important than faith, but this year I begun asking a question to my Inquirer’s class.  “How is your life fundamentally different because of what you believe?”  It’s a question we should consistently ask ourselves, because if our faith truly matters then transformation is always the end result.  While acting out good works might give us hope and faith, it is our faith that transforms our lives, our worldview, and how we engage with others and the world.   

Maybe James is just being provocative when he asks, “Can faith save you?”  I happen to believe that faith does have that kind of power, but if we really have faith, won’t our lives be different?  Won’t the way we act, the way we serve, and the way we care for others be changed?  How is your life fundamentally different?  Don’t worry, I won’t try to sell you indulgences to make it better.

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection: How is your life fundamentally different because of what you believe?

Daily Challenge:  Making a change in life takes an actionable step. Pick one thing that you can do so that your life different.