I often find myself in the same camp - even though I also believe that it's not "how good I am" that will ever prove to be my salvation. I like James' "in your face" attitude. You want to be a Christian? He says, "ACT LIKE ONE." These days, we spend so much time arguing about words and policies and beliefs that little attention gets paid to the actions that may well be defining us. Forgotten Presbyterian mission dollars do phenomenal things both at home and abroad. The agencies and mission projects we support as a church family touch the lives of families living in poverty in Anderson County, and the lives of African coffee growers, and the lives of Bolivian school children, and you name it, we've done it. Or should I say, our dollars have done it. I don't want to diminish the effect that our dollars have - but are our personal actions really reflecting, in a bold face statement kind of way, what we really believe?

James wasn't quite as concerned about the dollars because he knew that the sentiment on one's heart means far more than the weight found in the offering plate. Christians, even early Christians, were good patrons of helping the widows and orphans. Many of them had learned that from their Jewish background which taught them the spiritual practice of giving 10% of their goods to the work of their local synagogue. Even those of the hellenized world were inclined to make sizeable donations to charity from their hefty bankrolls - otherwise many of these early mission posts would have dissolved into oblivion. Nevertheless, James' bigger concern was about attitude, pure and simple. The attitude didn't match what they were saying they believed. It hardly even matched the kinds of giving they were doing. People who came to these early churches were being brushed off if they didn't have the right kinds of clothes, or if they looked rather down and out. Those who came for shelter or clothing were being told that the doors would be locked after 5 p.m. They'd have to call back later, or be put on a waiting list, or pass a screening test to see if they really were the "deserving" poor.

James knew then what we hesitate to mention in church today - that we are transparent as to what we really believe as soon as someone poor or someone different comes into our place of worship. It is immediately noticed by even the newest newcomer if preferential treatment is given to those who have the better clothes, while those in shabby attire are looked over. Jesus welcomed the poor, the sick, the outcast, the women, the children, and the mentally ill. He was friend to fishermen, tax collectors, and prostitutes. There was no end to his welcome of all people, especially those who were in need, and yet the church of Jesus Christ has trouble keeping that welcome alive - especially when it comes to welcoming the poor. Jesus said the poor will inherit the kingdom, but when we stake too heavy a claim on our ownership of the church our actions make us look as though they'll have to pry that inheritance from our cold, dead fingers.

Talking about the rich and the poor in church is usually left for stewardship season or for times we need to accentuate our benevolent giving programs. We would like to ignore anything smelling of money altogether, especially because the word to the wealthy in scripture is not a comfortable word. We want to be congratulated for the money we do give, not reminded of the ways in which our actions give away our prejudice against the poor.

I feel particularly accused myself because I grew up with a lot of advantages. My family is not extraordinarily wealthy, but I grew up without ever having felt poverty's hand. In my hometown, I lived in the best neighborhood. I wore fashionable clothes. We went on family vacations to the beach, and I always had the assurance that I could grow up to do anything I wanted to do. That isn't the case for a large percentage of my hometown's population - or the populations of most towns and cities across the US. The gap between the rich and the poor is becoming more pronounced and the middle class is shrinking. I suspect we live in a time when we'll find ourselves more and more polarized by widening economic struggles.

When I think about all the available opportunities for ministry, I thank God that I've not been called to minister in the kind of situation Bud Ogle finds himself in with Good News Partners in inner city Chicago. His work puts him face to face with all the difficulties of working in an impoverished situation: the drugs, the crime, the realization that you can never meet all the needs of all the people. To be honest, I wouldn't know where to begin. My fears might get the better of me and I might be inclined myself to want to board up doors and windows and judge people by appearances right away. I could easily see myself becoming someone I wouldn't want to be. But as frightening as that may be--it's just as scary for us to hear God's word in this place, to hear God's word in a context where we may be closer to being the problem than to being the solution. My heart is found guilty when I hear James' words, "My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?" I want to say, "Surely I believe," and yet, I find myself needing to let go of the ways in which I contribute to the hypocrisy of the Christian church which says one thing and does another. I'm finding that I need to show greater mercy and to deepen my own trust in God. James' words about being doers of the word and not hearers only fill me with guilt, the good kind of guilt that hopefully will spur me to a greater sensitivity and a greater generosity.

The ancient wisdom of Proverbs tells us that "Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor." My understanding of that statement is two-fold. First, we must be inclined to share the wealth of our tables with those less fortunate. We do that through giving to food banks, and ADFAC, and through our Presbyterian mission giving. But I think it says something deeper than that: the poor must actually be welcome to this same table, the table we share in Jesus Christ. It does us no honor to write our checks and look the other way. We must become friends with the stranger and welcome the poor into our homes and our house of worship. "The rich and the poor have this in common; the Lord is the maker of us all." We are all human beings involved in human struggles. It is an undoing of scripture to believe that God blesses the rich and curses the poor; God promises that there will be abundance for all! The rich and the poor have things to teach each other about generosity and about trust. Like Jesus did, we cannot merely give some gifts and think we'll be OK, we must become the gift for one another. Amen.