James

I've been going to write a blog since our recent visit to our home congregation on Labor Day weekend, but somehow it kept getting overlooked. I was very touched by the sermon that Pastor Sarah did on that Sunday, and I even asked her for a copy of it because it really touched me. Today I downloaded a new app for my itouch called Daily Bread (which gives you a daily bible verse), and the verse today that came up was James 2:17 and I found this ironic because Pastor Sarah's sermon was about the book of James or at least a few verses from the second chapter.
With not being very familiar with the Bible I decided to read the book of James and though Martin Luther once characterized the letter of James as an "epistle of straw" because of the two brief references to Jesus and lack of any references to the death and resurrection when compared to other New Testament books (from the Lutheran Study Bible), I have found that I am one of many Christian readers that have drawn comfort, strength, and power from the letter of James. I am sure my comfort, strength, and power are for different reasons than most everyone else who has read this letter.
In this letter I have found comfort, strength, and power to help me with a recent decision (that I am in full support of) that was approved at the most recent church wide assembly - and that vote is to allow homosexuals to be ordained in the ELCA while being in a monogamous relationship. This is something I feel very stronly about and the letter of James makes me feel even stronger.
For James the question was, what is faith? While reading James 2:17 says "In some way, faith by itself, if it not accompanied by action is dead." (NIV) For me this is saying if a homosexual is not allowed to be a pastor then we are deciding for them that their faith is dead. The book of James also talks about favoritism and that you should not favor rich over the poor - what is the difference of favoring straight over homosexuals? There isn't any!!!!
James 2:8 also says Love your neighbor as yourself - so here again it does not matter on the persons income, race, education, or sexual orientation - love everyone equally no matter what! You can then go onto James 3:1 here the letter is talking about those who are teachers are judged with a greater strictness - this is very true of today's society - those who are homosexuals (and straight for that matter) and want to be pastors are judged more than others. You do not hear about the American Medical Association not allowing homosexuals to be doctors - there really is no difference of someone wanting to be a pastor or a doctor they both want to serve people and share their gifts. In chapter 4 verse 11 it says Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters - this includes everyone no matter what!!
I recently had someone tell me that their issue with homosexuals being a pastor is that what they are doing is sin and that person doesn't believe it is a sin so they don't ask for forgiveness. Well, I completely disagree with this persons view (though I respect it) because I don't feel people choose to be gay it is how they are born, and therefore how God made them and does the Bible not say love ALL as we are ALL children of God?