When I read this section from James about calling together the elders of the church to pray for you when you are sick, it reminds me a little bit of the Disney movie that was in theaters earlier this year, Cars. It reminds me of Lightning McQueen from Cars. At the beginning of the movie Lightning is only concerned with how great and how fast he is. He thinks that because he is really fast and red and sleek and flashy he can win the Piston Cup on his own and get that big endorsement/sponsorship deal. It is the end of the season and its supposed to be the last race of the season. The race starts and he does fine for a while in the race. In fact he is leading the race. Lightning does not want to pit at all, but he knows that he at least needs fuel to keep running. To save time he does not let his team change his tires through out the whole race. By not taking tires he ensures that he gets back on the track with the lead. He is faster than the rest of the cars in the race and as the laps wind down he is leading the race with no other cars even running on the same lap that he is running. But this is where the trouble starts. His pit crew had continued to try to call him in to get new tires, but Lightning tells them that he does not need them and he is really pretty rude to them. They are so hurt that they leave him there by himself for the rest of the race. Only his faithful hauler remains to help service him. As Lightning starts his last lap one of his warn out old tires pops. He manages to not crash and continues to try to drive around the track and as he struggles to continue each of his other three tires blow out. Now his closest pursuers are gaining on him. With his bare wheels grinding on the pavement and shooting sparks, Lightning McQueen manages to drag his chassis across the finish line in time to score a three way tie with the two other top competitors in the race. Now they have have to have an extra race to break the tie and decide who will win the season championship. It takes the results of that race and the events of the next week for Lightning McQueen to learn that everybody needs the support and help of friends some time.
Lightning eventually gets loaded into his hauler and they head out across the country. Lightning is still pushing. Even though his hauler is tired out Lightning coaxes him into trying to continue to drive straight though across the country to get to the site of the next race. They run into trouble as his hauler is driving very drowsily. They run into a ruff looking gang of tuners, and a hot rod, that harass the hauler and Lightning accidentally gets knocked right out of the trailer. He wakes up to find himself all alone on the highway. He drives around frantically not know where he is and even how to get where he is going. He ends up on a back road and rolls into what looks like a run down abandoned ghost town when he is just about out of gas and is nearly exhausted. He finds that there are still just a handful of die-hards hanging on there. This is where he starts to develop his character. While he is there he learns what it means to be part of a community and to care about other people or cars and even to put other cars’ interests and needs ahead of his own. When Lightning McQueen eventually makes it across the country to the tie breaker race at the end of week, he has learned that it takes help and support from a team to accomplish the greatest challenges. He also learns that winning at any cost may exact too high of a price from those around you.
I do not know about you, but I feel pretty tired these days. As I look around and talk to folks in our congregation I suspect that several of you all feel pretty much the same way. I have been serving this church for about thirteen weeks now. It seems longer, in a good way because we have done several things in that time with the hog roast and outdoor service, VBS, and the potluck and planning Sunday a couple of weeks ago. Then Friday night we had a good turn out and through a special church conference we voted to accept the purchase offer from the Church of Jubilee to purchase the Bennington building. We have been very busy over these past few months. Outside of church the children have gone back to school and those of us that had time off during the summer are back to the everyday grind. As we roll into October our church is continuing to be very busy. Today is the District Conference in Swartz Creek, Monday we have PPRC meeting to complete reports to be submitted 10-days before our church conference. Wednesday we have the Smorgasbord that many of you have already volunteered to prepare food for and help to serve. We have the Ad board meeting on Tuesday the 10th and then our church conference takes place on the 15th. Then to end the month we have the Bazaar on the 28th. It could make you tired just to think about it all.
Is anybody here familiar with the Bill Cosby comedy routine about his mother being sick and tired whenever Bill and his brother Russell would get in trouble with her. It goes something like this, “My mother she would always get on our case about how we would leave messes around the house. She would say, ‘I am just sick and tired of pickin’ up after you. You leave your dirty dishes sitting around and when you just drop your dirty clothes on the floor, do you think that I just enjoy cleaning up after you. I am just sick and tired of being your maid.’” Then Bill says that one time his mother was getting on his case and she started to say, “I am just so sick…” and he interrupted her and said, “and tired!” …. He said that he could not remember anything else that happened that day.
When I read our epistle lesson from James this morning, I read it like that. From the beginning of Chapter 5 verse 13, it goes like this, “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.” I think that we can count ourselves in each of those categories and probably in both. Then in verse 14, “Are any among you sick.”…”Are any among you sick.” When I read that, I heard in my head, “and tired.” … Are any among you sick and tired? They should call the elders of the church and have them pray over them with oil in the name of the Lord. Verse 15, “The prayer of faith will save the sick (and the tired), and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.”
This is a powerful word for us, repeat…. And continuing through verse 16, “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” …”The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
It even lays out some evidence of that fact. Elijah (the prophet) was a human being like us. He was physically no different than you or I. But he was faithful, and that does make him different from some people. He prayed fervently that it might not rain. And what happened. Did it rain? Did it not rain for a couple days or even a couple of weeks? No it says, “and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.” Was that just a coincidence? Was it just a long and severe drought? No because in the end it says, “Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.”
My brothers and sisters in Christ, I tell you this morning that we need to take on the responsibility of praying intentionally and earnestly for each other. We need to be open and honest with each other when we are sick and tired and call on our fellow members of the church to have them pray for us.
Lightning eventually gets loaded into his hauler and they head out across the country. Lightning is still pushing. Even though his hauler is tired out Lightning coaxes him into trying to continue to drive straight though across the country to get to the site of the next race. They run into trouble as his hauler is driving very drowsily. They run into a ruff looking gang of tuners, and a hot rod, that harass the hauler and Lightning accidentally gets knocked right out of the trailer. He wakes up to find himself all alone on the highway. He drives around frantically not know where he is and even how to get where he is going. He ends up on a back road and rolls into what looks like a run down abandoned ghost town when he is just about out of gas and is nearly exhausted. He finds that there are still just a handful of die-hards hanging on there. This is where he starts to develop his character. While he is there he learns what it means to be part of a community and to care about other people or cars and even to put other cars’ interests and needs ahead of his own. When Lightning McQueen eventually makes it across the country to the tie breaker race at the end of week, he has learned that it takes help and support from a team to accomplish the greatest challenges. He also learns that winning at any cost may exact too high of a price from those around you.
I do not know about you, but I feel pretty tired these days. As I look around and talk to folks in our congregation I suspect that several of you all feel pretty much the same way. I have been serving this church for about thirteen weeks now. It seems longer, in a good way because we have done several things in that time with the hog roast and outdoor service, VBS, and the potluck and planning Sunday a couple of weeks ago. Then Friday night we had a good turn out and through a special church conference we voted to accept the purchase offer from the Church of Jubilee to purchase the Bennington building. We have been very busy over these past few months. Outside of church the children have gone back to school and those of us that had time off during the summer are back to the everyday grind. As we roll into October our church is continuing to be very busy. Today is the District Conference in Swartz Creek, Monday we have PPRC meeting to complete reports to be submitted 10-days before our church conference. Wednesday we have the Smorgasbord that many of you have already volunteered to prepare food for and help to serve. We have the Ad board meeting on Tuesday the 10th and then our church conference takes place on the 15th. Then to end the month we have the Bazaar on the 28th. It could make you tired just to think about it all.
Is anybody here familiar with the Bill Cosby comedy routine about his mother being sick and tired whenever Bill and his brother Russell would get in trouble with her. It goes something like this, “My mother she would always get on our case about how we would leave messes around the house. She would say, ‘I am just sick and tired of pickin’ up after you. You leave your dirty dishes sitting around and when you just drop your dirty clothes on the floor, do you think that I just enjoy cleaning up after you. I am just sick and tired of being your maid.’” Then Bill says that one time his mother was getting on his case and she started to say, “I am just so sick…” and he interrupted her and said, “and tired!” …. He said that he could not remember anything else that happened that day.
When I read our epistle lesson from James this morning, I read it like that. From the beginning of Chapter 5 verse 13, it goes like this, “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.” I think that we can count ourselves in each of those categories and probably in both. Then in verse 14, “Are any among you sick.”…”Are any among you sick.” When I read that, I heard in my head, “and tired.” … Are any among you sick and tired? They should call the elders of the church and have them pray over them with oil in the name of the Lord. Verse 15, “The prayer of faith will save the sick (and the tired), and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.”
This is a powerful word for us, repeat…. And continuing through verse 16, “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” …”The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
It even lays out some evidence of that fact. Elijah (the prophet) was a human being like us. He was physically no different than you or I. But he was faithful, and that does make him different from some people. He prayed fervently that it might not rain. And what happened. Did it rain? Did it not rain for a couple days or even a couple of weeks? No it says, “and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.” Was that just a coincidence? Was it just a long and severe drought? No because in the end it says, “Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.”
My brothers and sisters in Christ, I tell you this morning that we need to take on the responsibility of praying intentionally and earnestly for each other. We need to be open and honest with each other when we are sick and tired and call on our fellow members of the church to have them pray for us.
Labels: James 5:13-20
posted by Robert C. Howell at
9:01 PM
