St Justus Church
Sermons

Sermons

Throughout the year, our sermon series’ explore the word and works of God.  The sermon is a teaching and learning opportunity, and to make the most of this we use sermon series’ to explore themes, passages and books of the Bible.

The best way to experience this teaching is in person, where it is possible to engage with the speaker, and experience any associated resources; however, this is not always possible for a variety of reasons.

Below is the sermon from our guest speaker Helen Kiralfy from our service on Sunday 6 October 2024.

James 5:13-20 Prayer

When Folake and I met and she asked me to talk on this passage, I was really excited. Prayer, what a great subject. I think if you asked any Christian what the 2 most important things were they would say prayer and reading the Bible. I also think if you asked those same Christians what they wished they did more of, it would be prayer and reading the Bible. I don’t think I have ever had a conversation with someone wanting to pray less. So we know what we need, but we don’t do it.

In this passage, James’ answer to everything is prayer. Are you struggling? Pray. Are you happy. Pray and praise. Are you ill? Get the elders to pray and anoint you. Have you messed up? Pray, both on your own and with others.

In the Message version, verse 16 says “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.” Common practice, not just for special occasions, or for some people, but common practice, our go to. And why? So that we can live together, whole and healed. Isn’t that what we long for, that foretaste of Heaven. In the prayer that Jesus taught us, we say Your Kingdom Come, the Kingdom of God where we all live whole and healed.

When I was younger, we used to sing a song in church that some of you might know – prayer is like a telephone – do you remember it? It came to my mind as I was preparing for today. As I look around, I see many people glued to their phones, constantly scrolling and messaging and it made me think, what would it be like if we were that eager, that constant, that desperate in our praying?

A bit later in the service, we are all going to promise to do all we can to support the friends and family of Aubrey and Harley in bringing them up and for the girls as they start their journey of faith. Yes, that might include practical support and help, but we are church and the special thing that we can do is pray for them. Bringing up children is hard, I have 3 grown up children so I’m talking from experience. Many times, when I was at the end of my tether, exhaustedand not knowing what to so for the best, prayer was what kept me going, both praying myself, but calling on friends to pray too.

Back to the passage, we all know the theory. Prayer works. Prayer is the answer. Elijah prayed and the rain stopped. He prayed again and the rain started. I’m sure we all have examples of answered prayer, maybe not quite as dramatic as that but actually, maybe some of us do have examples as dramatic as that, allanswered prayers.

As with everything, Jesus is our model. He needed to pray, to talk with his heavenly father, and if he did, how much more do we? Note that Jesus talked with his heavenly father not at him, took time out to both talk and listen. That’s how a real relationship works. It’s a 2-way thing.

I suspect many of us are happy to pray on our own, just us and God, but that’s not what James says, he talks about a mixture of praying alone and praying together, a mixture of praying for others and being prayed for. I don’t know about you, but I’m really happy to pray for other people, I love it, I love bringing them into the presence of God so that he can minister to them.

I’m not so good at being prayed for though, asking others for help, being vulnerable with them. I know it’s not a good thing, it’s a part of who I am, something of the Britishness of the automatic reply to the question “how are you” as “I’m fine”, even when I’m struggling. I do have a few people who I trust to be honest with. James, in this passage, challenges me hugely to be more vulnerable, more honest.

Paul, in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, tells them to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, he says “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

I said before that I love praying for people and that’s true, but it’s not always my first reaction. I like to talk, to try to solve people’s problems, or, even better, to listen as they solve their problems themselves. In the Centre of Mission, we come across many people with complex issues, in challenging circumstances, with chaotic lifestyles, who make bad choices again and again. My listening to them is great, but only Jesus can change their lives. If my first response is not prayer then I am not giving them the best solutions; it becomes about mebecoming their saviour, not God.

The passage speaks directly to this is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Couldn’t be simpler.

I gather you have an amazing group of people here at St Justus who form a prayer ministry team. What a resource. People who want to pray with you and for you. As the passage says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

I also gather they are not inundated with people rushing every week to take advantage of this great resource. I suspect that this is not because everyone here has everything sorted, has no need to receive prayer. I suspect there are many in trouble, many who are sick, many who have sinned – as the book of Romans reminds us, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,so why do we (and I include myself in that we) not go to others for prayer? Maybe it’s part of our culture, as I said before, the “I’m OK” response. Maybe we don’t feel comfortable admitting we’re not OK when everyone else seems to be.

My colleague Esther is constantly challenging this approach – if we always say we are OK, then it makes the other person feel that they are failing as a Christian when they are not OK. When we are honest and say that we have had a rubbish week, or are struggling, then it gives permission for others to say they are too. It’s a strength to be honest about where we are, not a weakness. That’s counter cultural.

Maybe we struggle to trust others with our deepest secrets, our biggest failings. Maybe we feel that they will judge us. Maybe people have in the past and that affects our willingness to trust now. Maybe we even feel let down by God. We have an outreach on Sunday afternoons to over 18s, ex-offenders, addicts, those vulnerably housed, those with nowhere else to go on a Sunday afternoon, and one of the men who came regularly could not forgive God for letting his daddie. We had many conversations about this, and he could not get past this, until, on the last occasion we saw him, just before he died of alcohol related issues, I suggested that maybe his dad dying was the answer to prayer, rather than him continuing to suffer, that God, in his mercy, had allowed him to die. We don’t always see things from God’s perspective.

Maybe you think that if you share, then the rest of the church will get to find out. I’ve been around churches a long time and know that is a valid fear; the church that I am now a part of is somewhere where this is a real challenge. I can absolutely assure you that anything brought to the prayer ministry team will stay between you, those praying for you and God, unless there is a safeguarding issue, then the PSO will be involved, but not the rest of the church, it won’t become the latest thing to gossip about. Confidentiality is really important in building trust.

Maybe you would love to be prayed for but don’t know why or can’t put it into words. Don’t let that stop you, God knows you and loves you – Psalm 139 says You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.  You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

I love that Psalm, I love the fact that God knows all about me, he knows what I need even when I don’t, there’s nothing hidden. One of the things I really enjoy when I am praying for someone is when they say they don’t really know what they need prayer for. So often God then has the chance to say what he wants them to hear, it’s a privilege to be a part of that.

James ends this passage by talking about going astray. We have all heard of Christian leaders who have sinned, it’s in all the press, everyone knows. There are many reasons for their fall, but often it’s because they have chosen not to be accountable to others, so that when things start to go wrong, there is no-one to correct them. They, like we, are human and that means that we don’t always get things right, we make bad choices, we choose our way over God’s.

James talks about the privilege of being the person who brings that person back, that the sinner is saved from death. But if we never tell anyone of our struggles, our temptations, our wrong thoughts, then how can they help? It all comes back to us choosing to trust, to be prepared to admit when we can’t do it on our own – and we can’t, the trinitarian God is a God of community, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we were created to live life together not alone.

This is all great in theory but that’s not enough. So, St Justus, here’s the challenge. You are blessed with a wonderful prayer ministry team. Are you going to take advantage of this and be obedient to the instructions of James Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

It’s up to you.

Amen