Daily Worship

It is all about Relationships

February 22, 2015 0 0

James 2:14-20

Faith without Works Is Dead

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren?

One of the great strengths of the church is the story of our commitment to be a presence in every parish in Scotland. In spite of the words we hear about decline, the church has a good reputation and a very proud legacy of community service. Sometimes, the experts who provide services in our communities, whilst doing a magnificent job, struggle to make connections and enable people to get the best possible benefit from their expertise. In the Grassmarket Centre we have discovered that it is as important to have good relationships with people as it is to have high quality expertise to support people. As one of our members said to a group of health service professionals and social workers who met in our centre not long ago. “You can have all the good ideas and all the money in the world to offer me help, but if you cannot gain my respect, you are wasting your time”.

Prayer:
Living God, your Gospel is all about relationships.
It is what your church should be good at.
Help us to be better at relationships, within our own families and community networks
and to recognise that our message of love and salvation is meaningless
if people do not feel a sense of acceptance and belonging amongst us.
Amen.