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Hespeler, 10 October, 2021 © Scott McAndless – Thanksgiving
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15, Psalm 90:12-17, Hebrews 4:12-16, Mark 10:17-31

The story is told that, in Jerusalem in the early years of the first century, there was a gate in the city wall that was popularly known as the eye of the needle. This gate was apparently quite handy for those who engaged in the import/export trade – maybe especially those who engaged in it without wanting to bother paying annoying things like taxes and tariffs, if you know what I mean. The reason they liked this gate was because it was generally left open at night when the main gates were closed. As such, it offered an easy way to avoid the attention of customs inspectors.

Getting Through the Gate

But there was one problem. The gate was very small. And so, when a trader arrived at this gate with a camel train carrying all manner of goods that he wanted to take to market, he would quickly discover that it was so small that a camel bearing all of its burdens could not pass through it.

And so the merchant would have to remove every pack from the animal’s back. Then he would have to remove the beautifully engraved saddle that he had inherited from his father and even the fine metal bridles and bits that had been in his family for generations. The man would have to lay all of these possessions and assets of his on the ground and only then lead the camel towards the gate.

But even then, it was not possible for the camel to pass. Camels are quite unique as beasts of burden in their ability to bend their knees and get right down to the ground, and that is what the camel would have to do next. And it was only in that extremely humble position that the camel was able to crawl its way through the gate. Only then, could it stand again, and the trader could push all of his possessions through the gate, put them back on the animal and go on his way.

The Saying of Jesus

And it is said that, when Jesus turned to his disciples one day and said to them, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God,” that he understood and all his disciples understood that what he was actually referring to was not the eye of a literal sewing needle, don’t be ridiculous! No, they all understood that he was talking about that gate in Jerusalem.

And if they all understood that, then doesn’t that give us a perfect interpretation of that famous saying of Jesus? Because then it would mean that Jesus was saying that the problem is not really with our wealth and possessions. It is not really these things that prevent us from being part of the kingdom of God. The problem is our attitude towards our wealth and possessions. And if we, like the camel, can lay aside all of our earthly possessions without regret and if we can get down on our knees in thanksgiving to the God who has provided all of these things for us, well, then we too can pass through the gate and into the kingdom, at which point, I guess, we get all our possessions back too.

A Perfect Thanksgiving Application

It seems just perfect, doesn’t it? And wouldn’t that just make a beautiful application of this saying of Jesus on this day when we celebrate Thanksgiving? It’s a reminder that we can enjoy the good things of life, so long as we set aside a day like this on which we are truly grateful. You have maybe even heard that interpretation of this saying of Jesus before because it has been used in many sermons by preachers of all sorts. It is a very popular interpretation.

It is Bunk

There is just one problem. It is all bunk. The fact of the matter is that there was no such gate in the city of Jerusalem in the times of Jesus nor at any other point in time. Jerusalem is one of the most archaeologically investigated sites on the face of the earth, no such gate has ever been found. Even more significant, there is no mention of such a gate in any of the ancient records. In fact, nobody ever seems to have heard of such a gate until, in relatively modern times, the story I just told you began to circulate.

The Illustration that Took Off

So, do you know what I think likely happened? I suspect that, at some point, there was a Christian preacher much like myself who was struggling with this particular saying of Jesus because it is, of course, a really troubling saying. And he (let’s face it, given how long ago this likely happened, it was probably a male preacher) – he was looking for some way to make this saying relevant and palatable to the people in his congregation.

So, he made up a gate that never existed. He probably originally made it up just as an illustration. I’ll bet, in the original sermon, he did not actually say that the gate really existed. But, you know how people are. They always remember the sermon illustrations much better than they remember the actual point of the sermon. So, the story just spread around. And, before long, the actual existence of the gate was taken for granted. Nobody questioned it.

Looking for Loopholes

And I can understand why. Such an interpretation is so much easier to take than what Jesus was apparently really saying. In fact, the history of this particular saying of Jesus is a history of people looking for loopholes. I heard a joke the other day saying that Elon Musk, who is apparently now the richest man in the world, has been funding research lately on the miniaturization of camels and the magnification of needles’ eyes.

I heard that joke and I laughed, but then I thought about what the richest men in the world, men like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, have been doing lately. They, and a few other global billionaires, have literally been engaging in a self-funded space race. It rather seems as if they have decided that, if they can’t fit a camel through a needle’s eye, they are just going to fly directly to the kingdom of heaven in rockets.

How Jesus would Reply to the Super Rich

I can’t help but wonder how Jesus might reply to such men and their quest today. I think that men like that actually have a lot in common with that rich young ruler that had come up to Jesus that day. We are told that this man came up to Jesus with this question, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And notice that that question is very specific.

He doesn’t ask, for example, “Good teacher, how can I get into heaven?” Nor does he ask, “How can I be part of this ‘kingdom of God’ that you are always going on about?” Being part of the kingdom of God was all about how you lived out this life as a part of what God was accomplishing in the world. Getting into heaven was all about what happened after you died, but this man asks about neither of those things. This man just wants to straight up live forever.

What the Super Rich are Doing

That is what I see the likes of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk doing these days. They’ve already got everything of this world they could possibly desire. I mean, these are men who have so much wealth that they literally could not possibly spend it all no matter what they did. The interest and return on investment they earn grows much faster than what they could possibly spend buying things. They’ve gotten to this place where possessions don’t actually mean anything anymore.

And so what do they seek? They seek eternal life. To quote a movie score, “(Fame) I’m gonna make it to heaven, Light up the sky like a flame. (Fame) I’m gonna live forever. Baby, remember my name.” And they think that using their wealth to conquer outer space is the way they are going to do that.

And I know that they’ve done their best to present what they do as being ultra cool and all for the sake of the future of humanity, but I really think most people see through that. I suspect that Jesus would have seen through it too. Had they come up to Jesus and said, “What must I do to live forever?” They would have probably cut Jesus off even before he started listing off the commandments and said, “Hey, did you hear that I went into space?”

But the story still would have ended with Jesus shaking his head and saying, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and use it to lift billions from poverty, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

Little has Changed

These men remind us of just how little has changed since Jesus first spoke to that rich young ruler. The richest people in the world are still full of themselves. And even when they do things that they like to think of as trying to better the world, their extreme wealth tends to skew their perception.

Yes, today’s billionaires may think of themselves as saving humanity by providing us a path to the stars, but it’s pretty clear, from the way they go about it, that it’s all about them saving the world. Yes, Bill Gates, who was once the world’s richest man, may have given away huge quantities of money through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but when you look at how he set all of that up, he managed to keep a whole lot of control over how the money was spent so that it would align with his vision of what the world was supposed to be. He made sure that it was kind of all about him.

The Distortion Caused by Wealth

And I think that that is what Jesus is really getting at in his interaction with this rich young ruler and his saying about camels and needles’ eyes. There is no denying that you can do a lot of good with wealth. In fact, given all of the ways in which the world actually works, it is practically impossible to do good without access to wealth. That is why churches and non-profits actually have to invest a fair bit of energy into raising funds. But what Jesus is saying is that wealth itself has a power to distort even the noblest of goals. And the more there is of it, the more distortion may occur. I think that’s what we are seeing happening in the billionaire space race these days.

Jesus Asks for More

And Jesus was saying more than just that we have to take all of our belongings off of the camel and make the camel kneel down before going through the gate. He was saying that, if we really want to be part of the kingdom of God, which, remember, is all about what God is doing in this world to bring about God’s vision of peace and justice and goodness for all, then we have to let go of that distorting influence in our life. Wealth and the pursuit of it and the illusion of security that it brings, these are the very things that prevent us from being a part of the kingdom of God here and now.

And, while some can and will take Jesus’ advice to just give everything away to the poor, the practical truth of living in this world is that most of us will not be able to do that. But understand that, by not giving everything away, we are choosing the much more difficult path, indeed the impossible path. We have to deny the power that wealth has over us. The good news, however, is that God is so committed to bringing about God’s kingdom, that the impossible can happen.

Embracing the Impossible

So, yes, we are in a tough spot on this Thanksgiving Sunday. We do want to gather and celebrate the incredible bounty of harvest and all of the good things that God gives us in this world. And I would say yes, be truly thankful for all of these things today and every day. But do not forget to go beyond thanks to embrace the real challenge that your God gives to you today, to actually pursue the impossible reality of the kingdom of God.

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Hespeler, 3 October, 2021 © Scott McAndless – World Communion
Job 1:1, Job 2:1-10, Psalm 26, Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12, Mark 10:2-16

Have you ever considered that the mention of Satan at the beginning of the Book of Job is probably the oldest clear reference to the character of Satan that we have in the Bible. I know that people often assume that Satan first appears in the story of the Garden of Eden, but go back and read that story in Genesis 3 and you will notice that it never says that the serpent who appears to the woman is Satan, or even that it is a demon. It says that the serpent who spoke to Eve was just another creature made by God, albeit a very crafty one.

So Satan, as a distinct character, doesn’t really appear on the scene until we get to the Book of Job. But is that character who appears in the Book of Job really the same one that we come to know and hate in later Christian tradition? What is the story that really unfolds between the Lord and Satan at the beginning of this book? Even more important, what, if anything, does this character really have to do with the challenges we all face living today in this world? Today I would like to delve into one of the most classic tales of the Bible, one that leads us to one of the most elemental questions: why do good people suffer?

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time in the land of Uz there lived a man called Job. And Job lived a good life. He worked hard. He was an entrepreneur who ran all kinds of businesses like restaurants and hair salons. And he loved to have the public come into his businesses and he always treated them right and gave them exactly the kind of service that pleased them. He treated his employees well also, paying them a living wage. And he was always fair and kind in his treatment of them.

He was a faithful friend. He enjoyed going out with his friends and maybe doing some dining and dancing. He loved to go to sports events with them and cheer for the home team. He was generous to them, sometimes to a fault.

Job had a good life, but that just seemed right to everybody because he was a good person. That is how it’s supposed to work after all, isn’t it?

Meanwhile in the Heavenly Realm

Now, one day, Yahweh, the great high God of the Israelites, was hanging out with all of the other gods. They were coming to Yahweh and giving their reports, for they were under God’s authority. And while they were doing this, Satan also came.

“Well, well, well,” said Yahweh, “if it isn’t Satan, my old nemesis. If it isn’t the great dragon, that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray and who steals souls away and condemns them to outer darkness for all eternity.”

Satan or Hasatan?

“Wait, wait” said Satan, “what are you talking about? That’s not who I am at all. I am Hasatan, the Satan. Think of me as your Attorney General. I am one of your servants, the one who goes out and goes to and fro on the earth and walking up and down on it to see what all of those humans of yours are up to. I’m one of the guys on your team, remember, just like all of these other so-called “sons of God.”

“That whole idea of me as your adversary locked into a conflict with you for all eternity, that’s not an idea that’s even going to come into being until maybe hundreds of years after the writing of this particular story.

The Origins of Satan

In fact, some people think that it is a concept that was influenced by a dualistic way of looking at the universe – you know, a way of thinking where everything is seen as a conflict between two opposites: good and evil, light and darkness, black and white. Judeans might have picked up such ways of looking at the universe from the Persians during the time of the exile. But that way of understanding me as big bad Satan has still not yet even been envisioned.”

“Oh sorry, of course you are right,” replied Yahweh. “I guess that is a problem when you are an eternal being. When you are living simultaneously in the past, present and future all the time, sometimes it can be difficult to keep all of that straight. So, let’s start all over again and I’ll greet you properly.

“Welcome back home, Hasatan, my faithful Attorney General. I would be happy to hear your report on the doings of the people of the earth. Tell me, what do you think of my man Job? There is a good example of a faithful human, am I right? He always tries to do the right thing. He treats people fairly. And he only ever has good things to say about me. Doesn’t Job reflect really well on me, his creator?

A Deal is Made

“Well,” said Hasatan, “it is true that Mr. Job has nothing but good things to say about you. But why would he say any different? It’s like he lives a charmed life and everything he sets his mind to only brings him success. Let him experience a little bit of failure, some frustration and disappointment and then we shall see if he changes his tune.”

“Fine,” said Yahweh, “you have a devious mind, but that’s exactly what I like about you. Go ahead and do your worst. But do me one favour, don’t hit him directly, but you can mess things up around him.”

“Done,” cried the prosecutor. And he went out of the divine presence.

What Happened to Job

So, what did Hasatan need in order to accomplish his mission? Did he require incursions of marauding Sabeans and Chaldeans? Did he need tornadoes or hurricanes blowing in with all their destructive power? These are indeed the hazards that sometimes afflict us in this life. But Hasatan hardly needed anything as dramatic as that to accomplish his goals. He only needed a small thing – a tiny little virus.

The virus and the fear of the virus accomplished everything else. Public health officials shut down all of Job’s restaurants and his salons. His income dropped so drastically that he had to lay off all of his workers, which broke his heart. All of a sudden everything that had made him feel safe and secure, was taken away from him and he felt lost.

At the same time, he was also immediately cut off from all of his friends. He couldn’t go out and enjoy dinners or sporting events. He was trapped inside with no place to go and he felt as if his life was completely miserable.

But he said to himself, “Hey, at least this is something that we’re all in together and we’re all going to get through it together.” And so, in all of this, Job did not lose his goodness and righteousness.

Meanwhile, Again

So it happened that another day Yahweh, the great high God of the Israelites, was hanging out with all of the other gods. They were coming to Yahweh and giving their reports for they were under God’s authority. And while they were doing this, Satan also came.

So Yahweh greeted him. “Hey Satan. . . I mean. . . Hasatan, what do you say now? I saw that you did your worst to my good buddy Job and he didn’t crack. You might just be losing your touch.”

“Oh no, replied the Attorney General. “I did everything just right. If only your limitations hadn’t held me back, he would have reacted differently. Let me move directly against him and you will see that his façade will crumble like a house of cards”

“Yeah, whatever,” said the Lord, “Go ahead and do your worst.”

Phase Two of Destroying Job’s Life

So Hasatan went out from the presence of Yahweh and systematically destroyed any sense of well-being that Job still had. That sense that everyone was going through these difficult times together, the Attorney broke that down very effectively. He quickly spread misinformation by means of his favorite tool, social media. Soon it seemed as if even the most sensible precautions against the spread of a virus, like wearing a mask and distancing and even vaccines had become political footballs that people used to turn friend against friend and neighbour against neighbour.

All of this broke Job’s spirit. And then he too fell sick with the virus, even if it was a mild case (because, of course, he had done what he could to protect the community by being vaccinated).

Job felt discouraged and robbed of all strength, but still in this he did not curse God, still he held onto faith that, at least, he was not alone in all of this because his God was with him.

The Issues in Job

The Book of Job, if it were not in the Bible, would still be considered one of the great works of human literature. It is an extensive discussion, written in poetic form, of one of the most intractable questions that humanity has ever faced – why do bad things happen to good people? And most of the philosophical and theological discussion of that question takes place within the extended poetic section in the middle of the book in a series of dialogues between Job and three or four of his friends. But I wanted to focus today, instead, on the brief prose story that begins and ends the book.

More than Framing Narrative

I know that many people have dismissed this story, suggesting that it’s merely a framing narrative that sets up the much deeper discussion in the poetic section. But I’m not so sure about that. Yes, the poetic dialogues in the Book of Job do find their own resolution to the difficult problem of evil. But I do think that, in its own way, the prose story also tries to resolve this difficult question.

It all comes down to the character of Satan. He never reappears after the opening scenes, he never gets mentioned in the poetic dialogues. Nevertheless, he is the apparent instrument of Job’s misery. I cannot help but feel that if we could better understand the purpose of this character in the story, we would better grasp the author’s understanding of the problem of evil.

Satan’s Baggage

And we must, first of all, dispense with most of the cultural and later biblical baggage that comes with the name of Satan. There is no sense that this character is a powerful nemesis to God in this story. The opening scene in heaven makes it clear that he is on God’s team.

The opening scene shows the Lord, Yahweh, surrounded by figures who are called, in Hebrew, “the sons of God.” This is a Hebrew idiom. In Hebrew, when you said sons of man, it meant humans. When you said sons of God, it meant gods. So this story, which is quite ancient, actually reflects a time before the people of Israel had really figured out that Yahweh actually was the one and only true God.

And Satan comes as one of these gods who serve the high God, Yahweh. He is not called by the proper name Satan but he is rather Hasatan, which means the satan, or perhaps the adversary or the prosecutor. He is, in other words, the kind of person who, in a royal human court, dealt with legal matters and with the prosecution of individuals accused of crimes. So, he may not be a popular member of God’s court, but he is definitely part of it.

So What is the Satan?

So, if he doesn’t represent the personification of evil in the story, how should we see this Satan who is the author of all of Job’s misery?

Well, this is how I understand it. That opening heavenly scene in the Book of Job is pretty clearly not meant to be taken as a literal description of the state of affairs in heaven. The scene, with a high king who is attended by a court full of servants including his own attorney general, is clearly based on the real-life situation that the author would have witnessed in a king’s court where he, no doubt, personally served. And he means us to see it exactly as an observer in that world would observe a discussion between a king and his prosecutor as they looked into the affairs of one of the king’s subjects.

God and Human Suffering

Neither the king nor the advocate desires or intends for anybody to suffer. The satan, I suspect, simply represents an intractable truth about life – that things sometimes go wrong. Sometimes they go horribly wrong. And such misfortune may visit anyone. It does not fall exclusively on the unjust nor on the just. And of course we are tested severely when such things enter into our lives.

I think that this story affirms this basic, inescapable truth about life. I know we would like to affirm something different. We would like to affirm that all suffering carries with it meaning and purpose. But the presence of the Satan in the high king’s court seems to say otherwise. But that does not mean that we are lost and alone in the midst of the suffering of this world.

The other thing that this story affirms is that God, the high king, actually does care about our sufferings and, in the end, he draws near to Job when he’s at the worst of them. And that is not nothing. That is the central theme of the story of the Christian gospel, that God, in Christ, draws near to us when we are at our very worst.

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Hespeler, 26 September 2021 © Scott McAndless
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 20-22, Psalm 124, James 5:13-20, Mark 9:38-50

Last month, a twitter thread went viral. It was posted by twitter user @TepidButterASMR and started out by saying, “If you search ‘covid prayers’ right now in Facebook posts the sheer amount of posts is crazy.” It went on from there to screenshot a number of posts of people begging for prayers from their friends and followers as they, or their loved ones, were sick with Covid-19 and struggling for their breath in hospitals, on respirators, lingering, some of them, on the very doorstep of death.

Now, to see anyone in that kind of extreme situation is, of course, heart-rending. One can only imagine the kind of fear and despair that they were struggling with. You can certainly understand and appreciate their desire to reach out for support from other people, in whatever form they can find it. I honestly think we’d all be better off if more people did that.

Previous Posts

But the Twitter thread did not just document such requests. It also took the trouble to dig into some other previous posts made by the people involved. And it may not surprise you to discover that, in case after case, it turned up posts of vaccine skepticism, of people vowing that they would never get the vaccine no matter what, of people decrying all public health efforts to stop the spread of the virus including lockdowns, social distancing and the wearing of face masks. Oh yes, there were many references to masks as “face diapers” and many boasts about how they were the only person they knew who was brave enough not to wear one.

How we’re Feeling about Prayer

And, in many ways, that post is the perfect illustration of a lot of the ambivalence people in our society and even sometimes in the church feel right now about prayer. The Apostle James writes, “Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up.” And I do want to affirm the truth of that statement here this morning. I do believe that prayer is powerful and effective. But there is also no doubt that the truth of that statement is often put to the test in real-life circumstances. And the pandemic in which we are living right now is certainly one of those circumstances that tests us.

Flood Story

You have probably heard the story about the man in the flood before, but it bears repeating in this situation. It was a man who had a house built on a flood plain. And, in the face of a hurricane, the warning went out that the flood waters were rising and that everyone needed to evacuate immediately. So, a police car came around to this man’s house and told him that he had to leave for his own safety and security. But the man said no. “I have prayed and I believe that God will save me.”

Well, the flood waters rose and before long the man had to abandon the ground floor of his house as it filled up with water. He was up on the second floor of his house when one of his neighbours came by paddling a canoe. “They say that the waters are just going to continue to rise,” said the neighbour, “climb in the canoe right now and I will paddle you to safety.” But the man said no, he believed that God would save him.

Finally, the waters rose so high that the man had to climb onto his roof. As he sat there, wrapped in a soaking wet blanket, a Coast Guard helicopter flew by. The pilot called out over the loudspeaker and told the man that the waters were still rising and he would soon be overwhelmed. He offered to lower a rope ladder and take him to safety. But the man said no. “I have faith, my God will save me.”

So, the man died, swept away by the current. He went up to heaven and stood before the very throne of the king of kings. And the man said to God, “I believed in you completely. Why didn’t you save me?” “Well,” said the Lord, “I did send you a police car, a canoe and a helicopter. I’m not sure what you were waiting for.”

Does God Save People who make Bad Choices?

So it is certainly tempting to apply that parable to our present situation. We can ask the question, is that how God would reply to those praying for healing from covid? “I did send you public health measures. I did send you a vaccine so revolutionary and so quickly created that it almost seemed like a miracle. Why are you asking me to save you, when you have turned down everything I sent you?”

But I will tell you something, I actually don’t think that that is how God responds. I know there is all kinds of animosity out there against people who have willfully and without a medical reason resisted all efforts to control this pandemic. I feel that animosity sometimes too. It is maddening and frustrating. But I would certainly caution us against transferring our personal feelings to God. The God we have come to know through Jesus Christ is a God whose grace and mercy far exceeds anything that seems humanly possible.

God’s Boundless Grace

So yes, I actually do believe that God’s heart is open to the prayers of people who make foolish mistakes, who make bad decisions and are victims of misinformation. God’s compassion extends everywhere. Indeed, thank the Lord that God does not judge us and our decisions before considering our prayers because none of us would be heard on those terms. We all gain a hearing before the throne of God based, not on our own actions, but on the basis of what Christ has done for us. Can I get an amen?

None of that gives us a license to go out and do all manner of foolish things because we believe that God will bail us out, of course. Being a people of faith hardly means that we need to be reckless people who refuse to take reasonable precautions. But we should never deny the power of God’s grace to overcome even our most obstinate foolishness.

Prayer vs. Reality

But that is just one issue with what James says that gives us some trouble in these trying times. The promise of James that, “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up,” is a wonderful promise, but it is a promise we often struggle with when we come up against the cold hard reality of life, maybe especially in these days. The simple truth of the matter is that many of those people who, in recent weeks, have been begging for those kinds of prayers, have not received the answer that they were hoping for, regardless of whether they did the right thing in terms of slowing the spread of the virus or not. Far too many have died, too many will continue to suffer with debilitating illness for some time to come.

Now, of course, the whole question of what to do about unanswered prayer is not a new issue in our time. It has always been there. But, with so many struggling in so many different ways, the question seems more urgent and more troubling than ever before these days. So I think we ought to answer the question, is the promise that James gives in his letter a nice sentiment that simply does not stand up to reality? The even more basic question is, why do we pray for people who are struggling if it doesn’t always work?

The Healing Power of Community

I believe that James is saying many important things about prayer in this passage, but one thing he is not doing is giving us a guarantee of a certain outcome when we pray. First of all, he is teaching us the importance of community in the trials of life. James does recognize, of course, that there is a place for individual prayer. He writes, “Are any among you suffering? They should pray.” But when it comes to people dealing with some of the most severe problems, he gets a little bit more specific. “Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.”

He is making it clear here that prayer is, at least in part, about activating the healing power of the spiritual community. You see, human beings, as much as we may value our individuality, are designed to be social beings. When one of us is sick, we are all weakened. And when we all come together, there is healing power in that.

This is actually something that has been demonstrated scientifically. In double blind tests, it has actually been shown that patients who have people praying for them actually have better outcomes than people who don’t. This is true even if they don’t know that there are people praying, or if the people praying for them are complete strangers to them.

Prayer Effective Independent of Theology

And here is something that is particularly interesting. The research also shows that it doesn’t matter what the people are praying or even what god they are praying to within what tradition. There is actually a power in community prayer that transcends any particular religion (even Christianity). And I do understand that. I think that James does too. When someone is really struggling, there is a real power in the community coming together on whatever terms.

For one thing, I know that we can all feel kind of powerless when someone we love is dealing with that kind of serious situation. The simple act of coming together, in some sense, and praying does give a communal outlet for that concern. It can replace that sense of powerlessness with a sense of purpose and of hope. And I cannot explain how, at least not in any scientific terms, that kind of energy going out from the community actually comes to have a positive influence on the person who is struggling, but I have experienced that kind of very real effect as I’ve watched the difference that it makes when people are prayed for.

God’s Intervention

So I really do believe that there is a power in prayer itself that is independent of the whole question of the intervention of God. But, of course, James does also tell us that God intervenes. “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.” And I do believe that that is true as well. God does intervene and I have seen that many times. But I would caution us to be careful what we specifically take from that. Is James promising that, when we pray in this way, God will give us a specific outcome, the outcome we are looking for?

Salvation

I do not see him saying that. In fact, he seems to choose his words very carefully. “The prayer of faith will save the sick,” he says. And I hope you recognize that salvation, being saved, can take many different forms. Yes, when you are sick, being saved might mean being healed of your ailment. But that salvation might also take other forms. It might come in the form of the sick person finding peace, rest and being reconciled to their condition. Sometimes that salvation may come in the person being able to repair or be reconciled in an important relationship, even if they do not experience physical healing. Salvation may come in the form of everyone that this person loves being reconciled to an outcome to that illness that is ultimately inevitable. James promises that God saves, but, as we also must, he leaves it to God to judge what form of salvation is most needed given the situation.

Raising them up

James also makes this promise as a result of prayer, “The Lord will raise them up.” But once again, this seems maddeningly vague. It could mean, of course, that the sick person will rise from their sick bed. But I would also note that the Greek word for resurrection, anastasia, literally means to stand up. So, at least in some circumstances, James may be saying that even the sickest may fall back on the hope and expectation of the resurrection. But that too, I hope, can give us comfort as we pray for those who are seriously ill, knowing that our faith can actually be enough to ensure for them the hope of resurrection.

It’s not about how I React

I will admit that I can sometimes be rather skeptical when people who make bad choices, who do foolish things like refuse vaccinations that, at this point, are proved millions of times over to be hundreds of thousands of times less risky than covid itself – I will confess that I can roll my eyes when I see their requests for healing prayers. I might feel exasperated with them, but I am not God. God offers a grace to us that truly knows no bounds.

So I will never refuse to pray and I will never tell people not to pray. The power of prayer is real and effective. My advice to everyone is this. Listen to the science. Take your vaccinations. Most will experience them as an inconvenience at worst. Practice safe social distancing and wear masks when appropriate. And pray. Pray in the morning, pray in the noontime, pray in the evening and in the watches of the night. Prayer does matter, it is heard and it makes a difference.