My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement. (James 2:1-13, NRSV)
Who in the picture above would be welcome in your worship service?
Ok maybe we would all say both of them. But would you keep one of them in the back, so not a lot of people would see them?
Some of our congregations have unwritten rules on what we should look like, what we have to wear. If someone comes in not following these rules what happens?
James tells us we can not treat people differently. Just because we think someone is well off, does not mean they will give us stuff if we are nice to them. And just because someone looks destitute and down and out does not mean that we should write them off and they will not give us the greatest gift we have ever received.
You can not judge a book by it’s cover, nor can you tell who people are by how they dress. We must accept all as Jesus accepted us.
Show no partiality!
aSacredRebel 