true religion
I’ve been thinking about the one thing. Like, how would we describe New Covenant in one phrase? You– from whatever vantage point you have- how would you define the commonality of this extended family identity (not just the people who can be present at 124 W. White on a Sunday morning!) What is the common thread running through us that makes this fellowship who we are, across time and space?
Some would say Jesus. That is true. We have, as individuals and as a collective, powerful stories of God’s intervention in our lives through the experience of the risen Jesus. And that is true of Christians in many different churches whose missions look quite different from ours.
This question isn’t new. Religious leaders asked Jesus for a similar statement two thousand years ago. What is the one thing that sums up all of scripture, that defines our identity as God’s people? Jesus’ answer was kinda long, actually, for a one-thing statement. Plus, he added a second thing. Love God with our whole selves and our neighbors as ourselves. I would like to say that is the motto that defines NCF. Yes, and it is too broad to describe what makes us different, or what holds us together.
Strange answer: I think it might be the (boring?) book of James. Not so much that we read it, like it, study it, or quote it. But that we live it. Or we try to, perhaps unconsciously. Day in and day out. Which isn’t flashy.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. James 2: 14,18b (NIV)
Often, Christians focus on what we believe. Which is important. But I don’t think belief is what unites us. Sadly, periodically, belief is what divides us. When we realize that we understand the Bible differently on various cultural issues, and one person’s interpretation is anathema to another’s, we part ways. Perhaps because we mistakenly thought that what made us part of the same body was a common belief.
It’s good that you believe that God is one. Ha! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble with fear. James 2:19 (CEB)
I think about the variety of individuals who constitute this fellowship. Marketing this as a social club would be laughable. We did not sit at the same tables in middle school. We are more like a family. As siblings, we feel like we are very different from each other. We don’t look alike, act alike, or have the same interests. But an observer notices the family resemblance.
Imagine a brother or sister who is naked and never has enough food to eat. What if one of you said, “Go in peace! Stay warm! Have a nice meal!”? What good is it if you don’t actually give them what their body needs? In the same way, faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity. James 2:15-17 (CEB)
If I were to begin describing the faithful activities of New Covenant, as individuals or collectively, I would quickly become overwhelmed by the task. The diversity of gifts and passions belies the unity of the body living out the life of faith through our actions.
Reading the description of the book of James in the CEB Student Bible, I see why the themes resonate; the focus on God’s generosity, on authenticity in word and deed, and emphasis on social justice make sense. Like the Jewish wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible, James packs a lot of practical truth into a short space with strong images.
May we be those who study the perfect law, the law of freedom, and continue to do it. They don’t listen and then forget, but they put it into practice in their lives. And may we practice true devotion, the kind that is pure and faultless before God the Father… to care for orphans and widows in their difficulties and to keep the world from contaminating us. James 1:25,27
If this inspires thoughts about the one thing that characterizes our life as a body, please share! I can only see from where I’m standing, and God gives each of us a different perspective. –Renée
5 Comments On “true religion”
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Thanks Renee. I have just been thinking about personally focusing on the letter by James; so it was delightful to read your letter. May we live it more and more as a Fellowship and individually–starting with myself!
This is so thought-provoking on so many levels! I’ll definitely be pondering the questions and the images sparked through the book of James.
James is probably my favorite NT book. So practical and straightforward and refreshingly down to earth.
One word leaves a lot to interpretation. Yet as I have thought about it, authenticity is what comes to mind. NCFers seek to be authentic in word and deed. Not that we always succeed; in fact, we, individually and corporately, have fantastically botched things every so often. YET, when I think of members, it is of people who take their faith seriously.
Thank you, I loved reading this! And I’ve often asked myself the same question – it was tangible to me that the collective of people I met at NCF when I first walked in in 2000 had something about them I didn’t know from other places. I was really struck by how everyone helped when I didn’t have winter-appropriate clothes, or didn’t know anybody at lunch time at school, or met with me for coffee or lunch to address my questions. I was thinking it’s “help” or “faith in action” like you were writing too. Maybe another way of saying it is that it felt like whatever relationship people had with God and Jesus, it compelled them to ask “What can I do?” and then act on any answers they might hear. I don’t know what other places I might have been able to open myself to the possibility of God, but I sure can’t imagine a better place than one where people truly seemed to believe that God was real and meant what he said about being there for and with others, and then tried that out to the best of their abilities.