“Thoughts and prayers.” A phrase we have heard countless times over the years. Semantic satiation is the phenomenon in which a word or a phrase is repeated so often it loses its meaning. Over the last few years, after every mass shooting, after every natural disaster, after the start and throughout the pandemic . . . “thoughts and prayers” has been the mantra of the masses. As wonderful as it might sound in its intentions, it has lost its effect as nothing has changed . . . nothing is being done beyond the utterance of “thoughts and prayers”.
Though our reading this morning is in the Book of James, we start over in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus has just given his disciples a preview of what is to come and now he is in the midst of expanding on what that means through a series of parables. One of the parables he tells is about the “sheep and goats”. The parable is found in Matthew 25:31-46.
As the parable goes, and the writer explains, the Son of Man has returned in all his glory. He is sitting on his throne. All the nations are gathered before him. He separates the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. On the right he places the sheep, on the left he places the goats. Those on the right are rewarded with their heavenly inheritance, while the ones on the left are condemned to eternal fire.
Of course, depending upon which you are . . . you are either elated or upset with your reward. Yet, both sides question how they got to where they are. The Son of Man explains that they got there by what they either did or did not do. In particular it was in how they treated others . . . especially those who were less fortunate in life. Those who assisted those in need in turn assisted the Son of Man. Those who did nothing . . . well, they ignored the Son of Man. One group did something, the other group offered “thoughts and prayers.” The end results? The people got what they deserved.
Apparently, Jesus did not put much respect into platitudes. Jesus wanted action.
Now flash forward about 40 to 60 years later. The “church” or followers of Jesus are still testing out their wings . . . still trying to get a grasp on what it means to be a follower. As with all growth there comes some difficulty and some tough lessons learned. The writer of the Book of James takes on one of those so-called rough spots of growth. The writer takes on how there seems to be a difference in the way that the faithful treat people. It seems that the faithful have different ways of relating to people based on their social status. The better the social status the better the people are treated. The lower the social status the worse the people are treated. Depending on one’s social status was how they were treated by the faithful . . . and, to this, the writer is not happy. In particular, the writer is really not happy about the attitude of “thoughts and prayer” being witnessed within the faithful.
Of course, the writer doesn’t quite say it like that. No, the writer says: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
It sounds like to me that the writer was solidly in Jesus’ camp when it came to “thoughts and prayers”. Jesus wanted less “thoughts and prayers” and more action.
The writer of James opens up a big can of worms for us this morning in light of the times that we are living. These are chaotic and contentious times we are living. These are times with great division and divisiveness. Times of anxiousness and the loss of trust. Anxiousness and loss of trust in others, society, government, religion, humanity . . . and, at times, ourselves. It is overwhelming. It is depressing. There is an air of cynicism wafting in the atmosphere. It almost feels as if the human race has shifted from caring to emptily offering “thoughts and prayers” to the world we are living in.
And no wonder . . . it is overwhelming. What we see before us in the world today looks too immense to ever overcome.
You all know the story about the little boy and the starfish. After a big storm the beach is littered with hundreds and thousands of starfish that have been washed up on the shore. They need to be in the water to survive. As a man is watching the beach, he notices a boy bending over, picking up a starfish, and tossing it back into the water. Amazed, he asks the boy what he is doing, and the boy says, “Saving the starfish.”
Astonished, the man points out to the boy that there are starfish on the beach for as far as the eye can see . . . “There is no way you make a difference. There are too many.”
The boy picks up a starfish and tosses it into the sea. “It will make a difference for that one.”
As old and familiar as this story is, we learn that this boy has moved beyond expressions of compassion to acts of compassion . . . to acts of love. He is attempting to do what he can no matter how small and insignificant it might be to the rest of the world. He is taking his place among the sheep. He is doing as Jesus would do.
And we all should. That is what Jesus would want.
As foreboding as the world around us looks, we have to quit standing there watching the tires spin in the mud and do something to get ourselves and the world back on track. Even if it only makes a difference for one life.
Sometimes we feel like the proverbial “deer stuck in the headlights” . . . frozen by the immensity of what is before us. As difficult as it is, we need to step back, look around, and realize that we may not be able to fix it all at once . . . but we can make a difference for someone. Surprisingly each little drop of compassionate action adds up and will make a difference in the long run.
So, we begin where we are. We quit offering “thoughts and prayers”, or if we do, we offer them with a willingness to at least attempt to do something. We have to do something. We can’t just pray. Pope Francis said this: “Prayer that doesn’t lead to concrete action towards our brothers is fruitless and incomplete prayer. Prayer and action must always be profoundly united.”
Hear again the words of the writer this morning: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Jesus spoke about love . . . living one’s life in love. Love is an action. “Prayers and thoughts” are mere words, but when combined with action it becomes love. Remember that it is by our love that we will be remembered, not the “prayers and thoughts” we offered. Amen.
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