Today we celebrate the Patronal Festival of this Church, as we celebrate the life of the one of the very first disciples of Jesus, James the great. James was one of two brothers whose name always seems to be coupled with John. They were the first to be called by Jesus, the sons of Zebedee, who had a pushy mother who wanted to check whether her sons would be the most important in the Kingdom of Heaven.
I thought it would be fun to find some extra information on James and so I looked him up on the internet, and have found that his name brings up some interesting results ! For example there is an annual feast in a place called Thurning in England which has been happening since the middle ages. At this feast there is a bar with real English ales, a hog roast, games and nothing which seems to come directly from the Biblical description of St.James the elder.
Then there is St.James hotel and golf club near Piccadilly, and there anyone who is named James can have free champagne today!
I decided by this point that sticking to the bible for a description of St.James was a much better idea !!
James was one of the few who were with Jesus at the Transfiguration, the healing of Jairus’ daughter and at the Garden of Gethsemane the night of the arrest of Jesus.
In our reading today from the book of the Acts we heard of James’ death, killed by Herod Agrippa, who on seeing that treating Christians badly won him some popularity, decided that James’ death would make him even more popular. It is thought that before his death James preached in Spain, and it is thought that his body is buried in the Church at Santiago de Compostela - a place of pilgrimage.
This week I watched a DVD and presentation from a couple who made this pilgrimage walking 930 miles over 57 days… I thought this was very admirable, if not a little mad !! Certainly something that I would not want to do myself. However, we are all pilgrims.
This is because being a pilgrim is not just about making a pilgrimage to a special place but it is about following a teacher who we seek to be more like.
There are a few points that I want to make about St.James as a follower, a pilgrim and about us in this role.
James, on meeting Jesus left everything to follow Him. The idea of him and his brother fishing, working, and then just throwing away their nets as we hear in the gospels, reminds us of the time when we decided that we wanted to follow Jesus. Not only this, but it challenges us to think about our willingness to allow Jesus to take control of our lives.
To go on a pilgrimage, there is no turning back. We keep going until we reach our destination. James, kept following Jesus to the end, he even lost his life because of his belief. He gave up everything for Jesus. Are we prepared to do the same? Are we ready to always put Jesus first?
The couple whom I heard speak about their pilgrimage, pointed out that there were lots of places for people to rest on the way. James, as a follower of Jesus had times when he withdrew from the crowds, when he withdrew from work.
Jesus knew that He needed time away to re-energise himself, so that he could go onto the next stage of his ministry. James would have been taught the need to do this, and it is the same for us. We need re-energising daily in our walk of faith. To be a pilgrim means to take time to rest, to take time to come before God and say “here is my day, help me to use it for the best.”
To rest for us in our daily lives, means to spend time with God in prayer, to enjoy all the good things God has given us, and to ask how best we can use these things in our day to day lives.
The next point of the pilgrimage for the couple I met, was that they had to bring a stone from home, to lay on top of a pile of stones, as a representation of them letting go of all their concerns and worries from home, and offering them to God asking for His healing.
For James, we see two episodes in the gospels that show us some of his concerns and worries. One was his mother, asking Jesus if her sons James and John would have a good place in heaven. This suggests a longing for security. Maybe James was not sure of his position or the risk he was taking for his life by leaving work, and following this teacher. Maybe he had discussed this with his mother, maybe she had picked up his uncertainties.
The second episode that shows us the insecurities of James, was his desire to please Jesus. When the message of Jesus was not welcomed in a town, James asked if Jesus wanted them to rain fire and thunder on the people there. Now, as a follower of Jesus, who spoke of peace and love this does not seem to make sense. Perhaps if we put ourselves in James’ shoes we would understand that he was desperate to do the right thing, to do the best for Jesus, and so he was prepared to do anything that seemed right!
On our pilgrimage through life, we may not always be sure of our position. We may find it hard to trust in God at all times, and to always believe that everything will be ok in the end, especially when it does not seem possible for that to happen but God is interested in us, He loves us, He supports us, and all we need to do is to hand our worries and concerns over to Him and let Him help us.
Life is full of concerns and worries, but God offers to take these from us when we turn to Him. Our worries won’t literally disappear, and I am sure they didn’t for James, but we can turn to God in prayer, ask for His help and He will offer us peace and lead us from there.
James met Jesus and his life was changed, he stuck with Jesus through thick and thin, and allowed God to change his life. We have met Jesus, our lives have been changed, and we are challenged to be a true pilgrim. That is to journey through our lives with God trusting Him through thick and thin, remembering to turn to Him, the One who always wants the best for us.
May today, this celebration of St.James the Great, this day when we celebrate the long history of this Church and pray for its future, be a day when we, in the present, take the opportunity to re-commit ourselves to following the way, the truth and the life - that is, to being more like God, and to allow Him to change us into the people he wants us to be. AMEN
I thought it would be fun to find some extra information on James and so I looked him up on the internet, and have found that his name brings up some interesting results ! For example there is an annual feast in a place called Thurning in England which has been happening since the middle ages. At this feast there is a bar with real English ales, a hog roast, games and nothing which seems to come directly from the Biblical description of St.James the elder.
Then there is St.James hotel and golf club near Piccadilly, and there anyone who is named James can have free champagne today!
I decided by this point that sticking to the bible for a description of St.James was a much better idea !!
James was one of the few who were with Jesus at the Transfiguration, the healing of Jairus’ daughter and at the Garden of Gethsemane the night of the arrest of Jesus.
In our reading today from the book of the Acts we heard of James’ death, killed by Herod Agrippa, who on seeing that treating Christians badly won him some popularity, decided that James’ death would make him even more popular. It is thought that before his death James preached in Spain, and it is thought that his body is buried in the Church at Santiago de Compostela - a place of pilgrimage.
This week I watched a DVD and presentation from a couple who made this pilgrimage walking 930 miles over 57 days… I thought this was very admirable, if not a little mad !! Certainly something that I would not want to do myself. However, we are all pilgrims.
This is because being a pilgrim is not just about making a pilgrimage to a special place but it is about following a teacher who we seek to be more like.
There are a few points that I want to make about St.James as a follower, a pilgrim and about us in this role.
James, on meeting Jesus left everything to follow Him. The idea of him and his brother fishing, working, and then just throwing away their nets as we hear in the gospels, reminds us of the time when we decided that we wanted to follow Jesus. Not only this, but it challenges us to think about our willingness to allow Jesus to take control of our lives.
To go on a pilgrimage, there is no turning back. We keep going until we reach our destination. James, kept following Jesus to the end, he even lost his life because of his belief. He gave up everything for Jesus. Are we prepared to do the same? Are we ready to always put Jesus first?
The couple whom I heard speak about their pilgrimage, pointed out that there were lots of places for people to rest on the way. James, as a follower of Jesus had times when he withdrew from the crowds, when he withdrew from work.
Jesus knew that He needed time away to re-energise himself, so that he could go onto the next stage of his ministry. James would have been taught the need to do this, and it is the same for us. We need re-energising daily in our walk of faith. To be a pilgrim means to take time to rest, to take time to come before God and say “here is my day, help me to use it for the best.”
To rest for us in our daily lives, means to spend time with God in prayer, to enjoy all the good things God has given us, and to ask how best we can use these things in our day to day lives.
The next point of the pilgrimage for the couple I met, was that they had to bring a stone from home, to lay on top of a pile of stones, as a representation of them letting go of all their concerns and worries from home, and offering them to God asking for His healing.
For James, we see two episodes in the gospels that show us some of his concerns and worries. One was his mother, asking Jesus if her sons James and John would have a good place in heaven. This suggests a longing for security. Maybe James was not sure of his position or the risk he was taking for his life by leaving work, and following this teacher. Maybe he had discussed this with his mother, maybe she had picked up his uncertainties.
The second episode that shows us the insecurities of James, was his desire to please Jesus. When the message of Jesus was not welcomed in a town, James asked if Jesus wanted them to rain fire and thunder on the people there. Now, as a follower of Jesus, who spoke of peace and love this does not seem to make sense. Perhaps if we put ourselves in James’ shoes we would understand that he was desperate to do the right thing, to do the best for Jesus, and so he was prepared to do anything that seemed right!
On our pilgrimage through life, we may not always be sure of our position. We may find it hard to trust in God at all times, and to always believe that everything will be ok in the end, especially when it does not seem possible for that to happen but God is interested in us, He loves us, He supports us, and all we need to do is to hand our worries and concerns over to Him and let Him help us.
Life is full of concerns and worries, but God offers to take these from us when we turn to Him. Our worries won’t literally disappear, and I am sure they didn’t for James, but we can turn to God in prayer, ask for His help and He will offer us peace and lead us from there.
James met Jesus and his life was changed, he stuck with Jesus through thick and thin, and allowed God to change his life. We have met Jesus, our lives have been changed, and we are challenged to be a true pilgrim. That is to journey through our lives with God trusting Him through thick and thin, remembering to turn to Him, the One who always wants the best for us.
May today, this celebration of St.James the Great, this day when we celebrate the long history of this Church and pray for its future, be a day when we, in the present, take the opportunity to re-commit ourselves to following the way, the truth and the life - that is, to being more like God, and to allow Him to change us into the people he wants us to be. AMEN
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