Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.
Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pb2twerizU
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 3044 | How Enemies Become Friends
Cara Garrity
If you’re an animated movie fan, and I say, “To infinity and beyond!” you probably will immediately think of Buzz Lightyear from the movie Toy Story! In the movie, Buzz Lightyear was an astronaut toy character who was voiced by actor Tim Allen. If you remember the very first Toy Story, Buzz was the new toy that captured the boy Andy’s attention, leaving his old favorite, Woody the Cowboy, cast aside. Woody was understandably jealous, so at the beginning of the movie, Woody and Buzz were rivals. But it’s when they’re kidnapped by the nasty boy Sid that they realized they didn’t have to be enemies. Buzz and Woody needed to work together to escape Sid and get back to Andy. Their common goal fostered empathy and respect between the two.
The gospel of Mark reports a similar type of story where the apostles saw others outside their group casting out demons in Jesus’ name, and they might have been a little jealous. Let’s read what happened:
John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
Mark 9:38-41 (NRSV)
Jesus points out an important lesson, not just for the disciples but for us, too. Love and kindness have their roots in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so when they’re expressed—even by those who don’t hold similar beliefs—they’re furthering the good news of God’s love for all humanity. In this context, Jesus is addressing those who were doing good works in his name. We might think of the many different Christian denominations who often may disagree about some theological doctrines but who still love and serve the same God.
Buzz Lightyear and Woody were united, at least at first, in their desire to get back to Andy, and as they worked together on that goal, they developed a relationship based on respect, empathy, and even love. Though some would like to restrict good works to their own understanding we’re encouraged to recognize how the Father, Son and Spirit infiltrate all aspects of creation.
When we see love and kindness at work, we can rejoice because we know God is meeting the world’s needs and affirming humanity’s value, no matter who is doing the loving or showing the kindness. May you recognize God’s love and kindness in the world today, and may you pass it along.
I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 3044 | How Enemies Become Friends
Cara Garrity
If you’re an animated movie fan, and I say, “To infinity and beyond!” you probably will immediately think of Buzz Lightyear from the movie Toy Story! In the movie, Buzz Lightyear was an astronaut toy character who was voiced by actor Tim Allen. If you remember the very first Toy Story, Buzz was the new toy that captured the boy Andy’s attention, leaving his old favorite, Woody the Cowboy, cast aside. Woody was understandably jealous, so at the beginning of the movie, Woody and Buzz were rivals. But it’s when they’re kidnapped by the nasty boy Sid that they realized they didn’t have to be enemies. Buzz and Woody needed to work together to escape Sid and get back to Andy. Their common goal fostered empathy and respect between the two.
The gospel of Mark reports a similar type of story where the apostles saw others outside their group casting out demons in Jesus’ name, and they might have been a little jealous. Let’s read what happened:
John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
Mark 9:38-41 (NRSV)
Jesus points out an important lesson, not just for the disciples but for us, too. Love and kindness have their roots in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so when they’re expressed—even by those who don’t hold similar beliefs—they’re furthering the good news of God’s love for all humanity. In this context, Jesus is addressing those who were doing good works in his name. We might think of the many different Christian denominations who often may disagree about some theological doctrines but who still love and serve the same God.
Buzz Lightyear and Woody were united, at least at first, in their desire to get back to Andy, and as they worked together on that goal, they developed a relationship based on respect, empathy, and even love. Though some would like to restrict good works to their own understanding we’re encouraged to recognize how the Father, Son and Spirit infiltrate all aspects of creation.
When we see love and kindness at work, we can rejoice because we know God is meeting the world’s needs and affirming humanity’s value, no matter who is doing the loving or showing the kindness. May you recognize God’s love and kindness in the world today, and may you pass it along.
I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.
Psalm 124:1-8 · Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 · James 5:13-20 · Mark 9:38-50
In the season of Ordinary Time, just like in every season, we are reliant upon God. Thankfully, we can trust God to give us aid when we need it. This week’s theme is God our help. In the call to worship psalm, David boldly declares that our help is in the “name of the Lord.” In Esther, we read about how God delivered Israel through the courage of the young queen. In James, we are told about the power of prayer. Finally, in the Mark passage, we are warned to do all we can to separate ourselves from the things that prevent us from receiving the help that is in Jesus Christ.
Everything is Better with God
James 5:13-20 NIV
Bacon. For those who eat both meat and pork, just saying the word can make mouths start watering — crispy, salty, smokey bacon. It is not good for us, but we cannot stop eating it. Bacon is so good that vegans came up with a plant-based version called “facon.” Even those reluctant to eat meat, by their actions, admit that bacon is hard to live without. The desire of Americans to find a way to put bacon on almost anything has led many to believe that everything tastes better with bacon. In fact, Sara Perry set out to prove it. The author and commentator wrote a cookbook called Everything Tastes Better with Bacon: 70 Fabulous Recipes for Every Meal of the Day, where every recipe features, of course, bacon. For the culinarily adventurous, you can eat bacon on a doughnut, in a bar of chocolate, in a gum ball, infused in mayonnaise, in a smoothie, and in many other forms. Even when bacon appears in the most unlikely of places, many will eat it because, apparently, everything tastes better with bacon.
What bacon does for our taste buds, good relationships do for our hearts. When something good happens to us, the first thing we want to do is share the news with a beloved relative, spouse, or friend. When something awful happens to us, we often turn to the same person for comfort. If everything tastes better with bacon, then everything is better with love. Even bacon! There is a saying from Euripedes, “Friendship doubles your joys, and divides your sorrows.” Most of us would agree that life is better when we get to share it with a friend who loves us. Perhaps James had a similar thought in mind when he wrote:
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (James 5:13-20 NIV)
James begins this passage by encouraging his readers to turn to God in prayer in every situation. Whether we are feeling troubled, happy, sick, or another emotion, we can share that moment with the Lord. When sharing the ups and downs of life, we tend to give our attention to human beings first. It makes sense because most of us do not perceive God with our senses. It is harder to accept God’s presence when we cannot see or hear him. However, if we truly understood the love of God, he would be the first one we turned to in our time of trouble. He would be the first one we tell our good news. He would be the first one we reach for when we are sick, in pain, weary in the flesh, or worn down by life itself. He is truly the best friend who makes everything better. He gives everything meaning. He is life itself. Lord, I pray that we would learn to turn to you first. I pray that we would realize that you make everything better.
We should resist viewing this passage through a transactional lens. In other words, we have to avoid the temptation to view prayer as simply a means to get something we want from God. Although prayer changes things, we should not approach God seeing him as a servant to our will, remaking the world as we desire it to be. Rather, prayer is a way to deepen our relationship with God and the primary means by which we spend time with him. James is encouraging us to “pray continually,” as Paul would put it, sharing all of our moments with our loving Father. As we spend time with God, we become more able to discern who he is, who we are, God’s will, and the things he is doing in and around us.
Of course, we should be transparent with him about our feelings and honest about the desires of our heart. However, when we ask God for something, it should flow from who he reveals himself to be. In other words, our prayers should be in line with who he is, what he has said, and what he is doing. This is what James calls the “prayer offered in faith.” And, as we make our requests known to God, we should do so with an open heart, leaving room for God to be God.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus expressed his desire not to die, which was in line with God’s nature. However, he also prioritized God’s will over his own and remained open to whatever God wanted to do. Jesus showed us how to express our deep desire to God like a child to his father, while also honoring the fact that God is sovereign.
The prayers we offer in faith have power. James stated that the “prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” The “righteous person” is not some kind of special, super Christian. “Righteous” means to be rightly related and connected. Righteousness is the right thoughts, words, and actions flowing from our right relationship with God. As an example, James mentioned Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. That means that he was not perfect in thoughts or actions. He fled because he was afraid (1 Kings 19:3), he was depressed and even sounded resentful toward God (1 Kings 19: 9-14). Yet Elijah started and ended a drought with prayer.
We can assume the drought was not Elijah’s idea, and he was acting based on what God told him to do. This is what gave Elijah’s prayer power; he prayed what God revealed to him. He prayed God’s will. Therefore, the prophet’s prayer was not him trying to manipulate God into making the world the way Elijah would want it. Rather, Elijah’s prayer was a witness statement based on what he saw and heard. It was a pledge of allegiance to the will and ways of God. Let it be so for us as we pray for those who are sick or weary. Let us remember that it is not the persuasiveness of our prayers that brings forth healing and rejuvenation. God does not need to be convinced to be good. He is good. Let us remember that healing is possible because of the nature of God and his love towards us. When we pray for healing, we are discerning and affirming the will of the one who promised us healing in this life and the next.
Before asking God for anything, we would be wise to first seek his heart. How does God view our situation? What is he working out? What is he trying to show us? How can we bring him glory in this moment? In other words, we should let our relationship with God, cultivated in prayer, inform our requests. When we hear from God, we can pray with conviction and power because we know that he cannot lie. He will keep his word. This is what empowers us to pray bold prayers. We are not being bold in our own strength. We are being bold in God’s strength. We are bold because Christ is at the Father’s right hand making intercession for us. Because of God’s radical love for us, our prayers can be audacious, as the Spirit leads.
As we share more and more of our life with God through continual prayer, we will find our joys doubled and sorrows divided. He is a Father and a friend. He is the one with whom we share all of our firsts. Jesus opened the door and showed us the way to relationship with God. Now, we can bear witness to the fact that everything is better with love. Everything is better with God.
David Kowalick—Year B Proper 21
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR052-Kowalick-YearB-Propers21.mp3
September 29, 2024, 2024 — Proper 21 in Ordinary Time
James 5:13-20
CLICK HERE to listen to the whole podcast.
If you get a chance to rate and review the show, that helps a lot. And invite your fellow preachers and Bible lovers to join us!
Follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
Program Transcript
David Kowalick—Year B Proper 21
Anthony: Let’s move on to our final passage of the month. It’s James 5:13-20. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 21 in Ordinary Time, which is September 29. And it reads …
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 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. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth yielded its harvest. 19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
As I look back at verses 13 through 16, it does strike me as showing the community of faith as being a place where the healing, and I’m talking about healing of the whole person, and the hospitality of God can be experienced through one another. So, my question is this, why are the relationships in the church so vital for us to experience the unfailing love of God here and now?
David: Yeah, I look at this passage and I think there’s a kind of a real sense of realness about it because he talks here not as if being a believer is skipping along, singing hallelujah and everything’s going great all the time. He’s presupposing that there will be among you, sometimes there’ll be people who will be sick, and there’ll be people who have fallen over and committed sins.
And he’s saying to us, we should confess our sins to one another. He’s not saying you’re going to be sinless, but I think that we need to get that really clear that, in the community of the church, that we are beggars together. Or what was it? Being a believer is one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread or something like that. We’re all broken people together, but there’s something about a bunch of broken people who do actually care for and love one another and are gracious to one another that does have that healing effect.
And like you say, not just healing of the body, but healing of the mind and the soul and of every part of our being. And we can’t do this Christian thing alone. There’s something about gathering together with the saints and walking together, carrying one another, bearing each other’s burdens. Because it doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter how strong you are, the day’s going to come when you’re not going to be strong, for whatever reason.
Eventually if you live long enough, you get old and you need physical help, but every one of us faces times of tumult, times of tragedy. And it’s just part of the normal day-to-day life. But we also face facts of imperfections. And when you’re around a community of grace who picks you up and dusts you off and carries you along, that gives you the power, the capacity and the power to do the same for someone else as well.
And there’s something really extraordinary about the church. The church is ordinary on one level. I’ve been involved in a number of churches over the years. I’ve seen thousands of churches around the world, and they’re all pretty much the same. They’re just a bunch of ordinary people just getting on with their ordinary lives.
But there’s something extraordinary about what takes place in that you get people, all different backgrounds, all kinds of bizarre people get brought into the church and yet they are transformed by the gospel and by the grace of God. But it’s not just by the concepts of the grace of God, it’s by the reality of living with other people who actually experience that love and then let that love flow, flow through them to others.
And I have been massively healed, not just by individual people, but by the entire community of the church. And the church is a blessing. It’s part of God’s grace to us. And there’s something, there’s some kind of proving of us, a character building in this whole process. I really do believe that this world and the church is boot camp for the real thing that’s going to come later on. And this is our training, this is our training ground. And it just comes in the ordinary everyday things like forgiving your brother or sister when they sin against you or helping someone in need of praying for the person who’s sick, or calling to account someone who’s doing something which is bringing the word of God into disrepute, that kind of thing.
And the people who love me the most are also the people who tell me off, the people who correct me when I’m wrong, and they have the track record of caring for me in the past. And you have to listen to them, you have to hear them.
There is safety in numbers, which you just simply can’t have by yourself. So yeah, I just think this is a very practical, very human part of this letter of James. He’s not casting us as having to be cosmic saints who float around 15 centimetres off the ground. There’s something very real here, very earthy. But it’s still all of God’s goodness and grace.
Anthony: Yeah, it is very earthy. And I think of several instances where Jesus is healing someone physically, but he’s doing something rather extraordinary in that he’s restoring them to community, whether it be the woman who had 12 years of the flow of blood, who had been seen as unclean and outside of the synagogue or the leper. Part of the healing goes way beyond just the physical aspect of the sickness they endured, their disease.
But rather being restored to community. It is in community, truly, that we experience healing. And of course, it makes sense. God as Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit, the triune God, is a community. And the church, like you say, is made up of just, as I often say, it’s people that I probably wouldn’t be friends with otherwise.
But God brings us together and calls us together, and we learn to love one another. And I like what you said that that carries on it. It echoes into eternity, and these are the things we will be doing ongoing because this is the divine life.
David, you’re a beloved child of God, and I love the way that you’re working out your sonship as you actively join Jesus in relationship and ministry. So, I want to deeply thank you for being a part of this podcast.
I also want to thank our team of people who make this happen. Michelle Hartman, Reuel Enerio, and Elizabeth Mullins all provide a great service in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ forward in this podcast. And so, I want to say thank you each and all.
David, it’s our tradition here on Gospel Reverb to end with prayer. And so, I’d like to invite you to speak words of life over us.
David: That would be my privilege to do.
Father, we thank you that you are an unvarying God, that you have given us your own son. You shared him with us, and then he has shared you with us, and he has opened our hearts to you.
Father, we pray that as we open our hearts to you, and you pour your Spirit into our hearts, that we will open our hearts to those around us in the church and in the world around us. And that we will speak words of life and live a life which challenges the world around us, in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
Program Transcript
David Kowalick—Year B Proper 21
Anthony: Let’s move on to our final passage of the month. It’s James 5:13-20. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 21 in Ordinary Time, which is September 29. And it reads …
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 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. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth yielded its harvest. 19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
As I look back at verses 13 through 16, it does strike me as showing the community of faith as being a place where the healing, and I’m talking about healing of the whole person, and the hospitality of God can be experienced through one another. So, my question is this, why are the relationships in the church so vital for us to experience the unfailing love of God here and now?
David: Yeah, I look at this passage and I think there’s a kind of a real sense of realness about it because he talks here not as if being a believer is skipping along, singing hallelujah and everything’s going great all the time. He’s presupposing that there will be among you, sometimes there’ll be people who will be sick, and there’ll be people who have fallen over and committed sins.
And he’s saying to us, we should confess our sins to one another. He’s not saying you’re going to be sinless, but I think that we need to get that really clear that, in the community of the church, that we are beggars together. Or what was it? Being a believer is one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread or something like that. We’re all broken people together, but there’s something about a bunch of broken people who do actually care for and love one another and are gracious to one another that does have that healing effect.
And like you say, not just healing of the body, but healing of the mind and the soul and of every part of our being. And we can’t do this Christian thing alone. There’s something about gathering together with the saints and walking together, carrying one another, bearing each other’s burdens. Because it doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter how strong you are, the day’s going to come when you’re not going to be strong, for whatever reason.
Eventually if you live long enough, you get old and you need physical help, but every one of us faces times of tumult, times of tragedy. And it’s just part of the normal day-to-day life. But we also face facts of imperfections. And when you’re around a community of grace who picks you up and dusts you off and carries you along, that gives you the power, the capacity and the power to do the same for someone else as well.
And there’s something really extraordinary about the church. The church is ordinary on one level. I’ve been involved in a number of churches over the years. I’ve seen thousands of churches around the world, and they’re all pretty much the same. They’re just a bunch of ordinary people just getting on with their ordinary lives.
But there’s something extraordinary about what takes place in that you get people, all different backgrounds, all kinds of bizarre people get brought into the church and yet they are transformed by the gospel and by the grace of God. But it’s not just by the concepts of the grace of God, it’s by the reality of living with other people who actually experience that love and then let that love flow, flow through them to others.
And I have been massively healed, not just by individual people, but by the entire community of the church. And the church is a blessing. It’s part of God’s grace to us. And there’s something, there’s some kind of proving of us, a character building in this whole process. I really do believe that this world and the church is boot camp for the real thing that’s going to come later on. And this is our training, this is our training ground. And it just comes in the ordinary everyday things like forgiving your brother or sister when they sin against you or helping someone in need of praying for the person who’s sick, or calling to account someone who’s doing something which is bringing the word of God into disrepute, that kind of thing.
And the people who love me the most are also the people who tell me off, the people who correct me when I’m wrong, and they have the track record of caring for me in the past. And you have to listen to them, you have to hear them.
There is safety in numbers, which you just simply can’t have by yourself. So yeah, I just think this is a very practical, very human part of this letter of James. He’s not casting us as having to be cosmic saints who float around 15 centimetres off the ground. There’s something very real here, very earthy. But it’s still all of God’s goodness and grace.
Anthony: Yeah, it is very earthy. And I think of several instances where Jesus is healing someone physically, but he’s doing something rather extraordinary in that he’s restoring them to community, whether it be the woman who had 12 years of the flow of blood, who had been seen as unclean and outside of the synagogue or the leper. Part of the healing goes way beyond just the physical aspect of the sickness they endured, their disease.
But rather being restored to community. It is in community, truly, that we experience healing. And of course, it makes sense. God as Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit, the triune God, is a community. And the church, like you say, is made up of just, as I often say, it’s people that I probably wouldn’t be friends with otherwise.
But God brings us together and calls us together, and we learn to love one another. And I like what you said that that carries on it. It echoes into eternity, and these are the things we will be doing ongoing because this is the divine life.
David, you’re a beloved child of God, and I love the way that you’re working out your sonship as you actively join Jesus in relationship and ministry. So, I want to deeply thank you for being a part of this podcast.
I also want to thank our team of people who make this happen. Michelle Hartman, Reuel Enerio, and Elizabeth Mullins all provide a great service in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ forward in this podcast. And so, I want to say thank you each and all.
David, it’s our tradition here on Gospel Reverb to end with prayer. And so, I’d like to invite you to speak words of life over us.
David: That would be my privilege to do.
Father, we thank you that you are an unvarying God, that you have given us your own son. You shared him with us, and then he has shared you with us, and he has opened our hearts to you.
Father, we pray that as we open our hearts to you, and you pour your Spirit into our hearts, that we will open our hearts to those around us in the church and in the world around us. And that we will speak words of life and live a life which challenges the world around us, in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- Why do you think friendship doubles our joys and divides our sorrows? Can you think of an example from your own life?
- Why do you think it is sometimes hard to turn to God first with our life situations? Why is it hard sometimes to see him as a friend?
- Have you ever witnessed the power of prayer? What makes a prayer powerful to you?
