October 5
James 5.13-16
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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.
For those familiar with addictions recovery there is a good level of success for the model of the 12 steps. I have even utilized the model of the 12 steps as a pattern of overcoming sin as an addiction – not addiction as sin. And written right near the middle of the program is the step that James gives us for overcoming sin. In the 12 steps it is number 5. Confessing to God, myself and another person… And James tells us here to confess our sins to each other.
Neither the 12 steps, nor James, intends for each of us to stand in front of everyone we know and confess all our sins. But having a person to whom we can confess is important. For many that may be our spouse. Or maybe that becomes one of our friends. It could be some other person in life. Not all of us going to one person, as no one should have to hear everyone’s sins. But confessing what we have done.
While we all know God has already seen our sins and we have confessed to him, having another person along-side of us where we are accountable is more motivation. Motivation to change. Encouragement to change. And as we hold each other accountable, we do so for the good of each other and for the good of the church together.
James takes us to a very important point at the end of this reading. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Reminding us that we become a righteous person when we have been forgiven. We are forgiven as we have prayed in confession, and James adds that with the prayers for each other as we have confessed to each other. We pray for the forgiveness of the ones around us. Not our confessing for them. But praying for the forgiveness and transformation of all who are part of the church with us. Asking that we be made righteous through God’s grace.
Pray that each of us will be made righteous in the grace of Jesus today.
Song – Christ our Hope in Life and Death
Prayer
Almighty God, you have raised Jesus from death to life and crowned him Lord of all. We confess that we have not bowed before him or acknowledged his rule in our lives. We have gone along with the ways of the world and failed to give him glory.
Forgive us and raise us from sin, that we may be your faithful people, obeying the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ, who rules the world and is head of the church, his body. Amen.