Feast of St.

James 2016

Feast of St. James 2016

1. The first disciples selected by Jesus were a group of fishermen working on the lake of Galilee
According to the gospels of Make and Matthew, first Jesus selected Peter and his brother Andrew, then walked
a little further along the lake shore and selected another set of brothers: James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
This is what we know about James: (1) he was part of the inner-circle of close friends of Jesus, with Peter and
his brother John he witnessed the transfiguration (2) he had a rather ambitious mother who wanted her two
boys to be seated one at the right and the other at the left of Jesus in the Kingdom of God, (3) he and his
brother were rather short-tempered and asked Jesus to pelt with fire and brimstone a Samaritan town whop
refused them hospitality (4) after Jesus death James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem (5) and
finally, he was the first Apostle to be martyred, when king Herod executed him to please the Jews. That is all
we know from the Gospels about James.
He was not perfect, but sincere and dedicated to Jesus who did not hesitate to sacrifice his life for his believes

2. But there is another St. James: St. James Memorial Church in Eatontown: us
Today we take the time to celebrate ourselves. Like James and the other disciples we too have been called to
follow Jesus.
Like James son of Zebedee with are not perfect. Not even close. I am not going to stand here and make a
list of our shortcomings: we know them and God knows them. Lets leave it at that.
But we also have a few things going to us:
a. We are the little stone church with a warm heart: we are open to strangers and, once they get to know us,
they stick around and become part of us. Look around yourself: how many people do you see that have been
a part of our church for less that 10 years? Quite a few.
b. We have a way of attracting people who were hurt by other churches, or who were made to feel
uncomfortable in other churches. Jesus also had a way of welcoming and including outsiders.
c. So, today, let us celebrate ourselves: our uniqueness within the Episcopal church. Other churches have other
gifts to offer. We have our down-to earth warmth and genuine care for one another.
d. We have challenges to overcome: but this is a community of faith, trying our best to do Gods work. So we
are not in this alone: let us each and all do the best we can, and, after we have done our best, let us trust in
God, and leave things up to Him!