S6E18: Pure Religion (Purity of the Body pt. 1)

Sermon #298

We are beginning a new series based on the general epistle of James, and we will be looking at the five promises that we make when we join the United Methodist Church... That we will faithfully participate in the ministries of the local church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness.  This week we begin by asking the question, where does generosity come from?  As we are made in the image of a giving and generous God, it stands to reason that, at the heart of everyone, there is a giving and generous spirit.  That explains why even those who do not believe in God still feel a tug to give when there is need in the world.  As James points out, every good and perfect gift is from above, and so when we give, we are acting as image-bearers of God to the world.  Pure religion, then, is when we express the heart of God in all things, and give generously of the things that God has entrusted to us.

Text: James 1:17-27

Recorded at Hudson UMC on September 2, 2018 (Originally published October 10, 2018)

S.D.G.