Ministerial Musings: A Fist Or An Embrace By The Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III, Ph.D.

“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.”  ~ James 2:26

It was a Saturday afternoon. I was sitting in Root Café in Lakewood putting the final touches on my sermon for the next day. A young man (let’s call him Jim) introduced himself. He saw that I had a Bible and wanted to know why. I told him who I was and what I was doing. Jim, who was fresh out of college, was scoping out the area. He hopes to launch a new, nondenominational church with some close friends. He wanted to know more about Lakewood and asked for some advice.

We spoke for about fifteen minutes and then he inquired about the church I serve (Pilgrim UCC). I gave him the “Cliffs Notes” version. He then wanted to know the basic “content” of my weekly homilies. He wanted to know if I preach “the Gospel.” I told Jim that I do preach Jesus’ Gospel of radical inclusivity, unconditional love, and profuse grace.

It did not take long for me to realize that we interpret the Gospel a bit differently.

Jim believes that preachers need to constantly remind their flocks they must accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior or face the fires of eternal damnation. I tried to explain to him that the Jesus I believe in is a Lord of love, not a wrathful God I need to fear. “Look at it this way,” I said. “I have three children. I love them with all of my heart and soul — and they know that. I want them to love me in return because they know this, not because they fear they will be punished if they do not love me.” I also told him that if I, as a broken, sinful human being, can have such a perspective on parental love, then God’s love for all of God’s children must be even more merciful and forgiving than mine.

We parted ways and agreed to disagree.

I went back to my seat and read the second chapter of The Letter of James. I also recalled the teachings of Jesus: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). I also recalled the parable of the sheep and the goats.  Why do the sheep enter God’s glory? It isn’t because of what they say or believe. It is based solely on what they do; how they ministered to Jesus when they served “the least of these.” (For a refresher, reread Matthew 25:31-46).

Having faith in God and believing that Jesus is one’s Savior should be viewed as a loving embrace, not a cocked fist. I love and serve Jesus Christ, because I know he loves me without reservation and that he offered everything for me. That’s Good News! It is also Good News that my faith is made richer by serving God in the service of others.

James is right, “Faith without works is dead.”

The Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III, Ph.D. is a musician, scholar, preacher, and poet. He serves Pilgrim United Church of Christ in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland. Dr. Tamilio lives in Lakewood with his wife and their three children.