Living Faith

Read James 1:17-24.

Today is the 14^th Sunday of Pentecost.  During Pentecost, we grow closer to God and closer to one another. Today’s second reading is from the New Testament book of James.  We’ve had readings from Ephesians, which was a letter written to early Christians, the last few weeks.  James is also a letter written to early Christians.  Today we read about living our faith.

Watch today’s video and learn more:

In today’s passage from James, we read that everything good comes from God.  What are some of those good things?  That good includes our family, our friends, our health, our pets, the earth, Xbox, chocolate cake, and so many more things!  We couldn’t even list all the good that there is and it all comes from God!

We also read in James, a whole bunch of ways that we can live our lives that will them better.  These are things we can do that help us show God’s love to others so they can experience it and in doing that we experience it ourselves.  Here are some of the things that are said in James:

Be generous (which means to be kind and to freely share what we have) because just like every good thing comes from God, so does generosity.

Be a good listener.

Be kind.

Be honest.

Be loving.

Be thankful.

Care for those who are hurting, especially widows and orphans.

Be doers of the Word.  Don’t just talk about your faith, but live it out.  Live according to what you believe about God.  Put your faith in action because when you do that you show the world God’s love.

Jesus once said, “By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We are invited to be doers of the Word, to not just talk about faith, but to put it into to action, to live our faith each and every day in all that we say and in all that we do.

Discuss

• What are some other good things that come from God?
• When was a time someone was generous with you?
• What is a way you can be a doer of the Word…that you can put your faith into action?

Song

Every Move I Make. CJ and Friends.

Activity

Ask a parent, grandparent, or other adult about their faith.  You could ask them to respond to these statements:

• Some ways that I practice my faith every day include . . .
• My favorite Bible story is _________ because . . .
• The most challenging thing about living out my faith is . . .
• Places where I’m most aware of God’s presence include . . .
• An experience that changed my life was when . . .
• Two strengths or gifts of mine include . . .
• I help bring out the best in others by . . .
• Some ways that Jesus makes a difference in my life is . . .
• For me, to be a follower of Christ means . .

Activity

Download the sheet below from Doing Good Together and consider how your family might help the elderly in your community.

Closing Prayer

God, everything good comes from you and we are grateful.  Help us to be doers of the Word, to put our faith into action and to live out what we believe so that we and others experience your love.  We pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Pastor Dan Fugate, Assistant to the Bishop for Discipleship in the Indiana-Kentucky Synod, ELCA, put this lesson together for Sunday School @ Home.  There will be a new one for each Sunday as we continue through this COVID wilderness.  Contact him at dfugate@iksynod.org.