Prayer: Great God, You have set forth the way of Life for us in Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Your loving kindness is everlasting. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Read James 2: 1-4
God loves us no matter if we wear gold rings or tattered clothing. James asks us not to judge others by what they wear. We need to look beyond the clothing and see the person’s attitude and character. And no matter what the attitude or character is like, we need to be as Christ to everyone.
Looking beyond the outer appearance and seeing what is inside. At the Museum lately we are in the process of purchasing some WW1 medals of soldiers from what is known as the Brandon Battalions…. 32 Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force, 45 Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force, 79 Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force, and 1 Canadian Mounted Rifles. With each medal, we have to ask ourselves is this a real medal or a reproduction. We do research into who the soldier was and where he lived to verify the name on the medal. We dig into old records to see if that soldier is listed on the Nominal roll. We dig some more to find out if that particular soldier really did receive this particular medal. This is what James is talking about in these scripture verses. Don’t just look at the shiny pretty… look inward and see if the person has the attitude and character of a Christian.
Prayer: Christ be with me. Christ be within me. Christ be behind me carrying my memories. Christ be before me on my journey. Christ be beside me as we journey together in companionship each day. Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ be with me today. Amen. (adapted from the St Patrick’s Breastplate)