Sermon 2 nd September 2012 This month of September in church we will be looking closely at the Letter of James. This letter takes us into the heart of the faith versus works debate. It was a hotly contested letter, especially in the Reformation period; Luther wanted it removed from the Canon as he thought it undermined his belief in justification by faith alone. How can the Letter be of use to us today? The Letter of James helps us to see clearly the importance of that inter-relationship between faith and action. For the writer, no-one can be religious; can be a person of faith, unless they show that by what they do. It goes right to the heart of how we understand ethics as Christians. What sort of people should we be if we declare faith in the Bible, in the Son of God; what sort of things should we do? Well, for the writer it is clear, we should be humble, generous, kind and gentle, compassionate, carers for those who are vulnerable. We should not be proud, lovers