James 5:13-20
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Over the past 9 months I’ve spoken 6 different times on the topic of prayer. We’ve looked at some basics of prayer, learning to pray, praying for others, praying for our daily needs, and praying as a conversation with God.
Today, our text, this final portion of James, also talks about prayer. Specifically, James is talking about the power and strength of prayer that happens in the community, within the body of Christ. Individual prayer is of course possible, and assumed, and necessary – but here James is speaking about the special effectiveness of those prayers that happen within a group setting.
Verse 13-14
13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
In short, being in trouble, being happy, and being sick are simply shorthand for describing all of our possible situations. Do any of these three describe you? What’s your situation today? We are to pray with and for each other at all times, in all situations. “Calling for the elders” and “laying on of hands” as well as the “anointing with oil” – all emphasize the effectiveness and naturalness of praying together…as one body.
Verse 15-16
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
It appears that some conditions are listed here – perhaps we could state them in a type of formula:
Prayer offered in faith + Confession of your sins to each other = forgiveness and healing
Or perhaps we could word it a bit differently: Confession (one to another) coupled with corporate prayer (with and for each other) leads to healing. The healing James describes here may not always include complete physical healing – the result that we usually pray for – but it does always include that broader healing that involves spirit and soul (forgiveness).
Verses 17-18
17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
Just as James points to a scriptural hero – Elijah – an historical case of God answering prayer, we, too, add our examples and voices to this narrative. As we pray in community, we point to those times and examples where God answered prayers and we experienced healing.
Verses 19-20
19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
These final verses may seem a bit off topic, but here, too, James suggests a specific kind of corporate, community prayer. Every family includes members who are no longer with us. Particularly those that are no longer with us in faith or practice. The importance of praying for, and reaching out to those that are “wandering” is considered a vital and meaningful task of the community.
So what is James’ recipe for a healthy church and healthy faith?
Be in community
Meet regularly, talk regularly, in person or zoom or on the phone. Find a prayer partner. Faith was never meant to be a solo endeavor, an individualistic act. We take this journey in community. Being in community is not easy in our present world and individualistic environment. This is particularly true in our prayer lives!
Trust each other – and be transparent with one another
Confess our sins to each other, develop solid spiritual relationships, be open and honest with each other. This too, will not come easily. Making sure that our community – our church family – is a safe place to share and be transparent with one another will help us grow and mature in our corporate prayer life.
Pray for one another
In all times – times of sadness, gladness, and sickness, as well as continuing to prayer for each other’s families and those who are “wandering”.
What a beautiful encouragement to our JCC family – to go deeper in mutual confession and prayer…. and in so doing, find forgiveness and healing!
(the above is a summary of the message shared during our worship of September 29, 2024.)
Japanese Congregational Church 