Langley Presbyterian Church

Prayer for Understanding
God of Word and Wisdom, send Your Spirit to us today as we hear Your Scriptures. Help us not just listen but live out Your Word, so that our lives show the truth we find in Jesus, Your living Word. Amen.

In April 2013, people found large cracks in the Rana Plaza, an eight-story commercial building located in Savar, a sub-district near Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The building housed several garment factories, a bank, apartments, and shops.

On April 23, engineers were called to inspect the structure. They recommended evacuation and a halt to operations until repairs could be made.

While the bank and shops on the lower floors closed immediately, the garment factory owners ordered their workers to return to work the next day, threatening them with loss of pay if they didn’t comply.

On the morning of April 24, the next day, the building collapsed during peak work hours, killing over 1,100 people and injuring more than 2,500. The collapse happened in less than 90 seconds, trapping thousands of workers under the rubble.

Several global brands were linked to the garment factories operating in the plaza at the time of its collapse.

The Italian fashion brand Benetton, the Spanish clothing brand, Mango, the Canadian brand Joe Fresh, an American children’s apparel retailer, The Children’s Place, and so on.

The causes of the collapse were: The building was originally designed to be a six-story commercial building, but additional floors were added illegally. The construction materials used were of poor quality. Building regulations and safety codes were not strictly enforced.

The Rana Plaza collapse is a stark reminder of the catastrophic consequences of ignoring instructions, safety, ethics, and human dignity.

The tragedy also teaches us the importance of not just hearing or knowing what is right but taking concrete actions to do what is right. Just as the building’s collapse was caused by negligence and the failure to act on known dangers, our spiritual lives can suffer when we hear God’s Word but fail to put it into practice.

In today’s text, James points out how to live the righteous life God desires as the ones who have been given every good and perfect gift from God and have received spiritual rebirth through the message of Truth.

It is important to realize that James, commonly believed to be the oldest of those brothers of Jesus, wrote to a community of Christians. Therefore, this letter was written not to bring its readers to faith, but to advise its readers, the followers of Christ, on how to live out the faith they already had. So, the practical lessons this book teaches are crucial to us who call ourselves, ‘Christians.’

James instructs us to ‘be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.’ This means we must discipline ourselves to hear the full story before jumping in with our opinions. Listening carefully shows respect and helps us understand the full context of a situation before reacting.

‘Slow to speak’ complements this by encouraging us to control our words and avoid blurting out whatever comes to mind. Speaking too quickly can lead to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, or hasty judgments. By taking time to think before we speak, we can ensure that our words are wise, kind, and constructive.

Proverbs 10:19 reminds us, ‘When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.’ Rather than being quick to talk, aim to be a wise listener.

Anger is a natural human emotion, and it can sometimes be justified. However, James emphasizes the importance of controlling—or at least slowing down—our angry responses.

Anger can manipulate or intimidate others, giving us a false sense of control over people and situations, even offering a temporary sense of relief. But this comes at a steep cost. When we lash out in anger, we compromise our integrity, lose the trust of others, and surrender our self-control.

I’ve been there — reacting in anger and regretting it afterward, only to realize it was too late and the damage was done. I had already hurt my loved ones. But when you’re filled with the Spirit of God, even in similar situations, you don’t react impulsively; instead, you respond wisely and with patience.

This teaching also applies to our relationship with God. Listen to the Word of God attentively and intensely. Even when you pray, quietly listen to what the Spirit of God says. Often when we pray, talk endlessly, pouring out our requests, and then quickly conclude with, ‘In Jesus’ name, Amen.’ But we need to give God a chance to speak to us.

James also urges us to be doers of the Word. How many sermons have you heard in your life? Some of you even listen to sermons online or watch famous televangelists.

If you add them all up, it’s probably thousands of sermons or more. If we had acted on what we’ve learned from these teachings, the world would likely be a much better place by now.

Think about how often you look at yourself in the mirror each day. Some people love to admire their reflection, while others barely glance at it.

Imagine looking in the mirror and noticing that you have “sleep” in your eyes, a booger in your nose, or something stuck in your teeth
— wouldn’t you clean it up?

What if you were to see what needs fixing, but instead of doing something about it, you walk away and forget? James says that if we don’t practice what we’ve learned, we’re like that person who sees their flaws in the mirror but does nothing to correct them.

Jesus also said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25)

A pastor once taught the principles of Bible study, explaining how to identify promises and commands in Scripture and what to do with them. Finally, he asked, “Now, what do you do with the commands?”

A little old lady raised her hand and said, “I underline them in red.” But God’s commands aren’t meant to be just underlined in red—they’re meant to be lived out in our lives.

Some skills, like swimming, cycling, or driving, aren’t entirely forgotten even if we don’t use them often; but they can get rusty. But other skills, like playing a musical instrument or learning a new language, can be easily forgotten if not practiced regularly, requiring us to start over.

I’ve been learning Spanish using the Duolingo app. It’s a fun language app that teaches one a new language through quick, bite-sized daily lessons. I have practiced for over three months and often score 100% on the exercises.

However, when I tried to speak Spanish to Maria to show off, I couldn’t say anything beyond “hola.” I know some words and grammar, but without real-life practice, it’s not useful.

You’ve likely heard sermons regarding today’s text countless times. God isn’t having you hear this message because you don’t know it, but perhaps because you haven’t lived it yet. God’s goal isn’t just to fill your mind with more information; He’s aiming to bring about transformation in your heart and life.

Now, imagine if I didn’t believe in what I preach from this pulpit — if I didn’t believe in the Word of God, would you still want to listen to my sermons? What if I didn’t live out what I preached? Would you continue coming to church to hear me? You’d likely see me as a deceiver, a fraud.

If you tell your child not to watch too much TV but then spend your entire weekend glued to the screen, do you think your child will listen to you? If you tell your neighbors you’re a Christian, but your words and actions don’t reflect a Christian lifestyle, do you think they would be drawn to know Jesus? NO.

Lastly, James gives us three practical pieces of advice on how to walk the faith: control your tongue, care for others, and keep yourself consecrated from the world.

We’ll dive deeper into controlling our tongues when we study Chapter 3. Right now we can focus on caring for others—looking after orphans and widows. God calls the church to care for the marginalized: the orphans, the homeless, the poor, refugees, foreign workers, Indigenous communities, the LGBTQI+ community, the disabled, and seniors.

We are called to be God’s hands for them, supporting them in their need. Ask the Holy Spirit now what you can do to care for them. Ask God in what practical ways you can serve them – bringing nonperishable foods for the food bank; promoting and acting on the 94 Calls to Actions of the Truth and Reconciliation; sponsoring a child via Compassion or World Vision, volunteering at the Gleaners or the Meals on Wheels, and so on. Find something you can do and start it.

Also, keeping oneself from being polluted by the world means refusing to be driven by our appetites, desires, and selfish ambitions. It means not compromising with a system that opposes God.

Today, James challenges us to go beyond just hearing God’s Word. He calls us to live it, and let it shape our decisions, relationships, and daily lives.

Being doers of the Word means allowing God’s truth to transform us from the inside out so that we become a reflection of Christ to the world.

We are not perfect, and we never will be. We may fail and make mistakes every day, but that should not stop us from striving to apply what we believe to our lives, whether it’s how we speak, care for others, or resist the pressures of this world.

Friends, let us strive to become more like Jesus each day, making sure our faith is alive and active. We must continually “keep on becoming” doers of God’s Word.

Let’s not just look into the mirror of God’s Word and walk away unchanged. Instead, let us walk away committed to living out that Word every day, knowing that as we do, we are blessed in what we do.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank You for showing us how to love one another by giving us Your only Son. We pray that Langley Presbyterian Church will be known as a church that believes in the Gospel and faithfully teaches the living Word of God.

But more than that, God, we pray that the people in our community see us as doers of the Word—those who live out what we believe. Help us to honor Your name with our lives.

In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.