Epistle of St. James

OBJECTIVE

To gain a deeper understanding of the seven Epistles in the New Testament that will serve to guide students to a life of righteousness and holiness. This lesson will focus on the Epistle of St. James and practical ways we can live as Christians.

INTRODUCTION - 5 Minutes

St. James was the cousin of our Lord Jesus but was not a believer during the life of the Lord Jesus on earth. After the resurrection, he believed in the Lord Jesus and later was ordained bishop of Jerusalem and stayed there until the day of his martyrdom. He wrote a liturgy, which the Armenians still use until today. He didn't drink wine, never shaved his head, and always ate beans. He was called "James the Righteous" because he loved worship, and because he was always on his knees praying, it is said that his knees were like the knees of a camel. He was martyred around year 62 A.D.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

"For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body." James 3:2

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 5 Minutes

This epistle was written around 60 or 61 A.D as the church suffered affliction by the hands of the Jews. It was meant to encourage the believers to endure the pain while discovering the meaning of tribulations in the light of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

St. James linked faith with practical life so the letter concentrated on "the holiness of the Christian life" while revealing the seriousness of some sin that some think are insignificant, such as the sin of the tongue.

Even though this lesson will focus on chapter 3 (the untamable tongue) here is the breakdown for the entire Epistle of St. James:

Ch. 1: Faith and temptation
Ch. 2: Faith and works
Ch. 3: Faith and the tongue
Ch. 4: Faith and the earthly lusts
Ch. 5: Faith and being occupied with riches & faith in all circumstances

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 20 Minutes

What you say and what you don't say are both important. Proper speech is not only saying the right words at the right time, but it is also controlling your desire to say what you shouldn't. Examples of untamed tongue include gossiping, putting others down, bragging, flattering, and lying. Before you speak, ask, "Is what I want to say true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?"

James compares the damage the tongue can do to a raging fire-the tongue's wickedness has its source in hell itself. The uncontrolled tongue can do terrible damage. Satan uses the tongue to divide people and pit them against one another. Idle and hateful words are damaging because they spread destruction quickly and no one can stop the results once they are spoken.

"Abundant talk is the throne of bragging. From this throne, the love of the ego and pride appears. Abundant talk is a sign of ignorance, which leads to foolish laugh, coarse jesting, lying and hypocrisy. It leads to sleep and lack of concentration in memory. It cools the heat of spirituality and makes our prayers lukewarm and not fervent" - St. John Climacus
"Look also at ships; although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things." (James 3: 4, 5)

The captain of the ship drives the ship by a small rudder. When the captain abuses that rudder, he loses the whole ship.

A small spark can burn a whole forest. Therefore, "Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin..." (Ecc. 5:6)
"The tongue is a piercing sword. But let us not wound others with it; rather let us cut off our own gangrene" -St. John Chrysostom

If no human being can tame or control the tongue, why bother trying? Even if we may not achieve perfect control of our tongues, we can still learn enough control to reduce the damage our words can do. It is better to fight a fire than to go around setting new ones Remember, that we are not fighting the tongue's fire in our own strength. The Holy Spirit will give us increasing power to monitor and control what we say, so that when we are offended, the Spirit will remind us of God's love, and we won't react in a hateful manner. When we are criticized, the Spirit will heal the hurt, and we won't lash out.

APPLICATION (Action) - 2 Minutes

Reiterate to the class the importance of taking the time to think before we speak, even when we think we know an answer.

CONCLUSION - 5 Minutes

The tongue gives us a picture of our basic human nature. We are made in God's image but we have also fallen into sin. God works to change us from the inside out. When the Holy Spirit purifies a heart, he gives self-control so that the person will speak words that please God.

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Ice Breaker Game: "Shuffled Words"

Preparation: Cut out a sheet of letters for each team, shuffle each stack, and place them in a plastic baggy.

Say: "We are going to play a game that will teach us to work together and think before we speak." Pass out the envelopes with the cut out letters. Explain to the class that they will answer a series of questions by silently finding the right letters with their partner, spelling the answer, and holding the letters up for you to check. Keep score for the team by adding a point for the quickest correct answer. Comment, "The key to this game is to participate silently so we can practice thinking before responding. If you talk, then I will take away one of your points." Play the game by asking the following bible questions (you may add more questions if there is time, ensuring that the answers can be spelled out using the letters in the template).

What was the name of the garden where Adam and Eve lived? (Eden)
Who built the ark? (Noah)
Who was swallowed by a whale? (Jonah)
Who killed Goliath? (David)
What kind of animal threatened Daniel's life? (lion)
Who was Jesus' mother? (Mary)
Which sea was divided so Moses and the Hebrew people could run from Pharaoh? (Red)
Whose is the enemy of God? (Satan)

Note: the questions are intended to be easy enough that students would initially want to shout out the answers right away. However, the purpose of this exercise is to teach them to pause and take the time to formulate what they want to say.

RESOURCES

St. James: by Father Tadros Malaty

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Using the Catholic Epistles Chart found in Week 1 Activity section of this lesson, parents are encouraged to help their child complete the first column in the chart.

Servants: Print this chart for the students and distribute them at the end of this lesson. They can bring these charts every week during this module as a reference but will be primarily completing the sections for homework as it pertains to each week's lesson.