On the Sunday of Rev. Cari’s return from a three-month sabbatical, she preached on a text from the first chapter (v. 16-27) of the Epistle James. Luther called this book of the Bible “an Epistle of straw” because of its emphasis on “works,” which he perceived as not being consonant with his belief in salvation by grace alone.

Rev. Cari sees in the text, however, an oscillation between receiving from God and responding with faithful action, which she sees as the heart of Christian “practice.” So on this day when she returns to active ministry, she invites the congregation into intentional practice – reflecting and acting – in order to stay faithful to our purpose in Christ.

Toward the end of the sermon, she references this very funny skit by Bob Newhart… if, after listening to the sermon, you’d like to take a look, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow0lr63y4Mw