Be Still And Know

James 2:1 It’s hard for us to imagine the social tensions with which the early Church had to live. The majority of Christians were poor, and many of them were slaves. Imagine the potential difficulties if a slave owner then became part of the church, too. Slaves had no legal rights. How would a slave master worship alongside someone that he ‘owned’? James was only too well aware of these challenges, and was concerned that there shouldn’t be any hint of favouritism in the Church. The Church should be a place where all human distinctions fall away and everyone is equally loved and precious. James then gives an agonising illustration of how badly things could go. Two people walk into a Christian meeting. One is very obviously wealthy and the other is just as obviously poor. The rich person is immediately cared for and given a good seat at the front. The poor person is given a bad seat, or even told to sit on the floor. Nothing could more flagrantly fly in the face of a God who opposes all discrimination.