Scripture Sunday: Season of Creation: James 5:13-20

James 5:13-20
​5:13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest. 19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Through this Season of Creation, James has taught us many valuable lessons. He urges us to slow down and carefully consider our actions—not to rush to speak or act hastily, but to approach life with patience and wisdom. By doing so, we can foster unity with all of Creation, healing relationships and working together to bring about meaningful change. James challenges us to avoid the more "convenient" choices that exploit others and the environment. He reminds us that we must not show favoritism to the rich or be partial toward any person, but treat all people as bearers of God’s image. He emphasizes that faith without action is dead—especially if we fail to care for the poor. Helping heal Creation is helping the poor. James also shows us that when we engage with the world around us, we are drawn into a deeper understanding of God. As we experience different aspects of Creation, we learn more about God's character and grow in wisdom. James pushes for us to be Christ-like, to be spiritual and bring heaven to earth.
On this final Sunday, James invites us to turn to God and to the body of Christ in all things. While we are called to action, we are also called to realize we rely on God. If we are suffering from lack of food, illness, or systemic injustices, we should pray. If we are cheerful for the beauty of the earth, we should sing songs of praise to God. If we are overwhelmed by our sin and our willful ignorance of the climate crisis affecting us all, let us confess our sins to one another and pray for forgiveness.
James encourages us to pray for one another, so that together we may be healed—both from personal sins and the brokenness in Creation. As we confess our sins and seek healing, we strengthen our bonds and can work more effectively to care for Creation and each other.
James leaves us with the story of Elijah, reminding us of 1 Kings 17-18. Elijah, called by God to prophesy against King Ahab, warned that there would be no rain due to the nation's worship of Baal and their unjust practices. Despite the drought that lasted for three and a half years, God provided for Elijah, sending ravens to bring him food and sustaining him by a creek. Once the creek dried up, God provided through the widow's jar of oil and flour that never ran out. This same living God raised her son from the dead and demonstrated that Baal was powerless.
Even after God’s remarkable display of life in the showdown with the prophets of Baal, Elijah had to pray fervently seven times for the rain to return and restore life to the land. James highlights this moment to show that, even though Elijah was only human, through prayer in the living God, he could make the rain stop and then start again.
James concludes by reminding us that our God is a living God, intimately involved in the life of the world. We are called to pray fervently for justice, healing, and renewal in our world. When we see those who are wandering from the faith, sinning against their neighbor, against Creation or having faith without works, we are to bring them back to the life offered through God. 
Let us, then, commit to prayer, to action, and to working together as the body of Christ, striving to bring God's justice and life to all of Creation. As James makes very clear, faith without works is dead.
Caroline Hiler is a Seminary Intern at Creation Justice Ministries