Lived Faith

SCRIPTURE
- James 2:26
"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. "

REFLECTION
- Jeff

MUSIC
- "Instrumental Worship Music"
- "Doria" by Michael Forster & Rahel Senn

- "Live Like That" by Sidewalk Prophets

Sometimes I think
What will people say of me
When I'm only just a memory
When I'm home where my soul belongs

Was I love
When no one else would show up
Was I Jesus to the least of those
Was my worship more than just a song

I want to live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You

If love is who I am
Then this is where I'll stand
Recklessly abandoned
Never holding back

I want to live like that
I want to live like that

Am I proof
That You are who you say You are
That grace can really change a heart
Do I live like Your love is true

People pass
And even if they don't know my name
Is there evidence that I've been changed
When they see me, do they see You

I want to live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You

If love is who I am
Then this is where I'll stand
Recklessly abandoned
Never holding back

I want to live like that
I want to live like that

I want to show the world the love You gave for me
I'm longing for the world to know the glory of the King

I want to live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You

If love is who I am
Then this is where I'll stand
Recklessly abandoned
Never holding back

I want to live like that
I want to live like that, I want to live like that

NOTES
- 

PRAYER OF LETTING GO
To You do I belong, O God,
 into Your hands I surrender my life.
 Pour out Your Spirit upon me
 that I may love You perfectly,
 and serve You faithfully
 until my soul rests in You.

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:29

Happy Friday, friends. Thank you for choosing to spend these few moments with us. Wherever this prayer finds you today, we're grateful you're here. So let's quiet our hearts and invite God into this moment. Let us pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

SPEAKER_04 0:57

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Psalm 56. Inner voices. Have mercy on me, O God. I am hounded by inner voices. Anger, shame, anxiety, disappointment. All day long they assault and oppress me.

SPEAKER_02 1:31

When they scatter me, I will put my trust in you. Your oneness brings me back to oneness. In God I trust and will not be afraid. For what can mere voices do to me?

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Whenever I call on you, you will scatter the oppression. Bring me to centeredness in myself and in you. I am bound by the vow I made to you, O God. I am grateful and will live my life in gratitude.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

For you have rescued my soul from wandering and my feet from stumbling. Thank you, my God. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_02 2:29

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

So faith without deeds is dead. The word of the Lord. Today's verse from James is short, but it hits so hard. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James doesn't exactly whisper the truth. He kind of drops it like a brick. Faith without deeds is dead. Not sleepy. Not needs improvement. Dead. Which if you're like me, you can feel a little uncomfortable. Because I love my faith. I pray. I go to mass. I listen to podcasts like this one. Right? But James pushes us further. He's not impressed with what we believe. If it never shows up in what we do. You know, I remember one particular Sunday. I left Mass feeling especially holy. You know that feeling? Great homily. Beautiful music. I even remembered all of the responses without mumbling. I walked out thinking, wow, I'm really living my faith today. And then I'm heading home and someone cuts me off. And just like that, my alive and vibrant faith nearly died on the spot. Let's just say my reaction wasn't exactly saintly. I went from peace be with you to what are you doing? Pretty quickly. And it hit me later. In the span of about 20 seconds, I had gone from receiving the Eucharist, the very body of Christ, to forgetting to act like his body in the world. Which is exactly what James is talking about. As Catholics, we believe something incredible. We don't just believe in Christ, we become his body. At Mass, we receive Him so that we can bring Him to others. And that's where the deeds come in. Because faith isn't meant to stay tucked safely inside our hearts. Like a prayer card in a missile. It's meant to move. Now, this doesn't mean we need to perform grand heroic acts every day. Sometimes the deeds that bring faith to life are small. Choosing patience instead of irritation. Offering forgiveness when it's inconvenient. Actually listening instead of planning what we'll say next. Reaching out to someone we'd rather avoid. Or maybe just letting someone merge in traffic without turning it into a whole internal monologue. Here's the beautiful truth. Deeds don't earn our faith. They reveal it. They're the visible signs of an invisible grace at work within us. Like breath in a living body. They show that something alive is there. So today, maybe we don't ask, do I have faith? Maybe the better question is, where is my faith showing up? Where is it being lived, shared, and stretched? Because when faith moves into action, when it becomes love in motion, that's when it's truly alive.

SPEAKER_05 7:56

And let's unite all of our prayers into one as we pray. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for staying close to us. Your love has changed our lives. Now help us to carry that love into whatever this day brings. Slow us down enough to notice the needs around us. And give us generous hearts that are ready to respond. May our faith become something others can experience through us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Together, to you do I belong, O God. Into your hands I surrender my life. Pour out your Spirit upon me that I may love you perfectly and serve you faithfully until my soul rests in you. Thanks for praying with us today. Don't forget, tomorrow we're kicking off the return of our regular daily prayer on Saturdays. We'd love to have you join us. And don't worry, we've got a plan for the meditations that we all enjoy. Just a brief hiatus, but they'll be back. It's Friday, so you know what that means? We'll end our prayer with a song. I've chosen a song called Live Like That by Sidewalk Prophets. The lyrics really encourage us to let our faith be seen in the way we live each day. And may God bless us in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Look for Christ and the small things until we pray again tomorrow.

SPEAKER_03 10:29

Sometimes I think, What will people say of me? When I'm only just a memory, when I'm home where my soul belongs. Was I Jesus to the least of us? Was my worship more than just a song? You are who you say you are The Greeks can really change your heart. Do I live like you love And even if they don't know my name? Is there a bitch?