O Gracious God, we remember before you today your servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that you will pour out upon the leaders of your Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
~the BCP, p. 242
The Psalm
7:1-10
The Readings
Jeremiah 45:1-5 + Acts 11:27-12:3 + Matthew 20:20-28
About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.
~Acts 12:1-2
In the New Testament, there are several prominent disciples named James. The disciple commemorated today was one of the Twelve, the brother of John (the sons of Zebedee), and part of the 'inner circle' (Peter, James, and John) that we see with Jesus at certain key moments--the raising of Jairus' daughter from the dead, the Transfiguration, and the agony in the garden. James was also the first among the Twelve to die as a martyr for his faith in Jesus.
As is the case with many saints, there are legends and traditions that grew up around James in the centuries following his death. In James' case, some of these traditions, in my view, border on the incredible. For example, it seems unlikely that James ever traveled to Spain or had his body interred there, despite this being an ancient tradition that eventually resulted in one of the most popular and beloved pilgrimages in the Christian world--the Camino de Santiago. But there is another legend of St. James that I find not simply dubious, but disturbing and ironically instructive. This is the legend of Santiago Matamoros (St. James the Moor-slayer): the story that James appeared miraculously during a medieval battle and led the Christian army to victory over their Muslim foes. The legend, though clearly apocryphal, continued to provide a controversial but influential cultural symbol for many Spanish Christians for centuries, even being brought across the Atlantic--there are paintings of James as a conquistador assisting in the conquest of the Americas. That the first martyr among the Twelve disciples--the first of that group to follow his Lord in such suffering, being willing even to offer his life in sacrificial witness--should be conscripted centuries later into a violent cause of subjugation and conquest over others, should give us pause.
Such violent appropriation of the saints, and of Jesus himself, as cultural warriors employed to advance a cause--often one in clear contradiction to the gospel--is not limited to medieval Spain. The twisting of the faith to serve harmful ends is ever with us, even today, an abuse justifying abuse. But it is not the authentic faith of those who follow Jesus. If we turn consistently to the New Testament, and prayerfully seek to allow it to shape our understanding of what authentic Christian faith looks like, we will see again and again that it is marked by "that spirit of self-denying service" which is true authority for those who follow the Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Closing Prayer
Almighty God, who gave to your servant James boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
~a collect, Of a Martyr, from the BCP, p. 246
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Banner with the symbol of James the Greater, from the narthex of Holy Apostles;
the shells represent the tradition of James traveling 'to distant shores' to preach the gospel
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