Sermon for the Feast of St. James of Jerusalem

Today our worship is on the occasion of the feast of James, brother of Jesus. There are many Jameses in the New Testament, so it is necessary to clear things up a little. This is not James the Greater, the brother of John and son of Zebedee, one of the three core disciples. Nor are we speaking about James the son of Alphaeus, who is another one of the twelve disciples, but less-known. The James we speak about today is not one of the twelve, but Jesus’ brother, or really half-brother, who after Jesus’ resurrection became prominent in the church of Jerusalem and wrote the book of James.