Week 52: Jesus, Day 4

Read:
Revelation 12:1-11
Psalm 109

Reflect:
 The Book of Revelation is best read as a series of visions, in which the Gospel of Jesus Christ is depicted and explored from a variety of perspectives. This is especially true of chapters 6-22. Each of these visions has something to do with “the things that must shortly take place” (Rev 1:1), that is, with the future that is fast bearing down on the Church as it struggles to remain faithful to its Lord. But in sketching the future, the visions also dig deeply into the Biblical past. Here is the power of the language of the book, which draws on Old Testament imagery in a rich way, going beyond mere citation, and rather imitating its very qualities and cadences.
 Today’s passage presents us with a vision of a woman giving birth to a child, an attack on them both by a dragon, God’s act of protection, and a voice commenting on the scene. The question that springs to mind is, “who are these figures?” The text gives us some help with that, but also suggests a complexity that leaves matters somewhat mysterious. The dragon, it is clear, is Satan (12:9), who at the start of the vision has tremendous power, and part way through it is “thrown down to the earth” (12:9) where however he still represents a huge threat (5:13-17). The identity of the child is not stated as clearly, but the fact that He is “to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” (5:5) tells us that this is Jesus Christ (compare 19:15-16). That should make the mother Mary, and yet there seem to be layers of signification that push this identification in other directions. She is “clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (5:1). This has led some commentators to see here a reference to the earth itself, emphasizing the beauty of the Lord’s original creation (over against the viciousness of the dragon) so that Jesus is a true “son of the earth.” As events unfold, she is also hidden and nourished by God in the wilderness (5:14), which reminds us of aspects of the history of Israel; and so some see here a specific reference to Israel as the “mother” of Jesus. These three references are perhaps not inconsistent with each other: the perfection and beauty of the original creation was taken up in Israel’s worship and experience as the people of God, and Mary certainly represents the obedience and beauty of Israel’s faith. The swirling themes allow the vision to carry several legitimate levels of implications.
 On the other hand, the reference to Bethlehem is clear, though astonishingly gruesome. Samuel Beckett shocked the world in his play Waiting for Godot, by depicting the quality of human life as a woman giving birth while straddling a grave: a quick and dirty womb-to-tomb experience. His image was not less shocking than the John’s image of the dragon awaiting the birth of the Savior with an open maw. (I’ve never seen a crèche like this.) Only one thing prevents disaster: God intervenes, and allows the natural development of the child to take its course. Only the action of God stands between the unslaked ferocity of Satan and the vulnerable baby who must grow before He can conquer. Only God stands against the mind-blowing pointlessness of evil – or for that matter of Beckett’s empty philosophy. God insists on retaining human life as beautiful, meaningful, and full of wonder. And He does it by protecting the natural, normal, quiet, vulnerable processes of nature and family. Again, a powerful reiteration of the real meaning of Christmas: God saves!

Respond:
Verses 10-11 pattern our response as “the brethren” who have known the salvation of God. As beneficiaries of His blood, they became His witnesses, and turned from a life of their own to a life lived (and lost) for Him. So much about Christmas seems to bring out our human selfishness. But there is much too that can turn us away from a life lived for self.

Pray:
Lord, thank You for the faithfulness of so many of Your servants – the prophets of Israel, Mary and Joseph, and the many faithful witnesses in our lives who have shown us the light of life in Christ. Help us shine Your light today.

- D.D.

Week 52: Jesus, Day 3

Read:
Revelation 5:1-14
Psalm 108

Reflect:
 As we have seen, in Revelation 1-3 Jesus is presented as the Shepherd of the Church, guiding it in the challenges of life and witness. Revelation 4-5 then places all in perspective, as John is brought up into a vision of heaven itself, and he gazes on the astonishing activity at the throne of God, the center of all things visible and invisible. He finds no timeless placidity here, but an ebb and flow of constant and strenuous activity that has its central purpose in giving constant, energetic, vital praise to the Most High God.
 In the midst of this activity, an angel steps forward (5:2). Let’s be reminded that the appearance of an angel (as we noted earlier) means, “Listen up! God is saving!” The one “seated on the throne” has a scroll in His hand, and the angel asks, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” At first no one in heaven or on earth is found who is worthy to perform this task. Poignantly, it causes the author of Revelation to break his background role, as he is overwhelmed with an almost uncontrollable grief. Why does he weep? The imagery of the closed book speaks to us that there is some powerful and beautiful message or action that God is ready to perform, but that remains unfulfilled and undelivered because there is no one in creation who is able to handle the message. No one is worthy to hear and accept the Word of God in its power and beauty. John weeps because he understands that it signifies the isolation of humanity from God; we are cut off from His grace and blessings because we cannot even hear His voice. His grief is the grief for the full tragedy of fallen humanity.
 But the moment is not over. True, no one was found who is worthy; but now someone “has overcome so as to open the book and its seals.” The tense of the verb (“has overcome”) implies that a drama has played out in some sense that has changed the situation forever. The prophesied Messiah of the line of David has done it. As He steps forward to take the scroll and open it, we find that the Lion of Judah is in fact the Lamb of God slain for our sins (5:5-6). In His work of salvation, Jesus has rectified the relationship between God and humanity, and the full blessings and joy of God can once again flow in our created world. The angel was right to get us to “listen up!” Jesus has arrived, not just for good times, but for salvation itself. And the rest of the chapter records the energy of the heavenly praise, hardly pausing but rather broadening to acknowledge not only the creating work of God (4:11) but now also the salvation of God and of the Lamb (5:9).
 Do you hear the Christmas message? Humanity needs to have relationship with God to be truly blessed and alive, and yet sin has placed all humanity under a cloud. And so God sent His Son to be born as a tiny infant, to live and grow not as a freakish alien but as a real human, as a real member of creation itself. In this way Jesus was positioned to receive the word of judgment and the word of blessing that must come to humanity, but He was able to accept it and deal with it because He was worthy as only God is worthy.
Mild, He lays His glory by; born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth!
Hark, the herald angels sing: “Listen up! God is saving!”

Respond:
While Christmas is often the time for wonderful productions and glorious services, it is simultaneously the time for us to bring our deepest, most personal worship to Jesus Christ. It can happen as we listen to music in our homes, or gather for worship at church, or even as we check the franticness of a shopping expedition with a moment of praise and thanks. Jesus saves!

Pray:
Dear Lord, Thank you for the gift of salvation. Please help us be ready to share the real meaning of Christmas with all those we encounter, in thought and word and deed.

- D.D.

Week 52: Jesus, Day 2

Read:

Revelation 3:1-6
Psalm 107

Reflect:
 The first chapters of the Book of Revelation declare Jesus to be the great Shepherd of the Church. The vision of Jesus in 1:9-20 leads into His letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor in chapters 2-3. He is the One “who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood.” He bore the judgment of our selfishness, and now as our Head He is the perfect one to continue to guide us in the life He purchased for us. Today’s passage, the fourth of the seven letters, allows us to look closely at a sample of Jesus’ shepherding style.
 The letter to the church of Sardis brings a wake-up call to the Christian community there. Sardis was built in antiquity as the fortress city of Croesus, by reputation the wealthiest man in history. Secure in his wealth and in the armies that it purchased, he grew lax at just the wrong moment, and the neighboring king, Cyrus, was able to conquer the unconquerable city. Croesus finished out his days as the pet advisor of Cyrus, spouting canned wisdom about fortune’s vicissitudes. This letter to the church implies that the Christians there have picked up the bad habits of the town itself. They have a reputation for vitality, but the Lord knows them to be spiritually dead. If they do not become alert to their situation, “I will come like a thief.” But the weakness that overshadows the community can be simply (but perhaps not easily) overcome: it is a matter of turning from the routine, and walking instead with Jesus.
 A wake-up call is by definition both uncomfortable and timely. To extend our theme of yesterday, Jesus again comes preaching God’s uncomfortable salvation. He does not here preach a return to thoughtless comfort, but rather delivers an abrupt challenge to the church’s entire way of life. The good news is not about “good times,” but about the demands of God’s salvation.

Respond:
Often Christmas has worked for me like a wake-up call, but never in any way that I expect. Usually I approach Christmas with the assumption that I will be contributing a lot more to Christmas than I am likely to get out of it. There is so much to contribute, after all, in terms of planning, and execution, and spirit, and readiness. But the best Christmases for me have been the ones that brought me more than I could have predicted – not of gifts, but of the Lord’s own goodness (not presents, but Presence). Once it was a dinner delivered to our door on a Christmas Day that our family was sick and couldn’t join others. Often it is the glimpse of some blessing in the lives of others. One year brought both a new child and the death of a parent; and the music of Christmas was permanently enriched with both joy and sorrow. The Lord may speak through a child, through a carol, or through a Christmas message. He may come in the gentleness of a Lamb, in the laughter of a Bridegroom, or in the snarl of a Lion. But He always comes to us for the same reason, and it’s not to coddle, to bemoan, to placate, and certainly not to lull. Jesus comes to save. It is not always comfortable. But it is always timely.

Pray:
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.” Psalm 106:1-2

- D.D.

Week 52: Jesus, Day 1

Read:
Revelation 1:1-8
Psalm 106

Reflect:
 This week the Devo takes on a very particular task. This is the final week of our Walk through the Bible year, and with it we give special attention to the one Person that has in fact been mentioned every week, though He has not yet received His own particular week. We also consider Him, however, in light of the way He is presented to us in the final book of the Bible. And thirdly, here in the season of Advent, we also wish to do justice to the wonderful Gift of Christmas. So here goes.
 The Book of Revelation is presented to us as “the revelation of Jesus Christ.” It is a prophetic message that comes to the Church from the Lord of the Church, delivered by two messengers: an angel, and John (Rev 1:1). Remarkably little is told us about either of these two messengers; they are important to the book only to the extent that they simply bear testimony to “all” they have seen and heard (1:2). Their value is that they pass on the full value of the Word of the Lord.
 Protestants are often less comfortable than other types of Christians with angels, except maybe at Christmas. The Bible teaches that they are servants of God, whose home is heaven even as our human home is earth, and that they assist the earthly work of God at times. They know and rejoice in God’s holy will in a way that is a wonderment to us, since we still struggle with the selfishness that prevents our unhindered listening to God’s voice of love and command. Thus they seem particularly charged with helping to get across to us the clarity of God’s Word at times when it is hard for earthlings to hear it. And so in the events of Jesus’ birth, Gabriel secured Mary’s attention for a message that was literally unbelievable; and later an angel choir found a rapt audience of shepherds with whom to share the joy of God’s grace. Maybe instead of picturing angels with harps, we should see them carrying hearing aids for the deafened ears of the children of Adam and Eve! Their message is usually disruptive and inconvenient: not the arrival of happy times, but of the saving act of God. And so it is in today’s passage: an angel warns us to “listen up!” – because God is going to save.
 In a real sense this “revelation of Jesus Christ” is also about Jesus. And as Pastor Jim shared last week, the name Jesus means “God saves” – not, for instance, “happy days are here again.” As the Gospels begin with the story of Jesus’ coming, so in Revelation the Church looks forward to Jesus bringing this particular age to a conclusion. And it is indeed all about Him. As we learned over and over again in our study of the Old Testament, Israel was never able fully to grasp the salvation that God offered, even with the repeated injunctions of the prophets. In many ways this failure clarified the need for the disclosure, the revelation, of something completely unheard of among humanity: that God Himself would arrive to save His people, and indeed the whole world. Verses 4-6 of our passage remind us eloquently of Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection, and verses 7-8 remind us that what remains is still very much about Him. Salvation seems never to be obvious to us humans; it always seems to come to us out of left field, with tremendous energies of God, and of angels, directed at getting us to “listen up” (v. 3). But for those who do listen up, life is never again the same.

Respond:
Because God means really to save and not just to assuage, our service to Him and to His Gospel can mean interruptions and disruptions as He directs our energies away from our own “great ideas” and toward His own plan for the ages. Are you ready to be interrupted this Christmas, in order to share God’s love in an unexpected way?

Pray:
“To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, and who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to God His Father – to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

- D.D.

Week 51: James, Day 5

READ
James 5:7-20
Psalm 105

REFLECT 

Hang in There !
 Waiting for an expected event to happen over an extended lead time is extremely difficult for some of us. I don’t even like to stand in line for a clerk to check my purchases, or buy a ticket, or wait for the doors to open at the concert hall or theater. Yet we spend a lot of time waiting; frustrations mount, negative feelings bubble up, and we’re likely to say things, or express our anxieties in unhealthy ways. It is most true when the things we’re waiting for are really, really important, at least to us. I know it for a fact.
 When James winds up his letter to the Jewish Christians scattered abroad, he addressed an expectation for the soon return of their Lord. Dispersed around their world because of persecution, working at the business of living in strange territory, performing different tasks, sometimes as slaves, these disciples were longing for the Lord to return, and liberate them. He said He would come back. Where is He? Doesn’t He know that life is hard for us?
 James simply says “Be patient” (5:7). That’s easy for him to say. And farmers do it every cycle. Plow the ground. Plant the seed. Wait for the harvest. Nothing to it. So, depend on it: the coming of the Lord is near. We don’t quite know how to deal with the Second Coming in our time. We grasp the biblical counsel that we don’t know when the Lord will return. We know it will happen suddenly. And we have heard that we should simply be patient, and make sure we are prepared for His coming. It is an active patience that believes His coming will be a reality, and we determine to be ready when He comes. We affirm it in the Creeds. We cherish the prospect of That Day.
 The final nine verses in James’ letter provide a powerful capsule of descriptors of what the Christian community should be. Beginning with a caution about the integrity of what we say to each other, let our words carry a crystal clear meaning; no duplicity; no crooked words. When the faithful can depend on the veracity of everything that is said in the fellowship, then a host of other expressions of faith can flow freely.
 For those who are suffering, there is a prayer circle that sustains them. There will be a singing church that reflects the exuberance of the redeemed. I have a leather bound Methodist hymnal that belonged to Bishop Amstutz of Singapore, who, during his years of incarceration by the Japanese in WW II, found his strength for survival in the Bible, and in the hymns that he sang daily. Though alone in his cell, he experienced the power of the singing church that kept him alive. Reminds us of Paul in a Roman jail cell.
 The healthy church is a healing church, where the sick and wounded find sustaining grace and a path to wellness as the faithful pray for God’s response to needs. Restoration takes place. Broken bodies become whole again. God-things happen. All because the healthy church is a praying church. In such an environment of a caring, loving community, even the “strays” can find restoration in the fellowship of believers.
 Well, James has provided a wealth of counsel for Christians across the centuries. Even though his original audience was a scattered group of newly converted Jewish people, his straightforward clues for fulfilling, effective Christian living still hold true. We neglect
them to our peril.

RESPOND
A quick review of the five brief chapters in the Epistle of James might suggest a valuable check list for our commitment to become a maturing, faithful follower of Jesus Christ. As a New Year comes around shortly, let James set us on an upward growth curve in our discipleship.

PRAY
Loving Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, send Your Spirit’s guiding presence to lead me into new dimensions of my relationship with You, as I “Remember this! He led his people out singing for joy; his chosen people marched, singing their hearts out” (Psalm 105:43 TM). Let me sing!

- D.E.E.

Week 51: James, Day 4

READ
James 4:1 – 5:6
Psalm 104

REFLECT 

Qualities in Relationships
 Virtually everyone has at least two sets of relationships to deal with on a daily basis: persons, and things. James is not timid about weighing in on dysfunction in relationships that erupt into “quarrels and conflicts.” Right to the point, he fingers our tendency to slip into the pleasure-driven life, where “what I want, when I want it,” is the basis of our action plan. When “our way” is the driving force, we tend to set people against each other, and to crave things that clutter our lives with needless baggage. Not only that, the craving of pleasure can shut the door on our conversations with the Master, Jesus.
 It’s really quite simple. Our God is a jealous God, who requires fidelity in our relationship with Him. It is He who gives grace in abundance. It is He who seeks to welcome us, coming with our hands clean, and our hearts pure. It is He who longs for us to come to terms with an undivided allegiance to Him. We cannot serve two masters. My son has played the lead role in a French farce, Servant to Two Masters. While it is a hilarious comedy, there is an underlying tragedy conveyed by the absolute impossibility and overpowering frustration in trying to keep both masters served and happy. If the playwright can capture the truth, why can’t we learn to choose absolutely our Master Jesus, and live for Him truly?
 More specifically, James counsels us, not only to hold “things” lightly, but to treat our brothers and sisters fairly, especially with reference to matters of the common law of the land. In many ways, this counsel is an extension of the issue of selfish indulgence noted above. James in effect says, “Clean it up,” in your manner of relating to others, and cut out the judgmentalism.
 Then there is the issue of social justice. With James, “richness” does not cut it. He points out that no matter the quality of one’s wardrobe, the extent of one’s wealth, or the size of one’s properties, you can’t avoid the obligation to pay the laborer a fair wage. It all will decay anyway, some day – although James didn’t account for the fact that gold and silver don’t rust, they just tarnish. Nowhere in the Scriptures can it be found that a man can be in right relationship with God if he is acting unjustly toward his fellows.
 Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD) wrote a valuable instruction: “I know that God has given us the use of goods, but only as far as is necessary. . . . It is absurd and disgraceful for one to live magnificently and luxuriously when so many are hungry.” I believe my mother had read this quote. I got the message.
 This part of the Christian’s life can, in our generally affluent national environment, provide challenges to our self-satisfying tendencies. After all, can we withstand the onslaught of glitzy advertising? We had better be very careful in our responses.

RESPOND
This is the Advent/Christmas season, a time when our “wants” are highlighted by the gifting we embrace so readily. Then there are the “wants” that appear on the gift lists from spouses, children, grandchildren (especially), and get caught up in the frenzy of it all. Perhaps this is the year when we put into perspective the multiple areas of counsel we find in the Epistle of James, and commit to a careful, while fully loving, expression of our primary allegiance to the Christ Child, and give gifts out of spiritual sensitivity.

PRAY
My loving Lord, who continues to be the giver of all good things, “Let me sing to God all my life long, sing hymns to my God as long as I live!” (Psalm 104:33 TM).

- D.E.E.

Week 51: James, Day 3

READ
James 2:14 – 3:18
Psalm 103

REFLECT 

“Genuine” Ingredients
 Very early in the formative years of the Christian community, there emerged a tension that still exists among those who profess Jesus as Lord. That struggle is between the primacy of “faith,” and the performance of “works.” For James, the issue arose among his Jewish converts to Christ, whose life-long adherence to the Law of Moses was so deeply engrained that all the Ceremonial Laws demanded strict observance. For Paul, whose missionary ministry was largely among Gentiles, those Ceremonial Laws made no demand for observance by non-Jewish converts to Christ.
 What’s a Jerusalem church leader to do?, especially when rumor had it that Paul was telling his converts to “shine off” all that Jewish ritual stuff, especially circumcision. What James had to do was build a bridge between the two factions, and center on the basic and essential commitment to Jesus, as Lord and Savior. In the second half of Chapter 2, James welds the seam between faith and works by pointing out – with illustrations – that when the mouth professes faith, there must be demonstrations of how that faith impacts the way we live, the manner in which we deal with the people in our lives, and the acts of mercy that reflect the Spirit of our Lord. Under the leadership of James, the first Jerusalem Council determined that Gentiles were liberated from observance of most Jewish Ceremonial Law, and were fully admitted to the Christian community (Acts 15).
  We must remember that there is an ethical dimension to our Christian life. While the Ceremonial Law of Moses is not part of our equation, the Moral Law has not been superseded. “By their fruits you will know them.” Faith and works are not opposites; rather, they are inseparable parts of the whole package of Christian living. We are saved “for” works of righteousness, not “by” them.
 There is a natural flow from James’ discussion about faith and works, to consideration of the human capacity to speak. The tongue articulates thought. Teachers are an example of the awesome responsibility of speech. What we say must be true, genuine, important.
What we say can either bless or curse. “How” we convey our thoughts can determine the emotional content that prompts a response. No major undertaking can take place without first an exchange of words. There are “hot” words, and “comfort” words. There are slips of the tongue that can damage reputations, emotions, relationships.
 So . . . seek genuine wisdom “which comes from above,” (3:17) that produces pure communication, peace, gentleness, reason, mercy, good fruits, steady, and straight talk.
Healthy speaking habits flow out of the imparted wisdom from the Holy Spirit, impact in immeasurable ways our interpersonal relationships, and contribute to the unity of the body of Christ gathered in communities of faith – the church. We dare not ruin God’s day by stirring up the dust of wagging tongues and jealous, spiteful feelings within the multiple interfaces that exist in and through the church. “Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others” (3:15 TM).

RESPOND
Between the challenge of aligning our professed faith with our life patterns of behavior in work and relationships, and the disciplining of our speech with Godly wisdom, there is a lot of work to be done on a daily basis. During this Advent Season, when our focus is on the greatest gift – Jesus – consider bringing into closer alignment your profession of faith and your expressions of the Royal Law.

PRAY
Gracious God, you have already given so much to the world, and to me. Grant me the sensitivity and the resolve to faithfully exhibit what it means to be Christ’s disciple, remembering that “God’s love is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him” (Psalm 103:17 TM).

- D.E.E.

Week 51: James, Day 2

READ
James 1:1 – 2:13
Psalm 102

REFLECT

“Tough Time” Requirements
 Imagine yourself a Jewish person in a strange city in the Roman Empire, rooted out of your comfort zone by persecution of Christians in Jerusalem, and by the violence of the Roman imperialists who enslaved and displaced countless Jews at their command. It was not a pleasant scene. In the early years of the Jesus people, only later called Christians, there was evangelism taking place in widening circles; then building up of the converts in the developing cells of believers; then intense persecution after the stoning of Stephen; and then gradually the scattering of the Jerusalem congregation throughout Judea, Samaria, and even into remote regions of Caesarea, Damascus, Antioch, and the island of Cyprus.
 James, as leader of the church in Jerusalem, had deep concern for his growing parish, shared with them their Jewish loyalties to the law, but also their new conviction that Jesus was their Messiah. As circumstances began to force many of those disciples to move beyond “home base,” James followed the direction of the Spirit to help sustain their faith by addressing their need for continuing instruction. So what we have today is a short compendium of clear guidelines that both instruct and encourage. Here are some.
 Be joyful when you “encounter various trials.” That’s just not what we tend to feel when the pressures of life pummel us. We associate “joy” with the happy times, when everything seems to be going very well for us. But for those Jewish Christians on the run, life was not going well. James counsels them in their trials to “consider it all joy,” think constructively; because how you perceive your difficulties will determine the extent of your endurance – for whatever comes. Remember: Martyrs died singing.
 Wisdom is a gift from God. Ask for it. There are conditions. First, there must be faith that God can guide. Second, there must be an absence of doubt that God will indeed respond to our request for wisdom. Prayer is the vehicle that leads into wisdom. This is a very practical thing, because it enables sound thinking, and leads to proper conduct. We need both.
 There is an old Gospel song that echoes the word from James: Yield Not To Temptation. It is not God’s tactic to tempt us. We choose when and how we will allow sin to infect our lives. But when we “persevere under trial,” there is a handsome payoff: the Crown of Life, the bestowment of God’s blessings.
 Clean up your life, remove the junk, and cultivate a teachable spirit. In the process, we will find challenges to do more than “know about” our faith in Christ. We will be learning how to translate that knowledge into behavior patterns that reflect the life of our Lord. As the saying goes, we must “walk the talk.”
 James certainly addresses snobbery in the church. It’s not how many rings one wears, on how many fingers. It’s not the expression of wealth through one’s wardrobe, or the position one holds in corporation or society. Rather, when we practice the “Royal Law” – loving our neighbor as ourselves – we keep all outward appearances in perspective, and avoid the temptation to classify people into the “OK’s” and the “Ugh’s.”

RESPOND
We’re not short on “growth” challenges as we seek to become fully devoted disciples of Jesus Christ. Consider how one or several of the words of counsel from James can shape your agenda for living in and through this Advent Season.

PRAY
Loving Lord, be patient with me as I increase my “doing” of the faith, and let me know the reality of Your promise that “ . . . year after year you’re as good as new” (Psalm 102.27 TM).

- D.E.E.

Week 51: James, Day 1

READ
Acts 15:1-21; 21:17-25
Psalm 101

REFLECT 

The General Letter
    James, you say? Which one? Not the son of Zebedee, the older brother of John the Evangelist. Not the son of Alphaeus, James “the less,” one of the 12 disciples. But, yes, “our James” was the son of Joseph and Mary, half-brother of our Lord. Quite clearly, the name James figures prominently in the formative years of the Christian church.
    During the brief years of Jesus’ ministry, “our James” was not a believer (John 7:3-10). But something happened to his heart and mind during the last hours of his Brother’s travail; he overcame his skepticism, and became a believer. We find him post-Ascension, meeting in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost with the other disciples. His participation in the formative years of the Christian movement led to a prominent place of leadership, the undisputed head of the church, and convener of the first Jerusalem Council in AD 44 (Acts 15:13, 19), which led to the acceptance of Gentiles into the Christian community. He died a martyr’s death at the hands of the Jewish priestly authorities in AD 62.
    It will help our understanding of the content of the “General (or catholic) Epistle of James,” to consider the context in which he penned this earliest of letters. James was not a traveler, like Paul; so his communication is not directed either to a person or a location, but “to the twelve tribes who are disbursed abroad.” Initially, this letter was directed to the Jewish Christians living outside Palestine, forced out by persecution, and carried into slavery throughout the Roman Empire – “The Diaspora.” In other words, it’s for everybody who receives it.
    This letter is the most “Jewish” of all the books in the New Testament, probably because James appears to have remained loyal to his orthodox Jewish understanding of the Law. But the wide circulation of this Epistle, and its emphasis on living faithfully the Christian life, contributed greatly to the rapid spread of Christianity through the Roman world.
    The aim of James is clearly an appeal to leave worldliness behind, and press forward to the practical expressions of Christian faith. The letter contains 108 verses; 60 of them are imperatives! Can you get the weight of the message? For new Christians, scattered to the four winds, needing encouragement and counsel, James offers clear instruction about “living out” life in Christ. For most of the listeners, what James provided was not new information, but rather a “wake up” call to translate knowledge into action, and thus give full expression to the godly life.
    In the following days of this week, we will give attention to the multiple dimensions of Christian faith and practice that James wrote about, and which speak today in early twenty-first century, just as they did in the ancient world. Scripture is always current. And especially in this season of Advent, there are pointed instructions about how to express our faith in Christ through right living.

RESPOND
Consider how James progressed from being a non-believing brother of our Lord, to becoming the leader of the Jerusalem community of faith; to writing a letter to a group of Christians about whom he cared deeply and identified with closely; to his desire to provide encouragement for endurance and persistence in their faith life. Each of us needs to hear the word of encouragement. But we can also follow the pattern of James to be the encourager of others in our circles of influence.

PRAY
Lord, in my busy days of this Advent season, let me echo the words of the Psalmist who wrote: “I’m finding my way down the road of right living” (101:2) TM.

- D.E.E.

Week 51: James, Day 1

READ
Acts 15:1-21; 21:17-25
Psalm 101

REFLECT 

The General Letter
 James, you say? Which one? Not the son of Zebedee, the older brother of John the Evangelist. Not the son of Alphaeus, James “the less,” one of the 12 disciples. But, yes, “our James” was the son of Joseph and Mary, half-brother of our Lord. Quite clearly, the name James figures prominently in the formative years of the Christian church.
 During the brief years of Jesus’ ministry, “our James” was not a believer (John 7:3-10). But something happened to his heart and mind during the last hours of his Brother’s travail; he overcame his skepticism, and became a believer. We find him post-Ascension, meeting in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost with the other disciples. His participation in the formative years of the Christian movement led to a prominent place of leadership, the undisputed head of the church, and convener of the first Jerusalem Council in AD 44 (Acts 15:13, 19), which led to the acceptance of Gentiles into the Christian community. He died a martyr’s death at the hands of the Jewish priestly authorities in AD 62.
 It will help our understanding of the content of the “General (or catholic) Epistle of James,” to consider the context in which he penned this earliest of letters. James was not a traveler, like Paul; so his communication is not directed either to a person or a location, but “to the twelve tribes who are disbursed abroad.” Initially, this letter was directed to the Jewish Christians living outside Palestine, forced out by persecution, and carried into slavery throughout the Roman Empire – “The Diaspora.” In other words, it’s for everybody who receives it.
 This letter is the most “Jewish” of all the books in the New Testament, probably because James appears to have remained loyal to his orthodox Jewish understanding of the Law. But the wide circulation of this Epistle, and its emphasis on living faithfully the Christian life, contributed greatly to the rapid spread of Christianity through the Roman world.
 The aim of James is clearly an appeal to leave worldliness behind, and press forward to the practical expressions of Christian faith. The letter contains 108 verses; 60 of them are imperatives! Can you get the weight of the message? For new Christians, scattered to the four winds, needing encouragement and counsel, James offers clear instruction about “living out” life in Christ. For most of the listeners, what James provided was not new information, but rather a “wake up” call to translate knowledge into action, and thus give full expression to the godly life.
 In the following days of this week, we will give attention to the multiple dimensions of Christian faith and practice that James wrote about, and which speak today in early twenty-first century, just as they did in the ancient world. Scripture is always current. And especially in this season of Advent, there are pointed instructions about how to express our faith in Christ through right living.

RESPOND
Consider how James progressed from being a non-believing brother of our Lord, to becoming the leader of the Jerusalem community of faith; to writing a letter to a group of Christians about whom he cared deeply and identified with closely; to his desire to provide encouragement for endurance and persistence in their faith life. Each of us needs to hear the word of encouragement. But we can also follow the pattern of James to be the encourager of others in our circles of influence.

PRAY
Lord, in my busy days of this Advent season, let me echo the words of the Psalmist who wrote: “I’m finding my way down the road of right living” (101:2) TM.

- D.E.E.