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.