James 5:13-20

James 5:13-20 

English Standard Version 

  The book of James is filled with everyday guidance.  It helps us know how to treat one another, how to react to setbacks, how to handle life.  It gives us wisdom that is real and actionable, and through it all, it points to the eternal life made possible through the grace and peace and mercy of God.  

  May we all seek to have the prayer life that James points to, where our first instinct is to turn to God, individually and collectively.  May we find Biblical characters and prayers that we can relate to, that teach us about ourselves and about God, and offer us encouragement as we see the ways they have failed and the ways God delivers regardless of our shortcomings.  

James 5:12

James 5:12 

English Standard Version 

  Why do we lie?  

  I wonder how much of it is driven by our need to maintain an image.  Sometimes, we're afraid of what the truth would reveal about us.  We're afraid that the truth might show something to others that we don't want to be seen.  We hide it, because we're trying to hold onto something, no matter if it's not eternally important.  We often lie just for us.

  So James tells us to be truthful.  The truth often isn't easy, and it can hurt sometimes... but clinging to the truth, and the truth alone, can help us learn how to trust in God and in God alone, to focus on how beloved and treasured we are by God.  We learn that a community based in honesty and humility can be authentic and can be relied upon in times of need -- we don't have to carry a false image into such a place, but can be open with one another, encouraging one another, and finding healing.

James 5:7-11

James 5:7-11 

English Standard Version 

  Agriculture is such a great metaphor for the spiritual life.  I wonder how much of the impact of various teachings we miss because we live so far from the land.  Farming involves great patience and trust -- a seed is planted, the soil is cared for, and then there is waiting.  It's active waiting, but it's also a lot of trusting in things that are beyond one's control.  When trust is enough, then one can remain steadfast in the face of opposition.

  What qualities of God would you want to know more about that would help you be steadfast in the face of suffering?  God wants to give us what we need to help us endure.  I think I often have a different idea as to what I need than God does, and much of that is driven by the fact that I don't have complete trust in God -- I am trying to retain control, so that things turn out the way I want them to.  Growing in faith for me is learning to let go of control and trusting in God's bigger vision for my eternal life, not simply for the earthly one.  

James 5:1-6

James 5:1-6

English Standard Version 

  James isn't known for his subtlety, and the Bible isn't often kind to those who value riches above all else.  The Bible is a complex document, and it's approach to money certainly isn't simplistic.  We shouldn't automatically dismiss these words and move on, but we read them in context with other places Scripture talks about money.  It's a warning -- greed captures our hearts so easily, and often without us noticing.  Greed is one of those sins that we can do without realizing it.  We know when we steal something, or when we gossip, but greed can happen without our noticing.  

  May we be very careful about how we deal with money, recognizing its power and the promises it makes.  It often doesn't intend to keep those promises, but it doesn't matter -- by the time we're in its clutches, it can be too late to see the way it corrodes our hearts.  Of what eternal value is money?  We'll lose it all eventually anyway, so may we see it for what it is -- a tool that can be of great use here on earth, but it cannot deliver us, and it cannot save us.  It cannot fulfill the deepest desires of our hearts.  It can bring great joy if we use it wisely, and it can be a tool to build community if we use it well.  We can learn generosity through good stewardship of money, among other things.  Obsessing over it can eat away at the attentions of our hearts... whether we have it or not.  Thinking about ways to share what we have, ways to bless others -- that can enrich us, that can deepen our connections with each other and help us see God at work in ourselves and the community.

James 4:13-17

James 4:13-17 

English Standard Version

  The book of James is not subtle -- it comes straight at us, giving us little room to duck.  We can choose to ignore these words if we like, but we do so with a full understanding of what we're being asked and told.  I'll freely confess that I can make idols out of my plans -- I tend to think that I know what is best, which leads me to being upset at God when my plans don't materialize.  If God is leading me in a different direction, then surely God doesn't fully understand how great my plans are!  And I'll be honest... my plans don't always revolve around selfless love of others, around service, around gratitude.  They often involve around building my own kingdom!

  So James confronts us and gives us time and space to think about these things.  May we be honest about our failures, rely on the grace of God, and rejoice that God covers our failures with love and makes a path forward through death itself into life eternal.

James 4:11-12

James 4:11-12 

English Standard Version 

  I've heard some interesting sermons related to this over the past few years, and they've helped me understand.  Think about it this way -- if you look through the list of laws in your state or city and pick the ones you want to follow, discarding the rest, you're taking a position of authority over those laws.  You're deciding that you know better than the people who made those laws, and that you get to decide which are the best and which can be discarded.

  Now apply that to God's law.  If we judge the law, we're doing the same thing -- telling God that we know better, that we are the best authority, that we have judgment rights on the law.  Even if we only exclude one that we really, really don't like, it's still a grab at authority over the law and over God.  Therefore, we have to accept all of God's law if we are to accept God's authority.

  To do so means to accept that we sin and fall short of it, but it also pushes us towards amazement, because despite falling short of the law, God embraces us and redeems us.  And if I am broken and sinful and yet redeemed, who am I to harshly judge others as unworthy of God's redeeming grace?

James 4:6-10

James 4:6-10 

English Standard Version 

  Verse six might sum up most of the Bible -- you could write it after most of the times people mess things up.  You could write it after most of the things I mess up in life, too!  God gives more grace.  When we give God a reason to walk away, God gives more grace.  The challenge for us is to accept God's grace -- rather than try and find a way to dig ourselves out of whatever hole we're in through our own efforts, can we sit back, humbly accept our weakness, and trust in God?  Can will exalt those who humble themselves, because they're the ones who know the only path forward is through the righteousness of Christ.  That's how we turn our mourning into laughter -- we mourn for our failures, but we laugh when the world tries to tell us those are the end, because we know that it's really only a new beginning, made possible because God gives more grace.

James 4:1-5

James 4:1-5

English Standard Version 

  Augustine talks about our problem being primarily one of disordered loves.  We love the wrong things too much, and the right things too little.  The biggest sin we likely need to repent of is loving God too little.  We choose the world instead, because it's here and it's pressing in on us from all directions, and the pressure is unbearable.  We grow up surrounded by it, and it's what we know best, so we chase it.

  May we yearn for God with all we have.  Jesus calls us friend... may we pursue him like a friend, like a lover, like a soulmate, for it is he who made our souls, and we are made for him.  When we ask, may we start with asking for God to help us love God more -- it is the most worthy effort we can ever make.

James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18 

English Standard Version 

  Remember all those signs that tell you how everything you ever needed to know you learned in kindergarten?  This is somewhat similar -- it's telling us what wise and faithful behavior looks like.  We learn it here in Scripture, but we often forget it when we go into the world.  We get defensive and upset, often because we're afraid our self-image is being threatened or tarnished.  Scripture tells us to let go of our self-image and to let God define us.  Then we're not worried about defending ourself or protecting our reputation.  Then we let go of being jealous and selfishly ambitious.  When we're not worried about where we rank among others, then we don't get as angry.  We work for peace.  

  Sometimes, I think we have to get angry to pursue peace.  There are people in the world who will take advantage of others, particularly children, and when we see that happening, we should be angry, and to work for peace may mean we don't do peaceful things.  I don't know when and where to draw those lines, but I do know that Jesus got upset when he saw unrighteousness.  When we do get angry, we should test our anger, to ensure it's really about unrighteousness and we aren't somehow tied up in it.  It's a hard thing to do, but necessary -- it's part of pouring ourself out so that Christ can fill us.

James 3:6-12

James 3:6-12 

English Standard Version 

  You can feel James wrestling with the reality of our speech, which reflects our divided hearts.  Our words flow out of our hearts, and our hearts bounce back and forth -- we don't know how to perfectly pursue God, and so our idols get in the way.  We make time to pray and pursue God, but so often we're pursuing our own kingdoms, our own treasures, and when that pursuit is interrupted, we become angry or defensive or deceitful, doing whatever we can to build ourselves up, to try and save ourselves, when in reality, Christ is the only one who can save us, and Christ does so freely, without condition, inviting us to turn to God in praise and thanksgiving.

  May we pay attention to the words we use, to the way we use them, to the way we speak to those that are around us.  We can be so careless with our words -- let us attend to them, for they can build one another up or tear one another down.  It is our choice, I simply pray that we are mindful enough to choose wisely, to choose with intention, that we may love with our words as well as deeds.

James 3:1-5

James 3:1-5 

English Standard Version 

  Sometimes on the news, you'll hear about how social media erupted over a certain issue and a company or person responded due to the outrage.  I'm always skeptical how representative social media is of the larger population.  They're certainly more vocal, but a lot of people are simply too busy to spend all their time on social media, and they're probably not outraged, but because they don't voice their thoughts on the internet, their voice isn't heard.  The vocal minority is often seen as representative because they're the loudest.  

  Our tongues are a small part of the body, but they have an oversized impact.  What we say shapes a lot of our lives and our relationships.  We're called to pay attention to what we say, to how we use our words -- they can build one another up, or they can tear one another down.  How will you use your words?  Will you care for one another?  Will you build community?

James 2:18-26

James 2:18-26 

English Standard Version 

  If I tell you that I have a billion dollars, but I live in an old van and eat one meal a day, what would you think about me?  What would you think the impact of that billion dollars is on my life?

  If you learned that I loved baseball, but I never watched or listened or attended a single baseball game, would you believe me?  Or would you perhaps doubt that my love for baseball was authentic?  Maybe you'd suspect that I simply told people that to impress them.

  James is telling us that our faith should change our actions.  If our faith doesn't have any impact on our actions, what kind of faith is that?  How deeply rooted is it?  Are we keeping faith for convenience at that point?  Or truly allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us?  

  May we pray for faith to change us, to root us deeply in the work of God, and to send us into the world.

James 2:14-17

James 2:14-17 

English Standard Version 

  If I have two hamburgers and only need one, what kind of person am I if we share a meal and I let you go hungry?  The more time we spend in the Gospels, the more we see Jesus sending the church to share what blessings they have with one another.  We are transformed as a community.  The Holy Spirit works in us and between us, and when we entrust ourselves to God, we have to trust when God calls us to be part of a community and look for opportunities to share from places where we have enough.  When we care for one another, we are called to open our hearts to their needs -- not just their spiritual needs, but their physical needs as well.  We may not have the resources to help everyone... but we're called to care about their needs and pray and work for a world where all those needs are met.

James 2:8-13

James 2:8-13 

English Standard Version 

  Truly, it is harder to enter the kingdom of Heaven then for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle!  Imagine keeping the entire law and then missing one tiny point -- it invalidates the rest of your efforts.  Imagine driving from New York to Los Angeles and then driving 56 in a 55 mph speed limit near the destination, and realizing the entire trip was in vain.  You'd go nuts with that kind of pressure!

  Thanks be to God that Jesus wipes away our sin, that Jesus recognizes our weakness and take the punishment we rightly deserve.  We have broken the law, but in Christ, we receive the glory that is due to him, and he receives the punishment that is due to us.  What a priceless gift!

James 2:1-7

James 2:1-7 

English Standard Version 

  It's so hard to fight the innate tendency within us to gravitate towards the things of this world that are the most appealing.  I followed a car in to work yesterday that was very high end, and I paid attention to it over all the other cars.  I probably thought impure thoughts.  I made distinctions.  

  The world wires us this way, and we often don't even think about it.  We automatically show favoritism towards those who are dressed the best and appear the most successful.  Others... we pay less attention to.  

  But the Gospel invites us to think about the world and our relationships differently.  The Gospel invites us to join with God in understanding a different economy, one far truer than the economy of this world.  In God's economy, riches are not material, but they are lavished from God in heaven, and they do not accumulate in those with the largest houses, but rather with the most room in their hearts.  

  May we lean towards that economy and let God transform us, showing us the innate value in every human heart, treating each and every soul with gentleness and humility.

James 1:22-27

James 1:22-27 

English Standard Version 

  Mark Twain said that it wasn't the parts of the Bible that he didn't understand that worried him, it was the parts of the Bible he did understand that bothered him.  At times, the language is so high and lofty that it's hard to grasp.  At other times it is clear and direct.  This is one of those times.  We have a choice, James tells us -- we can opt to hear the Word, pray for it to transform us, and let it lead us into the world, or we can listen, think about how nice it is, and leave it at that.  Either is a choice.  One is faithful to the calling of Jesus Christ, which is meant to transform us and the community around us.  To be idle... is a different choice, a worse choice, for it means that the Word hasn't changed us.  To hear the Gospel is to be changed.  And if we are not changed, we must continue to listen and pray for the Holy Spirit to illumine us, to lead us out, for the Word always changes, always transforms, always challenges and comforts and brings new life.

James 1:19-21

James 1:19-21 

English Standard Version 

  It's fascinating to read verses like this in the midst of peak political silliness.  Imagine a world where we default to listening before speaking, where we aren't so quick to be angry but rather practice stillness and patience first.  Think of how our world might be different if run by the meek, guided by Scripture, which calls us to love and serve.  Imagine leaders that fled from anything that hinted at impropriety.  

  But that's not the world we have, so we have to do our best to create it.  May we seek to be examples in our community and in our congregations and in our neighborhoods.  May we live by this, and perhaps in doing so, we can influence one another, and change the world, little by little.  

James 1:16-18

James 1:16-18 

English Standard Version 

  We have a responsibility towards others.  We were designed that way -- not that we might shine for ourselves, but that God's light might shine through us into the world around us.  We don't exist for ourselves, but we exist to love and to serve.  Christ showed us this perfectly.  It's hard to remember this in a world that will besiege you with messages to care only for yourself, but the Gospel is here to correct -- we live for others, as God loves us.  

James 1:9-15

James 1:9-15 

English Standard Version

  Think of your priorities.  Where does the crown of life fall?  If it's first, then you'll steadfastly endure anything to obtain it.  If anything else is above it, then that will wither and perish.  Tim Keller talks about how we know what our true gods are when we consider what we think about when we have idle time.  Do we focus on the crown of life, on obtaining the promises of God?  Or do we think about lesser things?  

  The world will certainly tempt us away from God, luring us through our own desires, which give birth to sin, which leads us away from God.  May we pray for the wisdom to pursue God's crown of life rather than our own desires!

James 1:5-8

James 1:5-8 

English Standard Version 

  When I think of all the things I could ask God for, I'll confess that wisdom probably doesn't rise to the top of the list, which probably means that I need wisdom more than anything else!  I think of all the worldly treasures I could get... but they'd all fade away, right?  Watching the news will tell me that all the worldly treasure can't keep me healthy or away from relationship loss or other monetary loss.  Many celebrities and other rich and famous people don't seem very happy, despite having more money than they know what to do with.  So wisdom would be good, even if my heart dances more merrily at the thought of other things God might grant me.

  Of course, to come to God and ask for wisdom when you doubt that God can grant such wisdom is folly.  Who else might you be asking for wisdom?  Is God one of many?  If we believe that God created the earth and is stronger than death... why are we wasting time asking anyone else for wisdom?

  And if we don't believe that, then why ask God in the first place?

  To truly believe that God is bigger than the universe and capable of anything and chooses to love us -- should not such a thought drive us to our knees in prayer and praise every day?