Theme: Advent as judgment

Exegetical note
This exhortation to patience, directed almost certainly toward the faithful poor, must be read in light of the preceding six verses, which portend the suffering of the rich. The occasion of both the urging and the warning is the parousia of Jesus (the Greek word appears in vv. 7 and 8), which the author takes to be "at hand." (v. 8) The focal aspect of this "coming" here is the judgment that it will bring; indeed, the one who comes is "the Judge."

Call to Worship
(based on Psalm…