Excitement is building on this the third Sunday of Advent knowing that Christmas will soon be here. Children have made their Christmas wish lists of all the wonderful things they desire. Some might have had long lists while others might have subtracted an item or two, still others might have added a few more gifts during the past weeks. We have heard people ask, “What do you want for Christmas?” Most of us, young and old alike, have no problem sharing our wish list with anyone who asks.
On our mad rush to Christmas we pause and ask ourselves two very important questions: What do you really want? And what will make a difference in your life this Christmas? Our goal come Christmas Day is to be different as a result of our spiritual preparation during our Advent journey.
The book of James is filled with much practical advice for those striving to live the Christian life. The apostle James believed that genuine faith results in outward actions and responses. The way we treat each other speaks volumes about our own understanding of faith. If we do nothing to help a sister or brother who is going through a difficult time, then we need to seriously re-examine our faith. James bluntly declares, “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”
There might very well have been some tension in the early church between believers, which resulted in some grumbling. Some might have grown impatient waiting for the Lord Jesus to return. It is in this context that James exhorts believers to, “be patient.” As we have discovered people living in the first century literally believed that Jesus would return any day; most certainly within their lifetime.
A crisis of faith occurred when Jesus did not immediately return. That was the situation James addressed in his letter.
Many of us struggle with being patient. We want what we want when we want it and do not like to wait. Elementary school teachers will tell us that the week before Christmas break the children are overly excited and can barely concentrate on their lessons as they day dream of opening their presents on Christmas Day. We want to hurry up and get to Christmas and skip the preliminaries. Our impatience tempts us to take short cuts that ultimately dilute the experience.
One person describes, “We yanked the tree out of the box and then plugged it right into the wall.” Another said, “The tree was pre-decorated with colored lights and a bunch of ornaments. It took three minutes tops — none of this three hours and listen to Christmas music nonsense for me!”
Instead of thoughtfully searching for special gifts for loved ones someone bragged how he avoided the crowded mall. “Fifteen gift cards from the same web site,” he boasted. “Three clicks of the mouse and a credit card number. In and out: five minutes and I’m done.”
Derek Maul understands the value of decorating with his family. He writes, “Each ornament on our tree represents something unique. The bumble bee angel the children made, the stained-glass bell lovingly crafted by an old friend. The treasured cornhusk seraph we found in Appalachia the week we discovered we were expecting our first child, the doll Rebekah brought back from Haiti that gently reminds us Christ came for everyone.”[1]
It takes time and patience to reach worthwhile goals in life. Students know they have to finish school before embarking on a career. It takes years and a lot of hard work to reach their goals. The person starting a new job knows it takes time to fully understand their tasks and responsibilities. There are certain things in life that cannot be “fast-forwarded” to get to the good part.
Farmers know what it is to wait patiently. They cultivate their fields, plant seeds, and wait for rain and sun to nurture their crops. An entire harvest can be either helped or hindered by weather conditions. Not enough rain and there is no crop to harvest. Too much rain can ruin and destroy what was planted. The farmer plants and then trusts that God will provide.
James lifts up farmers as an example of people who have learned to wait. Another example is “the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” Prophets speak the Word of God but seldom see immediate results. Not only do they not see the fruit of their ministry but often suffer as a result of proclaiming what God has placed on their hearts. Patience yields to trust.
In the same way we place our trust in God. We do not know what the future holds for us; yet we place our trust in God.
While we patiently wait we follow James’ advice to “strengthen your hearts.” We strengthen our hearts by keeping our focus and concentrating on what really matters in our life — our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is easy, especially this time of year, to get sidetracked and lose our way. Remember being busy is not a substitute for being faithful. We keep our focus this season on God’s most precious gift — Jesus Christ. We need to let go of everything else and concentrate on what really matters.
Waiting patiently does not mean that we just do nothing. We do not passively sit in our easy chairs and wait but instead continue to participate in what Jesus calls us and expects us to do. Ours is an active waiting.
The year had been a difficult one for Rae Smith who lost her job for the second time in two years. Without a severance package to keep her afloat, time was her enemy. “I was feeling really down,” she says.
The one Saturday near the end of November her mother called with more bad news. The annual community Christmas program had fallen on hard times. Donations of food and gifts for the children were down. Many members of the community choir, the program sponsor, were unable to contribute as they had in the past. Rae had witnessed the cheer the program brought to children in need. As she talked with her mother she resolved to continue with the annual Christmas program.
Rae called every local merchant she could think of and explained the problem seeking their financial support. She wrote letters to friends and neighbors asking for donations. Within 24 hours she had collected 500 toys and gifts from area merchants. She was overwhelmed — overjoyed at the outpouring from the community. The Christmas program turned out to be a great success!
This is not the end of the story, one month later Rae landed a well-paying job. She reflects on the December that changed her life. The moment she reached out to help others, she says, God reached down and helped her.[2]
With a careful reading of the Bible we discover that God is very patient with humanity. We learn that patience is a characteristic of God. We need to exhibit that same sense of patience with each other, as well as, when we share our faith with those outside of our church.
We must live out our faith as if our Lord Jesus Christ is standing at our door ready to enter. James writes, “The Judge is standing at the doors!” Our behavior would be quite different if we knew that Jesus is standing at our door. Elsewhere in the New Testament we see Jesus poised to enter, “I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me” (Revelation 3:20). There are famous paintings showing Jesus standing at the door. In our busyness will we be able to hear Jesus knocking on our door?
When we become impatient and lose our center we sometimes turn against one another. Our disagreements with our family or church members can escalate into harsh words spoken resulting in strained and broken relationships. There are times when we allow our differences to become mountains instead of remaining molehills. Passionately James writes, “Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged.”
Perhaps the real test of faith is endurance. Can we continue to live out our faith without becoming discouraged and turning against one another? We wait. We endure some difficult times knowing that the rough times are not God’s final answer for us. We will make it through. God will see us through!
“Christmas was always my favorite time of the year,” Noel states. She particularly enjoyed the family get-togethers and the caroling. However her celebration of Christmas has changed over the years. Over a short period of time both her parents died, she lost contact with her three siblings, and her only son moved across the country. “Christmas get-togethers ceased,” she explains, “caroling was just another part of a church service.” Christmas became a lonely season for her.
“My discomfort forced me to realize that I had allowed my family’s traditions to take the focus away from Christ,” she writes. “Once I put Christ back in the center, Christmas again became my favorite time of the year — not because of outworn pleasures but because of God’s gift on the first Christmas.” Noel realized that she is part of a much larger family — “God’s family.”[3]
We’ve made our lists and checked them twice. We know exactly what we want. However, only Jesus knows what we really need. There is a difference between what we want and what we really need. Only Jesus knows the difference. Jesus will soon be here; will we be ready? Come Lord Jesus into our hearts. Amen.
1. Derek Maul, In My Heart I Carry A Star (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2008), p. 57.
2. Gracie Bonds, “Sharing the Miracles in our Lives,” Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Staples-staff, December 21, 2002.
3. Noel S. McArtor, “God’s Family,” Upper Room, December 18, 2008.