Welcome to our sermon series on the book of James! This series will carry us through the rest of Ordinary Time on our church calendar until we start the year anew in Advent. Each week we will walk through a different section of this rich letter, which we are calling a mosaic of wisdom for life with Jesus.
James does not have a specific theme or issue in a Christian community that it addresses, like the letters of Paul, but that does not mean it does not have important things to say. Although James is only 5 chapters long, it is full of incredible wisdom on a variety of topics, all of which echo and reinforce the ideas that Jesus shared in the Sermon on the Mount. It was written by the half-brother of Jesus, and written to a Jewish Christian community that was experiencing some difficult trials and persecution to encourage them in their faith.
Today we are going to zoom in on verses 16 and 17 from the first chapter.
16 Don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all.
If you are like most other Christians, in fact most other people on the earth, you may have struggled at times to feel like God is close to you. To trust that God cares about your life. To believe that God is present when you are in moments of difficulty.
If that idea resonates with you, here is a question: What would happen if you considered every good thing in your life as a gift from God?
Consider this for a second. Every good thing. Not just the things that are obviously miracles, like unexplained healing, and not just the things you have prayed for.
Every good thing in your life, from the smallest to the biggest. From the baby you or a friend had recently, to the book you just finished, to the new job that you got after rounds of interviews, to the smiles and laughter on your kids' faces when you play with them, to the late-night ice cream trip after a long day, to the walk with your dog this morning. Every good thing.
Now, it is important to recognize that, as Nazarenes, we don't believe that every thing comes from God. The evil in the world is not from God, nor is any destruction or harm, because God is good.
Something else you should know or be reminded of about James is that he was writing to followers of Jesus who were Jewish and being persecuted for following Jesus! James was writing to people who were suffering because they were following Jesus.
This is part of what makes some of his first words so profound and timely:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
How are we supposed to consider suffering and trials joy? That is where the wisdom of God comes in, seeing how God is working even in the midst of suffering.
You might not know where to start when it comes to seeing the good things in your life, let alone seeing the good things in your life as a gift from God. But if that’s you, take courage. God loves to give out wisdom!
And the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God, it’s the reverence of God, trusting in God and not yourself:
Proverbs 3:5-6 says this:
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
don’t rely on your own intelligence.
6 Know him in all your paths,
and he will keep your ways straight.
Original sermon by Pastor Mario Flores
Blog adaptation by Allison Freytes
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