The book of James - Chapter 5
Day 1 – Much More Than A “How To” Guide
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – James 5:1-6
We are mistaken if we only see the letter of James as a practical ‘how to live’ guide. In this withering diatribe against the wealthy, he specifies the target of his wrath as those who “condemned the Righteous One and killed him (v6).” This is the ‘who’: the Jerusalem elite, the leadership, those who had allowed, aided and abetted the continued economic exploitation of the poor throughout Judean society. Now comes the ‘when’: the last days (v3). Jesus has come to challenge and overthrow a corrupt, oppressive system. God’s new world has begun! His kingdom has been launched and Jesus’ followers are now living in an upside-down world where the poor are exalted and the rich laid low – not an appropriate time to be storing up soon-to-be ‘moth-eaten’ riches!
This is the thrust of James’ letter all along. Yes, he provides a wealth of practical material, but not just directed at the level of the believer’s private faith. It is guidance and advice on how to faithfully live as God’s people in a world that does not acknowledge his sovereignty, and that defaces the God-given image of the poorest and most vulnerable people. It is advice for true kingdom living on behalf of others. The church must always speak out against the economic slavery that imprisons so many of the world’s people. The searing rebuke that James offers here must always be on our lips, ready to spoken out into any and every situation where God’s upside down kingdom is yet to flourish.
Question to Consider
How are you living a life that rebukes the systems and structures that oppress others in this world? How is your life a kingdom life?
Prayer
Holy Lord, my faith is not private. Help me live it in public, for others. Help me remember the community I am part of and the ways in which we live out our faith together. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 2 – Faithful, Attentive Patience
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – James 5:7-9
God’s people must be patient, but God’s people must also be vigilant and active. Jesus came to establish his Father’s kingdom, and to call together a people who would continue the work of the kingdom until his return. There is much work to do in the meantime; we cannot claim we do not know this. But also, we must work together patiently, not losing hope, while we wait for the return of the king. The farmer, while waiting for the crops to grow, does not do nothing. He does not put his feet up or go on holiday, or abandon the farm to its fate, unconcerned about his fields and the slowly growing harvest. He monitors the tender shoots, tills the earth, watches the elements water the earth, and prepares a storehouse for the harvest. The farmer is faithful, attentive, and patient. The farmer is the model for our patient faithful waiting.
This patience isn’t a passive patience that sits back and does nothing while waiting for God to jump in and make everything right again. Nor is it a despairing skepticism that loses faith in the promise that Jesus will return, blames others for mistakes and shortcomings, and abandons the work God has set before us. There is much work that we can and should be doing to advance God’s kingdom, much that being a faithful follower of Jesus requires us to do. It will often be hard, and things won’t always go the way we want them to. But we are called to be patient followers of Jesus, continuing his work until his return.
Question to Consider
What does being patient mean for you? What does attentive, faithful patience look like in your life?
Prayer
Patient Lord, you are so patient with us and so faithful in spite of our failings. Give me patience, a patience that seeks your kingdom, a patience that knows how to work and hope while it waits. Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 3 – Words, Words, Words
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – James 5:10-12
How trustworthy is someone who says “Trust me” after every sentence? How believable are the claims of someone who closes every assertion with “Believe me”? In a world of doublespeak and misspeaking and ‘walking back’ that is always economical with the truth, how can people possibly come to believe such simple statements as James encourages us to make? Well, even a simple ‘yes’ that means yes or ‘no’ that means no is never offered in isolation, is never believed or not believed on its own. The life lived is the interpretive lens through which these comments are viewed. Our words and promises and oaths are not uttered in a vacuum.
Someone with a reputation for lying or exaggerating the truth might find it very difficult to get people to believe them, even if they do adopt a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ policy. A simple yes or no from someone known to speak the truth, and known for their integrity, humility and honesty will be all that is needed for that person to be taken at their word and believed. A simple yes or no from someone who is known for lying, exaggerating, and never following through on their promises can never be trusted or taken at face value. Do the words we utter match up with the lives we lead? As followers of Jesus, are we speaking the truth no matter the consequences? Are we living lives of integrity and honesty? Are we living lives that would allow those around us to believe what we say, without qualification? What is your ‘yes’ or ‘no’ worth?
Question to Consider
How are you speaking simply and honestly in your life? What sometimes causes us to exaggerate and qualify our speech?
Prayer
Almighty Lord, may my actions support my words, and may my words always be simple, honest, loving and humble. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 4 – The Need for Prayer
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – James 5:13-16
Prayer is so important at all times. Notice how James says those in trouble should pray and that those who are happy should pray too. Whatever the circumstances of life, we should be praying people, always seeking and praising God. James goes on to specific two instances when prayer is especially important – and to ultimately link them together. When people are sick we should pray for healing. Our God is the God of healing, a God who is Lord over our entire lives, our entire being, however we view ourselves at any given moment, whether physically, psychologically, mentally, spiritually or otherwise. He desires our wholeness, and gathering others around us and seeking God’s healing through prayer is a vital part of personal and communal healing.
James also raises the question of confession. We know we should confess our sins to God, but James suggests something even more radical: to confess our sins to each other, and links this back to the healing he mentioned before. When we confess to each other we will be healed. That healing includes our relationships with each other. When we acknowledge our sins to one other, the community grows and matures. Our confession to each other cannot be a one-off event. It must be a central part of our life together. Our vulnerability drives us to draw strength from God as we realise that we all depend on him. Confession provides an opportunity for the community to support each other in times of struggle, sharing God’s forgiveness and celebrating his love.
Question to Consider
When was the last time you confessed your sins to another person? When was the last time you sought healing? What stops you?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, give me the courage to confess my sins to others, and the wisdom to seek your healing power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 5 – The Foundation of All We Do
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – James 5:13-19
Prayer must be a part of everything about us, it must surround all that we take on, it must be the foundation of everything we do. God has promised that he is very near to those who draw near to him, and the main way we do this is through prayer. Not just prayer that calls out to God, asking for his help and assistance (though that, too, is part of prayer), but prayer that communicates our deepest thoughts and desires, prayer that opens up our hearts to his heart, prayer that seeks the transformation of ourselves and our world – prayer that waits, seeks, grieves, loves, celebrates, whispers, cries, yearns.
Prayer must be the foundation of everything we do – the first response, not the last resort. It is the most powerful resource we have available to us, both for transforming ourselves into Christ’s image and recreating our broken world. As the example of Elijah shows, God’s power is infinitely greater than ours. Prayer is far more powerful than we think, and is able to achieve so much more than is ordinarily possible. But in order for this to have a chance of happening, we need to be praying. For all the practicality of the book of James, he knows such practical words as he has written are useless if they are not wedded to a life of prayer. To live as God’s justice-loving, oppression-opposing, faith-in-action, kingdom people requires a life of consistent, persistent prayer, and it is fitting that James ends his letter with a call to a life of faithful prayer.
Question to Consider
Is prayer your first response? How are you developing and growing a life of prayer in all you do?
Prayer
Lord God, teach me to pray. Light a fire in me and fuel it with the promptings and teachings of your Spirit. Give me your heart and a desire to always seek you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)