4 What is the source of conflict among you? What is the source of your disputes? Don’t they come from your cravings that are at war in your own lives? 2 You long for something you don’t have, so you commit murder. You are jealous for something you can’t get, so you struggle and fight. You don’t have because you don’t ask. 3 You ask and don’t have because you ask with evil intentions, to waste it on your own cravings.
4 You unfaithful people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy. 5 Or do you suppose that scripture is meaningless? Doesn’t God long for our faithfulness in the life he has given to us? 6 But he gives us more grace. This is why it says, God stands against the proud, but favors the humble. 7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. 8 Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Cry out in sorrow, mourn, and weep! Let your laughter become mourning and your joy become sadness. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Reflection
Life is really challenging right now. I find myself thinking, or saying things I usually wouldn’t think or say-at least out loud. Each day following Jesus seems to get tougher. At the end of the day I look over what I need to work on and I pray for forgiveness and strength to do better tomorrow. I’m truly grateful for the love and support of my faith community. I’m also grateful that God is always near.
Our sermon series for Advent has been about making room, Pastor Joe’s sermon this week was about making room in our hearts. In order to make room in our hearts for Jesus, we need to remove the things that don’t serve our spiritual growth as followers of Jesus. This scripture passage from James has a whole laundry list of what we need to get rid of to make room for God. James describes the things that are tearing this early church apart-cravings that satisfy our own desires at someone else’s expense, pride, jealousy, instigating conflict, fighting, murder, and following the ways of the world by turning our backs on God. In short, we are unfaithful to God. We have stopped trusting God and have headed off in our own direction to live a life that is the opposite of the life that we’ve been called to as a follower of Jesus.
We’re like the young prodigal son who after getting his inheritance, leaves home to live the “good life.” He ends up broke, hungry, abandoned by his partying friends and eating with the pigs. And like the prodigal son, it’s only when we’re in crisis that we come to our senses and humbly return home to the forgiving father, who has been watching the road for our return, to receive us into loving arms with boundless grace.
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
Many of us are afraid to face our moral failings, our sins, and humble ourselves before God. Richard Rohr says, in Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, “Before the truth sets you free, it tends to make you miserable.” That’s because it’s hard to have the Spirit hold up the mirror of truth before us, so we clearly see our faults, before we can be healed. It isn’t done in judgement, but in love, so that we can know what we need to get rid of in our life to
make room for God. Verse 8 says “Come near to God, and God will come near to you.” This Advent, let’s open our hearts so the light of Christ can shine into the dark recesses of our hearts and reveal to us those things that we need to give up and to be healed to make room for God’s love.
How is God calling to you to return home, to come near to God, be forgiven, and be healed? What do you need to get rid of in your life to make room in your heart for God?
Prayer: Holy and Loving God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. Forgive us and heal us so that we can grow to be more like Jesus. Amen.
