Opening Prayer
Gracious God, I put myself before you in this moment with waiting heart, expectant desire. Open my eyes that I may see your promise fulfilled; open my ears that I may hear your word whispered to my deepest being.
Amen.
Passage
James 5:7-11
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Reflection - Josie McCarthy
I recently flew from LA to Chicago and as I sat in the terminal prior to boarding, I began to observe the ways in which people wait. Most people busied themselves with various forms of distraction to pass the time: a Japanese woman next to me FaceTimed a friend, a mother across from me watched an episode of Survivor, an older couple sitting behind me sipped their coffee while reading.
The advent season is also marked by waiting. Israel waited several hundred years for the Messiah to come. We too are waiting for Christ’s return. But rather than passively waiting just to kill time, James invites us into an active, expectant waiting. James says we are to wait patiently and we are to wait with perseverance.
Standing firm and staying the course in the midst of waiting can feel like climbing a mountain in gale force winds. Especially if the waiting is riddled with suffering. When I find myself in these situationsI tend to focus on securing my preferred outcome. But James offers an alternative. We are to allow our suffering to drive us to Jesus. To become so dependent on Him for our next step that we find ourselves engulfed in His presence.
What outcome are you trying to secure today? Take that outcome and lay it at His feet, knowing thatyou are handing it over to the God of compassion and mercy.
Closing Prayer
My Lord, may all that I have seen of you and all that I have heard from your word now enflesh itself in me. Send me from this place as the incarnate promise of life to all whose life I will touch this day.
Amen.