Each week in this series, we’ll be working through some tips and teachings from the Book of James. James is full of practical advice for our spirituality and for living in Christian community. The time frame following Easter Sunday and leading up to Pentecost – the day we celebrate the Holy Spirit’s arrival in the life of mankind – is a time of waiting.
Just imagine being those disciples, after the amazement of the resurrection – to be told by Jesus to chill until the Spirit arrives – all that they must have wondered and dreamt about?! I can imagine in the anxiety of “what’s next” that they were pretty freaked. What does this resurrection life look like? How will this movement grow the way Jesus implied? How should our lives be different now that we’re living as followers of Christ?
Although James wasn’t written in response to those guys, it is a book full of very clear cut answers to those questions. And I believe his advice will also speak to us today. Walking in the way of Christ implies movement – and it’s this movement, this journey – the traveling we do with Jesus as we live – that our series will focus in on.
As we travel in Jesus’ footsteps, I believe that God gives us some beautiful gifts. They aren’t always easy gifts – but they are graces offered to us in the experience. So each week, we’ll hear from the Book of James and we’ll discover a gift from the road – a traveling mercy. On this night we considered the gift of perseverance.
We started off with a couple songs: “Everlasting God” Brenton Brown & “As it is in Heaven” Matt Maher.
We read through our verses for the night – James 1:2-18 – all about how to follow God in the midst of trials and temptations, while seeking out the good and perfect gifts God has for us. And then the chaos began.
This was one of those nights that we adapted a team building activity into the worship experience. We constructed a Living Ladder. 10 pairs of people held a thick wooden dowel between themselves which each became a “rung”. We had a “climber” who was to move down the rungs of the ladder. The goal was for the climber to get from point A to point B, only using the ladder. So when he finished using a rung, that pair of folks would peel off and go around to the front on the “ladder” being used again and so forth, until the group reached it’s destination.
As the ladder & climber moved, they worked through the rest of the room. I had the remaining participants get into groups and represent either a trial, a temptation or a good and perfect gift. As the climber went by, they did their best to represent that challenge or encouragement.
When the climber reached his destination, we worked through the metaphor of the activity as a large group.
The climber represents us – people striving to follow Christ. The rungs represented the things & people that support us along that journey. In the room, our climber dealt with the trials of job loss and sickness, they resisted the temptation of drinking and gambling, and they were encouraged with the peace and grace of God. We went back to the scripture and worked through the metaphor with some application oriented questions…
Verses 2-4
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
Q: what are the benefits of moving through the challenges of life?
Q: have you looked back and seen this to be true in your life?
Verses 5-8
If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who doubt and “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open, unstable in what you do.
Q: How was prayer represented in the metaphor? In the interaction between the climber and the rungs?
Q: have you ever tried to get through on worry alone? How did that go for you?
Verses 9-11
When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that’s a picture of the “prosperous life.” At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing.
Q: How does “climbing” tend to equalize all people?
Q: what can you do in the way you live to stay humble and true to God & yourself?
Verse 12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Q: What is the Crown of Life? Is it just a one day thing? Or is it now, too?
Verses 13-15
Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.
Q: Let’s talk about those obstacles along the path again – do you ever get caught in thinking that God is trying to do you in?
Q: What can you do to keep the right perspective on these issues?
Verses 16-18
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.
Q: How does it feel when you come across a “good and perfect gift” as you’re traveling?
Q: What kind of reactions do you tend to have to them? What should our reaction be?
The group came up with some excellent discussion around these questions. And as we closed with a couple more songs, we all felt encouraged to keep moving – to keep following – to keep our eyes focussed on the goal of Christ.
We sang: “Blessed be Your Name” Redman and “Your Grace is Enough” Tomlin.
Here is our current prayer request list. (Anyone can ask for prayer, just let me know! You can talk to me or drop one of our prayer request cards in the worship space Drop Boxes.)
:: Holly Stockburger will be undergoing weekly treatments on Thursdays from 12-4ish for the next 10 weeks. Please lift up her family that takes her to chemo and stays with her. Pray she can balance health and work and family.
:: Pray for Tina Lambert – having eye surgery next week.
:: Eric and Tina are expecting their first child! So far, so good. Please keep everyone’s health in your prayers. We’re 30 weeks!
:: Pray for Christa and her sons
:: Andrea & Tony S, Amanda B and Randall F are all looking for new jobs – pray God will open up the right opportunities.
:: Pray for Syd Kiser’s sister (Ellen) as she fights Breast Cancer. And for her daughter and her family – they’ve been going through a rough patch for a while.
:: Pray for Jackie A as she wrestles with life – pray that she can find hope and healing and peace along the way.
:: Pray for Lyn K as she struggles with pain and the side effects of cancer treatments. Also pray for her Niece, a 17 year old with what they think is Crohn’s Disease.
:: Pray for Amanda B’s mom who is in rehab, but really struggling with more than just her physical recovery – lately things seem to be getting better – pray that continues!
Excellent!