The Identity of a Servant

The book of Job is categorized within the wisdom literature of the Bible (much of it is written as poetry); and at its core, the book of Job addresses questions not only of God’s nature, but also our stumbling attempts to understand God.

We don’t sabbath because it’s good for us, (though it is), but because we are disciples of Jesus. To follow after Jesus is to adopt his overall lifestyle as our own and arrange our daily life around his presence and peace. This does not begin with doing, it begins with stopping.

The season of advent is often characterized as a time of waiting for the arrival of the Messiah, a tradition we carry on in the church as we await the return of Jesus. However, by pairing passages in the Christmas story with selections for the book of Romans, we can also note God’s gifts of Christmas which are already received even as we wait for Jesus, the greatest gift of all.

The phrase “do not be afraid” appears in the Bible more than 100 times. When fear tries to consume our world, the Bible reminds us of the hope we have in Jesus to live in ways the move beyond fear.

We see so many instances these days of people saying they believe one thing but not acting in ways that support that belief or, worse, acting in ways that contradict that belief. James gives a wisdom to the church which reminds us that belief and practice should be seen as a pair.

We all interpret the Bible as we read the Bible. This means how we read scripture is just as important as whether we read scripture. The Bible itself gives us guidance for getting the most out of God’s word.