Prepared to Endure

Introduction

At the turn of the 20th century...before satelites and thus GPS...there was still much undiscovered land in the world. The most intriguing and impentrable of that land was Antartica.

Ernest Shackleton, captained a ship called Endurance to go explore Antartica as a British explorer. When assembling his crew before their 1914 departure date he put his ad in the newspaper:

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.”

He did not exactly have a long line waiting to go but still plenty of men joined the crew and away they went. Their attempt to cross antartica from sea to sea failed and the expidition ended in disaster but luckly every human survived.

It is a real life story of endurance, courage, and patience.

How many of you would sign up for such an adventure? I”m sure some of you would but most would shy away.

James

Today we come ot the book of James in our Advent journey of looking for the second advent of Christ...his second coming. And our reading from James demans for the Christian to endure and be patient when waiting for the Lord.

The crew of endurance were marooned on Elephant island and had to wait paitently for their salvation to come with Shackleton and a few others set sail of South Georgia Isalnd where help could be found. They had to wait long, cold, difficult days and nights and endure all manner of hardships before their slavation came.

So too with you and me. So too all of humanity. We must be patient in waiting for the Lord. We must be patient prayer. We must be paitent in our hope, and we must be patient with each other and the world...as we too...await our salvation.

The book of James is first and foremost a book that has at its heart the concep of faith in action. For James “faith w/o works, is dead”. Scholars Fee and Stuart write “James is the NT counterpart of the Jewish Wisdom tradition...now in light of the teachings of Jesus.”

We can think of Solomon’s writings of wisdom and instruction in light of God’s revelation.

So what is our passage trying to teach us this morning.

Today’s reading

Today we read of a call to...all of humanity’s favorite thing to do...especially here in the US...we are called to be PATIENT!!! Patient in traffic or in line at the super market...no. Patient in our waiting for the Lord.

As kid...I saw advent as a kind of God’s game clock for Christmas...one candle...one Sunday down. Two candles...only two more to go before Chriatms day.

But Advent is not that. Advent is not simply a lead up culminating in Christmas. Advent is its own season in the church and it is a season of waiting...of being patient waiting on the Lord to return. It is a season prepareing us to endure in our life of faith for the long haul; living every day like Jesus is returning...yet perpared to endure if he tarries.

James 5:7–8 ESV

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

We live in God’s country here in Jackson County. Surrounded by famland and rural life. James says...look to the farmer as an example of patience. No farmer on earth...no product on earth...nothing can make crops grow quicker than they are going to grow. It’s a waiting game...but it is an active waiting...tending to the crops and ensuring they will produce much harvest.

Similarly as Christians, we are to be actively waiting on the Lord...led by our faith...and enduring whatever we need to endure as we looking for our redemption to draw near.

Scholars Craig Blomberg and Mariam Kamell say this of the first 12 verses of James 5:

“Christians should respond to oppression not by usurping God’s role as avenger, nor by making unrealistic promises to their oppressors, but with a persevering and prophetic patience. Only God can fully and fairly right all wrongs, and he has promised to do so at the parousia.” Craig L. Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell, James, vol. 16, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 216.

The first 6 verses deal with the failure of riches how they set up the rich to be judged. Those verses speak of how the rich oppressors robbed their laborers. That is immediately followed by a call for the Christian to pataiently wait on the Lord and endure.

So called “social-justice warriors” would be marching in the streets protesting, stopping traffic and attempting to force the opporessors to pay for their sins.

May it not be so with the Christian. May we endure patiently...knowing the Lord will straighten everything out when he appears...his second advent.

Closing

Our passage concludes this way...

James 5:9–11 ESV

Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

David Macabe writes “James roots his call for patience in the future promise of the Lord’s coming, which will bring a reversal of fortunes, a righting of wrongs, and a vindication for those who remain faithful.

The turn from dread to rejoicing means continuing to gather together, orienting ourselves to the coming of the Righteous Judge, speaking encouragement to one another, and being nourished by the scriptural exemplars who point to the faithfulness of the coming Lord.”

The problem with our being impatient...and attempting to right every wrong we encounter...(with each other or the world)...is that our solutions are tainted by sin. Only God is just...only God’s judgement is pure, holy, right, and good. No favorites...no hidden agenda...just pure justice. Something you and I cannot give.

As we wait patiently for Christmas day...the inbreaking of God into His own creation...

...as we look for the day of his return when all wrongs will be judged and God’s mercy, grace, and love will ruel forever...

...let us remember...we...like Shackleton’s crew are marooned/shipwrecked in a fallen creation. Our duty is to wait patiently for our salvation and to immitate God who is “compassionate and merciful”...in our interactions with our friends, enemies, and opporessors.

The judge is coming...we must be prepared to endure. Thanks be to God...AMEN