Citylight South Church

Christmas is full of familiar traditions and experiences of all sorts. Special songs, special food, special events, special catch phrases. Some things fit right into the vibe. Other things just don't. When Jesus first showed up on earth 2,000 years ago, in so many ways, he fit right in. Until He didn't.

Jesus is a human Saviour for humans who need saving. Those who know Him well call Him names like brother. Friend. The one who understands my pain. The one who helps me whenever I'm in need. But most importantly, He's the One--the only One-- who was the perfect fit to bear the wrath of God that we deserved in our place. That's the story behind the story of Christmas.

It's the time of year when most of us are starting to get stressed about all things Christmas--the baking, the buying, the bustle. Step back in time 1,000 years and you'd find Christians had different things on their minds: things like death, heaven, and hell. For them, Advent isn't just about remembering the first time Jesus came to earth. Advent is looking forward to the day when Jesus comes again to rescue His people and destroy His enemies once and for all.

Over the next four Sundays of Advent-- we won't be looking directly at the usual Christmas themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. We won't be meditating on death and the afterlife either. Instead, we're going to turn our eyes to Christ Jesus-- the One who came to earth and will come again. We'll turn to Scripture to see again who He is and why He is the greatest gift the world or any one of us could possibly receive.

So far in James we've seen that life is hard but time is short. Taking shortcuts to get through the hard bits can be deadly. So what hope do we have to make it to the end? We've got more than hope--we've got a lifeline. We can ask God for anything we need in prayer and be sure that He will answer us according to His good and perfect will. 
This week we'll finish our journey through James with one final challenge: life is too short not to pray. In every season. Ordinary, earnest prayers can make a massive difference. Sometimes the difference is between life and death. So let's get busy praying!

James was convinced that Jesus was coming back very soon. Even though 2,000 years later, He still hasn't returned, James wasn't wrong. For all of us, the time from now until we see Him will be over in the blink of an eye.

So than why can't we just fast forward through all the hard stuff? What's the point of suffering when it will all be over soon anyway? A lot of us might be tempted to shortcut past the tough stuff, but when we do that, we actually end up declaring our independence from God. We even miss out on the joy that's found in our suffering, not just on the other side.

A wise young man once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." You'd hope, though, that when you do stop long enough to look around, that you find you're headed in the right direction. It's easy to get so busy with what's urgent or what's fun right now that we forget that life doesn't just move fast-- it's actually really short.

James doesn't want you to waste your life. To use what you've been given for evil purposes. Or fail to use it for God's good purposes. He wants us all to stop and take stock and find out how the grace that saved us makes us good stewards of our time, our money, and everything else.