Today’s Advent Reflection is from Calum Piper
The Joy of the Lord is my Strength
James 1:1-8
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 6 But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; 7, 8 for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Reflection
December for me always feels a little bit like a marathon. You know the finish line is Christmas and there is a fairly long journey to go throughout Advent. Its normally about this time during the month that the finish line appears in site, with the majority of carol services concluding, the Christmas service sheets sent for printing, and just a few remaining sermons left to craft. I have found the best way to keep myself on track is for a thorough and well put together plan – I love a good plan – but something always manages to disrupt and cause chaos despite my best efforts of planning.
A bit of chaos in the middle of my Christmas planning is nothing compared to some of the trials many face on a daily basis and is nothing compared to the trials we have faced as a church, nation and global population this year. I don’t need to list of the trials of 2020 for you to be able to agree – and at first glance, your might find the words of the letter of James difficult to accept –
Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy.
Put that statement into our modern context and it reads something like the following:
Whenever you face lockdown, consider it nothing but joy.
Whenever you face not being able to see your family, consider it nothing but joy.
Whenever you find your worship limited, consider it nothing but joy.
Does James really mean that?
Of course he doesn’t – James isn’t calling us to find joy within the suffering and the tribulation but rather to understand one of the side-effects of our trials – growth in maturity.
Immediately following his baptism, an identity affirming moment for Jesus, we read that he is forced out into the wilderness. As Jesus walks in the wilderness, he faces a number of trials – these trials strength his faith and his dependence on God.
The trials we have faced this year, the disruption to all our lives has not been a joy, in fact much of it has caused heartache – yet we can still know the joy of the lord because of some of the other fruit of our trials.
We may no longer take for granted the things we used to, like family, freedom and maybe even Church.
The confidence we have in our own devotion to God may have grown, as we have each become responsible for our worship of God.
The life of our community may have been strengthened through the long absence of genuine fellowship.
These are all things we can find joy in.
2020 will be a year none of us forget, but my aim is to try and remember the good things as much as bad – the places where I have grown and matured, the strength I have seen in the people of God in Bramhall, the overflowing generosity of so many to things like the foodbank, Stockport and Brinnington, The Children’s Society and so much more.
A verse of scripture that has been foundational for me over the last couple of months has been this:
“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
In those times and places when you feel weak and burdened, remember that the Lord you God is with you. Ask him for help just as Mary and Martha did, just as the Roman Centurion did, just the criminal on the cross did. To all of them, their situations seemed inevitable and unchangeable and yet they still asked. In the love of Jesus, and in his strength, things changed. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the centurion’s servant was healed, and the criminal on the cross was welcomed into the Kingdom of heaven.
If Jesus could change the outcomes of these trials – so he can provide you with strength (and joy) in the trials, you face.
May the inner joy and peace of God continue to strengthen your walk with him each and every day.