The Perfect Gift; James 1

May the mumbling commence!

What’s the perfect gift?  Yes, it is that season once again.  Time for many to get deeper in debt.  I did some mall walking this morning, and the Christmas decorations and the Christmas music (unfortunately all secular) were difficult to miss.  A week from this Friday, a crazed bunch of people will gather for those special door-buster prices of Black Friday.  So, what’s the perfect gift for that special someone as we prepare to celebrate Christmas 2011? 

Why don’t we remember the Christ is Christmas this year?  Why don’t we think about some gifts that won’t raise our debt and lower our credit score?  Let’s look to the letter that James wrote.  The beginning of James’ letter was the reading for today.  Read a passage from the end of James chapter one:

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, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. 

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does. 

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (Verses 16-27)

Talk about a gift that comes with a huge price tag!  But the cost will not show up on your credit card bill!  The price of this gift means dramatic and deep change in my life.  James tells the readers of his day and us that every good and perfect gift comes down from heaven.  Jesus, the Word of Truth, came to show us the way to be fruitful and faithful children of our heavenly Father.  Notice the gift list that follows this statement.  The things we are to do to create this good and perfect gift.

1)      Be quick to listen and slow to speak – slow to become angry.  You know, God created us with two ears and one mouth.  So, we should listen twice as much as we speak.  We should listen intently to people – not thinking of what we might say next to counter what the speaker is saying.  We should be slow to become angry.  What a gift to give the people who mean the most to us!  What a great cost!  How will I accomplish this?  Look to the next ingredient.

2)       Look intently into the perfect law – into Scripture – which gives freedom (yes, the giver gets benefits as well).  This helps the word of God to become planted in us (this, too, can save us).  But we are not just to read and hear the Word of God.  We are to do what it says.  If we do what the Scriptures ask of us, we will be blessed (yet another fringe benefit!).  This reading and hearing and doing of the Word of God is the central ingredient.  It is center in the list of ingredients – therefore it’s the most important part.

3)      Keep a tight rein on your tongue.  This keeping your tongue in line is important.  James already talked about it and talks about it again in the majority of chapter three.  Let us make a resolution (That’s not fair is it?  This is for Christmas not New Years!  But this good and perfect gift requires such an effort.) to say twice as many good things as we do bad things.  Twice as many compliments as insults.  Again looking intently into God’s Word will help fuel this.  And if we do what the Word of God tells us, then we will look after the vulnerable in our neighborhoods.  This gift overflows from our small circle of loved ones to the neighborhood and with the power of God will influence the entire creation.

There it is the perfect gift – the perfect way to spend this upcoming Advent season and onward.

 

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out