As we live this life of faith together, being family with one another, we are called to seek peace. This wise peace will quell bitterness and envy in us, it will uproot selfishness, it will keep us from quarrelling, it will keep our motives pure but most importantly, it will produce good, merciful, faith-filled, sincere fruit in our lives and in our church. It’s not always easy to imagine that these harder things exist in our midst but of course they do, because we are flawed humans! However, the good news of Jesus is that these things don’t have to be our drivers, so how can we uproot those things within our own hearts and relationships and seek the fruit of wisdom and peace together?

This is a challenging passage of Scripture presented to us here, but it’s really important. As we seek to be family together, to love one another well, we know that how we speak becomes really important. James is stressing something to us here that we already know (and that we’ll look at again in a couple of weeks), our words are really powerful, our tongues are powerful things. Taming the tongue, being mindful of our words will bring about a work of wholeness in us, not just as individuals but as a body. What a better example of the work of Christ in us than a desire to live in wholeness together with words that are full of the flavour of Jesus, as family together how can we seek this more?

Scripture calls us to be faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12) and here in James we’re reminded to also pray with faith. Prayer is a mysterious thing and we don’t always know how it works, but it is also a place where our devotion to Jesus, our reliance on the Spirit and our love in the Father finds its truest home. How can we pray more faithfully this year, in all circumstances and at all times and where do we need to embrace bigger faith in God as we pray to him?

Humility is not something that the world encourages us towards, yet as Christians it is something we should seek to cultivate in our lives. We are not called to humility because we are scared of God, neither are we called to ignore the things in our own lives that are important or require attention. We are called to humility because Christ was humble (Phil 2:8) and our desire should be to be more like him! How can we seek and cultivate more Christ-like humility in our lives this year, what does that actually look like for us as followers of Jesus?

The invitation to follow Jesus is the greatest invitation we can ever respond to, nothing will bring us more joy, nothing will see greater fruit. However, the choice to follow Jesus in our daily lives is a daily decision, not a one-time decision. As followers of Jesus, we are called to perseverance but James tells us in these verses that perseverance is something which is produced in us not just something that we muster up ourselves in our own strength. What would it look like at the beginning of this year to respond to the many trials and struggles we face with our hearts set towards the deep joy of knowing Jesus and to allow perseverance to be formed within us?

“May your word to me be fulfilled.” Advent is the longing and anticipation of Jesus’ coming. In it we align ourselves with the people of Israel in how they expected and awaited Jesus’ coming. When Mary spoke these words to the Angel in Luke 1:38, she carried the longings of her people, and the longings of her own heart as a baby in her womb. She responded in obedience, called herself the Lord’s servant and in turn was invited to participate in the best love story ever told, not because she was humanly qualified, but because she was faithful. What would it look like for us to re-orientate our longings, our hopes and dreams onto God? To recognise them as fulfilled in the person of Jesus, and to hope in Jesus alone?

The giving and receiving of gifts is synonymous with the Christmas season, as well as being an activity that brings joy and delight as we bless those around us it can also be one that brings stress and expectation and even overspending and pressure. Our Christmases are fit to burst and yet the good news of great joy that we receive at Christmas is of the greatest gift ever given in the most miraculous way, with great simplicity and humility and yet creating a wave of power beyond anything the world could’ve known. This gift is different. This gift is transformative. This gift is Jesus. How can we receive the gift of Jesus and everything that brings and how can we extend this greatest of gifts to others?

Who is this God that not only dwells with us but that takes on suffering with us? Jesus is called the Suffering Servant, what does it mean that Jesus didn’t just enter into our world but that he also entered into our human experience, living a life of joy and of sorrow. The Christmas season is one that brings many emotions, joy and sorrow together are prevalent for many. What difference would it make to us to sit with our Emmanuel Jesus who endures with us through it all? What hope could we extend to those around us whose experience of Christmas is not all merry and bright, how can we receive and extend the compassionate and enduring welcome of the Father this Christmas?

God with us - a statement, not a prayer, not a plea, but a promise fulfilled. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us and the whole expected order of everything is turned on its head with the birth of this child because gods did not come amongst their people least of all in human form, least of all in a vulnerable state. Yet, our God did. When we think about the welcome of the Father, the God who comes and makes his dwelling amongst us (John 1), the God who humbled himself (Phil 2) how can we receive that welcome afresh this Christmas and how can we extend that welcome to others?