In the name of Jesus.

In Advent we reflect on the coming of Christ. We prepare to celebrate His first coming – His Holy Incarnation – when He took on human flesh and was laid in a manger. And we also look ahead with hopeful expectation for His second coming. So, in Advent, we not only prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, but also His return on the Last Day. As God taught us through John the Baptist in the Holy Gospel last week, we prepare by Baptism and repentance. Today we consider our Epistle Reading where St. James reminds us of Christ’s impending return and teaches us how we’re to wait for that day to come. His divinely inspired instruction can be summarized with one word: patience. Of course, waiting patiently can be a challenge to our faith.

The Prophet Isaiah offers us some hopeful encouragement for this as we heard: “Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come … He will come and save you” (Is 35:3-4).

In his Epistle, St. James was writing to Christians who were struggling to be patient. They were suffering greatly at the hands of unrighteous people with lots of money. James speaks of them this way:
“You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts … You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.” (Jas 5:3-6)

We often become impatient for Christ’s return in times of such suffering and persecution. We long to know when the suffering of this world will come to an end – when we’ll enter into the glory of Christ’s heavenly kingdom. So, St. James exhorts us saying, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord” (Jas 5:7).

It’s easy for our sin-weakened flesh to grow impatient. It’s easy for us to get distracted and wrapped-up in the busyness of our lives and all the things we do to try and hide the realities of sin and suffering and death from our eyes. We must be careful not to let the distractions of this world turn us away from Christ … causing us to neglect His Word, His Sacraments, the Christian assembly, and prayer.

Jesus warned us about this in the Parable of the Sower: “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures” (Lk 8:14).

We’re easily consumed by the things of this world – by our desire for immediate gratification – losing sight of things eternal. St. James recognized the growing signs of impatience among those he was writing to: Christians grumbling against each other, blaming each other, not offering encouragement to those who are struggling, and not wanting to be around each other.

Such impatience can even lead us to abandon the faith altogether. It starts with thinking that we can always repent later … that we’ve got plenty of time to confess our sins and receive Christ’s forgiveness. But it grows into a spiritual amnesia where one forgets that they need to be prepared for Christ’s return. And many end up simply embracing the sinful pursuits of this world. Those who do so face God’s judgment and eternity in hell.

But that’s not what God, nor St. James wants for us. So, James exhorts us to be patient. He uses the analogy of a farmer: “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” (Jas 5:7-8). Farmers must be patient as they await the harvest, so Christians also are to be patient. Farmers plant their seeds and wait. Christians know that God has planted His seed and will gather in the harvest when the time is right. As the Prophet Isaiah wrote:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Is 55:10–11).

And the rains do come. As we wait patiently for Christ, we are given life-giving water and nourishment that is even more certain than that which the farmer waits for. We have God’s grace … given to us in His Means of Grace. We’re strengthened by His Word and Sacraments so that we’re able to be patient – remaining steadfast in the faith until the coming of the Day. Christ is our one and only Savior from sin and eternal condemnation … the only One who can give us eternal life. He gave Himself over to death as the atoning sacrifice for our sins so that we could have forgiveness of our sins and be restored to communion with God. Only Christ – true God and true Man by virtue of His Holy Incarnation – could do this for us. He took on human flesh: born to die for our salvation. So, we cling to His cross and to Him who alone is the way, the truth, and the life.

And, like the farmer’s seed, Jesus was planted in the earth and rose again to life as the firstfruits of those who die in Christian faith and who await the final harvest – the resurrection of the dead. St. James’ exhortation reminds us of that final harvest and keeps us focused on it.

“Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand … the Judge is standing at the door” (Jas 5:8-9). We don’t know when that harvest will be, but as we’ve been reminded several times in recent weeks, we should regard it as near … as coming soon.

When Christ does come at the final harvest – to judge both the living and the dead – He will gather His faithful people into His eternal Kingdom. And with that Great Day in view, the Lord strengthens us by His Word so that we might be obedient to His exhortations: living together as brothers and sisters in Christ who wait patiently for that day … as those who don’t live in selfishness, immorality, or lust for earthly riches … not grumbling against each other.

Christ lives in us by faith. And His Spirit works in us through His Word to guide our thoughts and actions. He works love and compassion in us so that we see our neighbor in a good light … that we might “defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way” (SC, 8th Comm.). Through Christ’s Word and Spirit, we are enabled to use the many blessings God has given us to be a blessing to others … as we wait patiently for the eternal riches that are ours in Christ.

And by being a blessing to others, we’re also given the opportunity to sow the seeds of those eternal riches. St. James put it this way: “As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord” (Jas 5:10). The prophets endured much suffering, and yet they proclaimed the mercies of God to a sinful and rebellious people. Such is our task as we wait patiently for Christ’s Second Advent.

We don’t know the day or the hour, but we do know that we wait patiently for all of God’s elect to be called by the Gospel.

So, we carry out our God-given vocations and “speak in the name of the Lord” – as did the prophets of old – so that others might be prepared for the coming harvest without any fear or trepidation. As Isaiah wrote: Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you” (Is 35:4). And save you He has – redeeming you from sin and death by His own death and resurrection. “And … [as the prophet continues] … the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Is 35:10). People loved by God, such is our hope, such is our joy, such is our patience … in Christ our Savior.

Amen.

Pr. Jon Holst