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“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave birth to us by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” — James 1:17-18 NRSV

In worship Sunday, I paused for a moment to wonder whether we were still in summer or not. The official dates do not line up very well with the experienced weather, and the beginning of school always throws me off for this change in seasons. Our seasons are tied to equinoxes and solstices of which I am largely oblivious. There is so much more going on that demands attention, and it is not like I am going to do something different once a seasonal marker is passed. You may be like I am in that regard. Seasons come and go, and we experience them more in the effects than in dates.

As I write this, the back yard is becoming littered with brown and yellow leaves. It certainly looks like fall is coming. There is change out there. It is at the door. We are not generally fans of change, though, even with seasons. Some we prefer – I’m a fall fan. The leaves are just too pretty for someone with a camera, and it is the time to plant. The temps are much more agreeable. It is just more pleasant to me. No matter how much I enjoy the months, though, winter always manages to force me to readjust. You know how it goes.

Some take a lot of consolation in the fact that God does not change. This is especially meaningful for those who find everything else in life crumbling beneath them in times of tremendous change. What James seems to want us to know is that every good thing that we have received is from that God who does not change. When we do and life does, God is the same generous and loving God. What is particularly meaningful is that this giving is not just to shower us with grace (Galactic Santa) but to make us into something beautiful. We have been birthed into the especially treasured and cherished of creation. We are still a part of creation, but we have a special place in it.

James is writing to let those Jewish Christians know that they are not alone. They are especially pressed by hostility and ugliness and aggression around them. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to live back then, but they were not alone. God is the same and continues to give goodness. They were the treasured ones. If we dare to take James seriously, then that same God is giving and treasuring today because while everything else has changed in 2000 years, that God has not. God in Christ is always with us to remind us that this walk is better in company.

Rev. Dr. Peter Smith is the pastor for Farmville Presbyterian Church. He can be reached at pastorfpc@centurylink.net.