Malachi,
a short book at the end of our Old Testament, is thought to have been written
about 430 BC. It is one long speech, full of warnings for the people of Israel.
Malachi, as with the other prophets, calls the people of Israel to account for
their sinfulness,
for despising God,
for offering less than their best,
for marrying foreign wives.
for offering less than their best,
for marrying foreign wives.
And
then the section we heard read this morning:
“… my messenger is coming
to prepare the way before me
The Lord who you seek will come to his temple.”
to prepare the way before me
The Lord who you seek will come to his temple.”
We are in the season of
Advent, a time of preparation and waiting.
In the media there is
lots of help in preparing for Christmas,
the number of shopping days left,
how to cook a wonderful turkey,
or what the latest trends in festive food and clothes are.
how to cook a wonderful turkey,
or what the latest trends in festive food and clothes are.
But we are not preparing
for, or waiting for, Christmas Day. We are waiting for the coming of the Lord. During
Advent, we prepare for the coming of Jesus – the first coming, over 2,000 years
ago; and what is usually referred to as the second coming – the time when the kingdom
of God will be fulfilled.
When I talk with couples
preparing for marriage, I try to move beyond the wedding day. So much attention
goes on dresses and cars and flowers and photos and food. But the wedding day
is one day, yes it is an important day, but a wedding day does not make a marriage.
We can prepare for
Christmas Day with gifts and food and family and friends and cards and decorations;
there is nothing wrong with any of that. But it isn’t preparing for Christmas,
for the coming of Jesus. It isn’t preparing us to make space in our lives for
the Baby Jesus. It isn’t encouraging us to reflect on the place of Jesus in our
lives.
Just as with a wedding, Christmas
celebrations are wonderful. But it is only the start.
Christmas is when God
says to us, I am searching for you. Like a cosmic game of hide and seek, where
people say they can’t see God or know God. God replies, Here I am!
Prophets spoke warnings and
promises. It isn’t the way we use the word prophecy in our day, when it can
refer to people trying to predict the future. Biblical prophets warned people
about the consequences of their action, or inaction. Prophets also reminded
people of the promises of God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God who
led you out of Egypt; the God who led you through the wilderness; are all
common phrases, reminding the people of the faithfulness and presence of God
throughout their history.
Prophets also reminded
the people about the covenant of God, the promise of the rainbow, the desire
for God to offer salvation for all people.
Prophets spoke warnings
and promises.
The role of the
messenger, which we hear about in Malachi, and in the words of Isaiah quoted by
Luke, is about preparing the way.
Preparing the way for the Lord
Calling people to repentance
Cleaning and cleansing
Making the paths straight
And smooth
And even
And all flesh will see the salvation of God.
Calling people to repentance
Cleaning and cleansing
Making the paths straight
And smooth
And even
And all flesh will see the salvation of God.
Luke’s gospel from beginning
to end, takes salvation for all the world – not just a few - seriously. It is a
thread running through the whole gospel. “And all flesh will see the salvation
of God.”
How
do we prepare?
Are
we ready?
Many
years ago I worked for a mining company. Many of the metals we have are refined
by heat and or fire. That is what smelters do, they melt metal so the impurities
can be removed. If you watch a silversmith making jewellery, you may notice
them burning the metal, removing any contamination.
Sin
is what we call contamination in our lives. The judgement of God is about preparation,
not punishment. [Anne Stewart, https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2699]
What
is it that contaminates our life with God?
Being too busy to build
relationships with God and Gods people?
ignoring our neighbours in need?
being self-focussed?
offering God less than our best
selves
time
attitudes
ignoring our neighbours in need?
being self-focussed?
offering God less than our best
selves
time
attitudes
What
is it that contaminates our life with God?
What
needs to change for us to be ready?
When
we know a visitor is coming, we might clean the house, make up the bed in the spare
room, set the table.
But
this isn’t someone coming for a visit. God incarnate, God in the person of
Jesus is moving in forever. We can’t just hide our rubbish for an hour or a few
days.
Are
we ready?
What
do we need to do to prepare for the coming of the Lord?
I
know we think of Lent as a time to think about where we need to pull our socks
up and follow the example of Jesus in living sacrificially, in being better
disciples.
But
Advent is also a time to slow a bit, to stop and look at our lives.
Is
there space for Jesus, have we crowded Jesus out of our lives with a lot of
being busy? Even with church activities?
Have
we become complacent, or arrogant?
Are
we so used to the warnings and promises that the words wash over us?
In
Malachi we hear about the one who will come as a messenger, calling people to repentance,
he talks of cleaning and cleansing.
What
needs to be cleaned in our lives, purges, refined?
John
the Baptist is saying to us:
Get
ready,
the world is about to change
the Lord is coming!
the world is about to change
the Lord is coming!
Don’t
just sit there!
Be prepared to meet the one who can see through you
Be prepared to meet the one who can see through you
The
one who will transform you.
Are you ready for that
kind of change?
Are you ready for the
cleansing?
The transformation?
