Preparing for God’s coming reign
Malachi 3:1-5
3 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
5 Then I will draw near to you for judgement; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
Advent is about preparing for the coming of Jesus, and this is one of the great Advent texts. The messenger announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God has appeared. (vs. 1)
But the messenger’s words are nothing like what people expected. The preparation for the king’s arrival is not the kind of preparation they expected – they did not understand that the preparation for the king’s arrival required a change in how they lived their lives. The message proclaimed here is practical and it is costly, at times even be painful. The changes in people’s lives will be like metal being refined or things being washed clean with lye – both of which are necessary to purify but neither of which is pleasant.
The list of things to be changed (vs. 5) starts with a bang – sorcerers and adulterers. People who are wrongdoers. But before we can spend much time on those matters, we are on to the parts of the list that are closer to home – that may implicate us. Those who swear falsely – people who do not tell the truth but insist they are truth-tellers. To lie and to maintain the lie so that we look good, so that we don’t get into trouble. (Although being caught in the lie is worse trouble.) Those who are unfair in their dealings with employees or with the people with whom they do business. To get ahead by cheating just a little, holding back, by taking what is more than we are entitled to – again so easy. To be honest in business, sometimes is costly. And finally, those who take advantage of, who push aside, who do not help the most needy in our community – who in the time of the Bible were widows, orphans, and immigrants (refugees and strangers in a strange land).
Advent invites us to prepare for the coming of the king, for the coming of Jesus, by being truthful with our words, honest in our business affairs, and caring for the overlooked and the downtrodden in our communities.
PRAYER:
Lord God, show us this Advent how to prepare for your coming. Refine us, purify us, that our lives might be ready for your coming. In Jesus’ name. Amen.