Malachi 3:1-4
Second Sunday of Advent - Year C
Last week we heard that the Lord is coming. That is part of our belief as Christians - “Christ has come. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” We don’t know when. We do know though that after today there are only nineteen days until Christmas! Are you ready? Week one of Advent is over. Today is the beginning of week two. So, if we are not ready today, how about next Sunday when we move into week three, will we be ready then?
- Will we have all our shopping done?
- The gifts wrapped?
- The tree decorated?
- The cards sent?
- The goodies made?
So… what things do you need to do before you’ll be ready? (Allow time for answers.)
There was a much simpler time, when people weren’t concerned at all about shopping for presents, wrapping gifts, decorating the tree, sending cards or making enough goodies to go around. People then weren’t concerned about any of that, but after they heard a ‘crazy’ man named John rant and rave about getting their lives in order, they became concerned. And why wouldn’t they be a little anxious, reminded of Malachi’s prophecy: "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"
They heard John the Baptist crying out to them, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth”- Luke 3:4-6 (NRSV) and they understood it was time - time to get their hearts right and return to God and receive the coming Lord. They needed to get their minds on God and off all the things that had become distractions.
They needed to have all the crooked twists and turns their lives had taken straightened out. Sometimes we can have our priorities straight and our goals clear but things happen, one thing leads to another, pretty soon everything gets twisted and we are there alone, far from God. That’s when a path made straight would be good.
They needed to have all the countless bumps, potholes and rough places of their lives smoothed out. The same height of pride, valleys of despair, and jagged pain of loss are just as troublesome for us today. A smoother way would definitely be better.
Before John came along, the people were only concerned with what was important to them and not so much what was important to God. But John changed that. When he announced, “Prepare the way of the Lord…” If the people listened to John, they would be changed. If they turned back to God, the order that was missing in their lives would be restored. If they chose God, the kingdom would be very near indeed.
We get busy doing the things that need to get done, especially at this time of year… shopping for the ‘right’ gifts, decorating the Christmas tree, sending out all those cards and letters, fixing all the fudge and stuff, or getting ready for the family Christmas gathering. And we think… a little help would be nice.
And as if we didn’t have enough to do this time of year, it can be easy to get caught up in more things ‘to do’ and more places ‘to go’ – and our trying to cram even more and more things into an already hectic season. We do what we know we shouldn’t and don’t do what we know we should. That is when things need to change.
John told everyone to make the crooked ways straight and the rough places smooth, but how? They were the ones who had gotten themselves to this point in the first place. He said get ready, but for what? They were the ones who were clueless and had no idea of what God expected of them. He said “the one” is coming, but who? They had already lost count of all the ‘messiahs’ they had placed their hopes in.
Fortunately, it would not be up to them. It is the Lord - "the messenger of the covenant" - who is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. It is he who will purify the people of the covenant. And, despite our feelings or fears about the matter, this is actually good news! It is not up to us; it is taken care of.
Sin is our separation from God. It distorts and twists the good God created us to be. And in sin, we cannot clean ourselves. We need someone to do the cleaning for us - to prepare us for the coming of God’s kingdom. Dr. Steven Cook writes, “If Malachi is right, and he is, then being a part of Jesus' reign to come means that almost everything about us will indeed have to change. We'll even have to die to self, and orient ourselves outward to others!” God comes to us as Emmanuel, to destroy the evil in us and in the world, comes to draw us out of death into life – to change us. And though his coming can be cause for concern, it’s reality also brings a certain peace of mind.
Today the second candle on our Advent wreath has been lit. This is the candle of peace for the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace. In this season of Advent as we await the Lord’s arrival, it is a good time to ask if we have gotten things right, and if not, are we prepared as the church to be changed? Are we prepared to look into our hearts and ask God to straighten our crooked ways and smooth out all our rough places so we too might walk with Jesus every day of our lives? Are we prepared to ready ourselves for Christmas and the coming Christ and all that means for us. May it be so.
No comments:
Post a Comment