December 19
Malachi 3.1-4
1 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.
We looked at some of this idea on Sunday when we were reading from Mark 13. But there we were seeing how we watch and prepare as we wait. Here we find that there is also a cleansing, but it is done to us. He refines us and cleanses us. In Mark we saw the preparation of those who are the servants making sure all things remain ready. Here we see that those who are not ready to belong are refined and cleansed to belong. This is the cleansing of the Spirit on us that brings us in. In Mark we saw the preparation that makes us able to see the full kingdom come and realize that this was what we were waiting for.
Today we see how we first came in. Rough and unclean. And often we look at those who are not yet with us, seeing them as rough and unclean and we avoid them, maybe even look down. Yet we should remember where we came from. We were there. We act like we have always belonged. We act like now we might have it all figured out. People like us are to be included. People like we used to be are not welcome, unless they first change. Forgetting that we were changed by the fire and cleansing of the Spirit.
Malachi reminds us that the truth of who can stand at his appearing is none of us. But the truth is also that as any of us are refined and cleansed, we are made ready to stand. The Spirit comes and brings us to his fire and water, refined and washed, ready to see the appearing of the Messiah. The Spirit worked in the ones who came to the manger, shepherds who were of low standing. The Spirit worked in the ones who came to him as a child, the wise men who were from far off lands. The Spirit worked in the ones who followed him in his ministry, the disciples who were uneducated and common. The Spirit works in the ones who follow today, and still to come, the church with its flaws and broken people. All are welcome to follow, to be refined and cleansed the Spirit as we are brought to the Saviour in the certain hope of his grace.
Song – Who May Abide
Prayer
Lord God, our lives are filled with sin. We forget our neighbor’s needs and do not love you above all else. We need a Saviour. Help us to be ready for Jesus in our own hearts. O come, O come, Savior of the world. Amen.