A WORD FOR TODAY, December 1, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, December 1, 2021
Scriptures for December 5, 2021, Second Sunday of Advent: Malachi 3:1-7b; Psalm 66:1-12; Philippians 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-14 (15-20)
“Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing to the glory of his name! Offer glory and praise!” Psalm 66:1, WEB
I have been trying for the past couple of weeks to get my house under control, to clean up my clutter and organize all my things. In the past year we have made changes to our house, so I am rethinking our Christmas decorations. We had the same issue with our outdoor display which we finished a few days ago. Now I’m trying to get the inside in order. The carpet cleaner is due today, so I moved as much furniture out of way that I could, and I can’t even start to place decorations until they are back. I am not normally easily distracted, but at times like this it seems like I’m constantly moving from one task to another without really finishing the last. I clean up the clutter and discover dust. I clean up the dust and realize I need to vacuum. By the time I finish those tasks, clutter has accumulated again. It takes constant vigilance to complete the work that has to be done, and even then I am sure I will have to continue cleaning to keep it looking nice.
All of this is in preparation for a time of joy and friendship, of happy times and pleasant experiences. We are waiting for the coming of the Christ child, but we are also celebrating the holidays with parties and we gather for programs starring our little ones who sing with great passion and gusto even if they are a little out of tune. We are lighting our homes with Christmas lights to break up the darkness and filling our kitchens with the most delightful smells of Christmas cookies, cakes and other goodies. We are listening to, and humming, Christmas songs all day long. I can’t help but think to myself, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” as I go through my day.
I wonder, though, what does Christmas look like? To the world it is Christmas trees and Santa Clause and perhaps even a nativity scene here or there. It is jingle bells and twinkling lights, candy canes and generosity. It is the Lion and Lamb lying together and peace on earth good will toward men. It is “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night.” So why do we hear scriptures like the one from Malachi during Advent?
This week we meet John the Baptist who does not portray a typical image found in Christmas cards or children’s stories. He is rough, wild, and harsh. He cries out in the wilderness for the world to repent because the Kingdom of God is at hand. We prepare for Christmas by overspending, overdrinking and overeating, but John brings us a message that makes us stop and think twice about the purpose for these days.
Malachi foretells John’s coming as a witness and messenger to prepare for the coming of the Lord. However, the messenger won’t bring a happy story or the expectation of a silent night. Instead, Malachi warns that the coming of the Lord will be sudden and that He will come like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. Something is going to happen when the Lord comes and it will mean transformation and cleansing.
These are two very different images of cleansing, however. It takes a great and hot heat, nearly 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, to refine metals, a heat that is almost unbearable even for the refiner. For the element being refined, the unimaginable heat must burn away and destroy everything that is impure. This is not a typical image of Christmas for us. Neither is the launderer’s soap. Today is laundry day in my house. There is bound to be some garment that will need extra care. I will have to spray the item with a special cleaner and perhaps scrub it a little before throwing it in the washer to be cleaned.
The image of the refiner’s fire is harsh and perhaps a little distant. Though the refiner must remain close to the metal while it refines, he does not become actively involved in the refining. The fire does all the work. On the other hand, the launderer is thoroughly involved with the cleansing of a garment, handling each item with the special care necessary. We are reminded by these two images that our God is both distant, refining with fire, but also very near, intimately involved with our very souls. He cleanses out the impurities in ways that might seem harsh, but He also does so in ways that are gentle.
When the refiner is finished and the launderer is done, the finished product is pure and clean. The same is true of the work God does in our life, and yet we never seem to be complete. The reality is that though Christ finished the work of salvation, we are also continually being refined and cleansed by our God until that day when Christ will come again. It is like my preparations: there will always be something to do until it is really finished. During this time of Advent, we long for the peace and joy that comes with the child in the manger, but we should never forget that we are longing for something even greater: the Day when Christ will come again.
Right now we are focused on the coming of Christ in the manger and the traditions that bring us such joy. One of the best parts of the season are the Christmas stories on television and in the movie theaters. I confess that I’ve tried to watch every new Hallmark type Christmas movie, which is getting harder and harder because it seems every channel is producing their own. I even watched one on Discovery Plus, a streaming service that is not known for movies. We all look forward to the childhood favorites like “Frosty,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” We love to watch these programs because we love the characters. We cry when Frosty melts. We cheer when Santa asks Rudolph to lead the sleigh on Christmas Eve. We even laugh when Burgermeister Meisterburger trips over the skate and breaks his leg. These characters, for many of us, are almost real because they have been a part of our lives for so long.
We tend to look at the Nativity in the same way, as a story with characters we love and hate. We wonder at the way things happen, but some of the details are so extraordinary that it is hard to believe them to be real. The Nativity seems to be more story than history, particularly in a cynical world.
There used to be a television show called “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” One character named Matt was a producer and the head writer for a hit comedy variety show. He was a cynical man who lived in a cynical world. He had no real sense of the importance of faith. As a matter of fact, he thought people of faith were brainwashed wacko nutjobs. His writing often focused on the absurdity of faith and the Christian lifestyle. Some of the skits were rather funny, particularly if you can laugh at yourself. Of course, some people were offended by many of the sketches, but that added to the humor.
Harriet was a brainwashed wacko Jesus freak Christian, and she was one of the actresses who starred on the fictitious program. Matt was in love with her. Their relationship was like a roller coaster, partly because Matt couldn’t take Harriet’s faith seriously; it was an ongoing plot on the program. On one episode, Matt decided to focus the show on Christmas. Knowing Matt’s opinion of Christians, the writing team kept looking for the absurdity of Christianity. They found many websites proving the unreality of the Christmas story: the star was a comet, Mary wasn’t really a virgin, the first Christmas could not have been in December. They thought Matt wanted them to find everything that is wrong with Christmas and make fun of it. In reality, Matt wanted to do a Christmas show: funny but real.
There are plenty of people who will try to criticize the Christian perspective about this time of year, to reduce the Nativity to nothing more than a nice story with a creative plot and characters. What we see in today’s passage, however, is that Luke found it essential to include historic references, placing John in a specific time with real people.
There is so much about the Nativity that makes it seem like little more than a story, including the character of John. He was born to elderly parents and was likely very young when they died. Though he may have been raised by family or friends, his adult lifestyle is so unusual it is reminiscent of stories of feral children. Perhaps his wild man persona with horsehair clothes and bizarre diet is because he lived alone in the wilderness from a young age? We might assume that John is a myth, like the story of Romulus and Remus and the foundation of Rome. However, Luke puts John in the context of history which gives us some reference in time and space for not only John, but also the birth of Jesus. The Nativity is not just a story, Luke gives us a report of an event that changed the world. Even though some of the details seem unbelievable, we can be assured that the birth of Christ is real and is worth our time to celebrate.
God has always had a plan for us, but we have not done well to stay on the right path. We need to hear the words of the Law and the cry of John calling us back to life in God’s kingdom. Adam and Eve failed in the Garden of Eden and we fail today. Even then, however, God had a plan. He knew that human beings would need to be saved, and He promised to do so when the time was right.
Advent brings us to the moment when that plan became flesh and blood. The birth of Christ was a carefully orchestrated series of events. God planned every detail long before the day Jesus was born. The story began hundreds, even thousands of years in the past as God foretold of His birth through the patriarchs and the prophets. The story includes not only Jesus, but families whose stories are woven throughout the history of Israel.
Matthew began his Gospel with a list of Jesus’ descendants. Many people use an advent calendar to count down the days to Christ called “The Jesse Tree.” It takes a look at all the people who played pivotal roles in the story of God, men and women from the Bible who believed God’s Word and followed Him. It is based on Isaiah 11:1, “A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.” Jesus is the Son of God, but He was also the son of Mary, David, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham, and many others. The story of the Messiah also includes the judges, the kings, and the prophets. It includes men and women, Israelites and foreigners. None of them were perfect but God made them part of His plan for salvation. Each story leads us closer to the coming of the Messiah, the birth of Christ.
Today’s psalm is one of praise and thanksgiving; it is a hymn of salvation. The psalmist shows us that God’s power is displayed in His deeds. The world see what He has done and what He can do and they worship Him. We can see in the stories of God’s people that He uses our times of difficulty to make us stronger, healed, unified, and peaceful. After passing through trouble, abundance follows. The psalmist remembers God’s great acts of salvation, which were ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist was the end of an era. He was the final prophet to live and die under the Old Covenant. He came, as was promised, to point the way to the One who would make all things new. All the prophets were tasked with the same message, “God will save His people.” Some of the earlier prophets spoke to the very real needs of their own people, but in doing so, God also revealed the ultimate promise, “A Messiah will come.” John was not really different that those who came before him, and yet he was much different because he met the Salvation of the world face to face. God gave the words of hope and warning about the coming of the Day of the Lord to the other prophets, but John saw the fulfillment of those promises in the flesh.
We all fall short of the glory of God, but that is exactly why we wait expectantly for the birth of the Savior. It is by His grace that we are saved. We can see His grace so clearly in the lives of His faithful over the ages. There is comfort in seeing the same uncertainties, worries, fears, and failures in the lives of those people whom God called in the past because in their lives we see how God overcame their imperfections. Through their stories we see how God can also overcome our imperfections and how He calls us to faith and to service in His world. The stories continued into the New Testament, to those who followed after Jesus, including Paul.
Paul had an incredible ministry. His travels took him all over the ancient world and his preaching founded churches in many cities. He had a passion for the Gospel, and he wanted the world to know the love and mercy of God found in Christ Jesus. He wanted to save the world: it would be better to say that he wanted the world saved by God’s grace. So, he traveled extensively and during his travels he faced persecution, hardship, hunger, and even a shipwreck.
Paul was not concerned with numbers. He did not preach to fill pews or grow the congregations. He did not invent programs that would bring people through the door. Paul cared about the hearts of all those who became Christian because they heard the Word and believed. He cared about their souls. He cared about their eternal lives. Paul was not an itinerant preacher. He didn’t give a sermon and then move on to the next place. He left only when he was forced to move by those who wanted to destroy his ministry and his life. However, he was never far from his churches in spirit, and their well-being was always on his mind. That is why he wrote so many letters; he wrote to correct, rebuke, and to encourage the Christians into maturity of faith in the Gospel.
Paul’s flowery language in today’s passage might seem a bit overwhelming. Did he mean to be so gushy when he was writing to the church in Philippi? These verses are part of the formal greeting, typical of correspondence in Paul’s day. It included a formal word of thanksgiving and reassurance of continued relationship. This was of utmost importance for Paul. He wanted the Philippians know that he was with them in spirit, bound by the Holy Spirit, and that he cared very much for them.
I received my first Christmas card of the year today, but mine are still on my to-do list. I have everything ready; I just need to find the time! I usually include a newsletter to update our distant friends on our lives. I really enjoy reading these newsletters from other friends because they are filled with good news, highlights, and remembrances of the big events. Sometimes they are also filled with bad news of illness or death, difficulties and hardship. When you have just a small space to share a year’s worth of news, you pick the most important things. I like to hear all the news, good and bad, so I know what’s happening with those I love, but many people do not like the newsletters because they sound too boastful or depressing.
People say the same thing about Paul’s letters! Paul can sound boastful at times and sometimes his letters aren’t pleasant to hear because he does speak forcefully about living rightly and righteously. He corrects and rebukes the churches for their failures and failings. He demands much from the Christians under his care. However, he cares very deeply for each and every one of them. He cares about their hearts, about their souls and especially about their eternal life in Christ. This is evident by the way he cares about their everyday lives. He writes to encourage them to be all they can be, to continue living in God’s grace to the fullest. He writes to build up the church from the inside, so that work that Christ began will be perfected and will flow out into the world.
I don’t know about you, but every year I promise myself that I am going to make this Advent and Christmas much simpler. I promise myself I won’t do too much. I promise myself - and God - that I’ll focus more closely on “the reason for the season.” I fail, every year. This year is no exception. As I prepare for our party, it seems as though I will never get everything done that I need to do. I suppose that’s why it is good that we meet John the Baptist so early in the Church year. John reminds us of the reason for Advent.
We are being called to live a fruitful life, one that glorifies God. We aren’t meant to run away from God’s refining fire, but to experience it. We are meant to be changed, transformed into something beautiful and holy. We aren’t meant to avoid they launderer of our life, cleansed of our sinful nature. Advent is a time to talk about hope, to look forward to the coming of Christ, but historically it was a season of repentance. We tend to get lost in the chaos of our preparation, but John reminds us that now is the time to grow deeper in our faith as we draw nearer to the Christ. No matter how much we complain about the commercialization of the season, we still get caught up in it all. We get lost in the busy-ness and forget the purpose. People don’t change; we are just like the Israelites in Malachi’s day and the Jews who heard John the Baptist’s cry. We still need to be called to repent, to turn around, to wait patiently, and to seek God.
That’s why the refining and cleansing is not a once and done process. A refiner tempers the metal over and over again until all the impurities are gone. A launderer might have to rewash an item several times before the stain disappears. We have to be reminded over and over again to turn to God, to remember what He has done. That’s why we look forward to the Nativity year after year. Jesus certainly does not need to be born again, but in His first Advent story we see God’s grace and remember His promise as we look forward to His final Advent.
On the second Sunday of Advent we hear the story of John as he cries out in the wilderness for us to repent and turn to the Lord. His story is not the happy one we expect in a season of Rudolph and Frosty. The Gospel lesson ends with John’s imprisonment, but in John’s cry for repentance we hear the promise of forgiveness. Through his words we are called to return to the God who is faithful to His promise to make us new..
The traditions we follow during Advent teach us about God’s faithfulness. That nativity puts Christ in the center of our celebration. The tree is symbolic of life and growth and creation. The lights represent the Light of Christ. Baking cookies is a way of sharing hospitality. Gift giving is a way for us to reflect the generosity of God and to share our blessings with others. We may want to simplify our holiday celebrations, but these traditions are not bad unless we use them as a way to flee from the wrath to come.
During this Advent season we are waiting for the coming of the Lord, both in the manger and in His glory. What should we do? John calls us to live the life of repentance. This is not a time to run away and hide or try to find our own way of surviving the coming wrath. Now is the time to turn to God, to seek Him, to follow Him as He works on our hearts, cleansing us and transforming us into something new. By His grace we’ll respond with the psalmist by singing praise to the God of our salvation. We are to repent, but the Psalm invites us to praise the God who has done great things for us. So, let’s make a joyful noise of praise with all God’s people whose stories led to the coming of the Messiah and those who will believe in Him through the stories we tell about His great deeds.
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