Sunday, December 6, 2015

Second Sunday of Advent
Malachi 3:1-7b
Psalm 66:1-12
Philippians 1:2-11
Luke 3:1-14 (15-20)

But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap: and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness.

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. John 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.

Malachi reminds us that facing the Lord is not a walk in the park; we'd rather keep the image of God as one that is kindhearted and compassionate. Malachi, which means "my messenger," asks, "Who can endure the day of his coming?" In the past few weeks we’ve seen apocalyptic images and experienced the fear that comes with curses of fire and brimstone. We see a similar image in today’s Old Testament passage. Malachi writes, "For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap: and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness."

In this promise, or curse depending on how you look at it, the refining will come to the sons of Levi. The sons of Levi were the priests in the Temple. The Levites were the ones who continued to man the altar of God, to present the offerings, to do the work of bridging the gap between the people and their God. Zechariah, John's father, was a priest. He was in the Temple when he learned that his elderly wife would bear a son. This was such an unbelievable promise that Zechariah questioned the angel that gave him the good news. They were old, well beyond childbearing age. When he asked how he could be sure of the good news, the angel answered, "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings." He wasn't meant to believe based on any tangible proof, but to trust the Word of God brought by His messenger. Because he doubted, Zechariah went silent, unable to speak until the promise came true.

Zechariah was able to speak again when John was born and named according to the Word of God. John was an unusual name, not chosen based on tradition or family practice, but because it was the name given to the baby by God. When all was done, and God's Word was proven true, Zechariah began to sing praise to God. The people who saw this marveled at what had happened and wondered what would become of this first born of Zechariah.

Last week Advent begsn with apocalyptic texts and this week isn't much different. We still aren't seeing the warm fuzzies that make the Christmas season so special. The light in today's text is not the gentle glow of the Christmas tree and the words aren't messages of good cheer. Malachi calls us to be cleansed by fire and John calls us to repent! The message this week doesn't fit in so well with our festivities and preparations.

Malachi makes it clear that the Day of the Lord will not be a pleasant experience. Imagine what it would be like to be tempered with the fire necessary to purify silver. It is difficult to even get close to the furnace. It is no wonder that those who followed John thought it was worth getting a little wet in the Jordan to protect themselves from that sort of judgment. But the refining process is necessary because it readies us to stand in the presence of God. There is promise in that image of the refiner. God does not abandon us to the heat, or the wrath. He is there with us, through it, transforming us by His grace. We should not run from the power of God, for it is in the power of God that we are made new.

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. We are preparing for an open house next weekend and it seems as though I can't 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.

Advent is not just a time for warm fuzzies or getting ready for the festivities of the season; Advent is a time of repentance. Repentance means turning toward God, renewing our faith and hope and trust. When we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season, we forget that Jesus came to bring forgiveness and transformation. He came to cleanse us, to make us new. He came according to the prophecies of the prophets throughout time to be both Judge and Savior for His people.

This is not to say that we should reject the traditions of Christmas that we love, after all they can be ways through which we make a joyful noise and praise God. 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. These are not bad things.

However, it is so easy to let the warm fuzzies and festivities to make us forget the reason why Jesus came. We remember the reason for the season is Jesus, but do we remember that we need to be repentant? The fun and wonderful things we do for the Christmas season are not bad unless we think they are a way for us to flee the wrath to come. Are we decorating because we have to? Are we trying to win a neighborhood lighting contest, or do we really want our light to shine in the darkness? Are we sharing those goodies that we bake? Are we giving thoughtful gifts, or are we just spending money on useless things because it is expected? Will our preparation make way for the Lord?

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 acts of kindness that reflect God's grace and make Him shine in the world, manifesting the fruits of righteousness in keeping with God's purpose for our lives.

During this busy time we have lists of things we need to accomplish. I joked on Facebook that I did not get half of what I had hoped to get done. There is so much to do and so little time. "What should I do?" we ask ourselves as we see everything that needs to be done.

"What should we do?" This is the question that the crowds asked John as He was preaching and baptizing at the Jordan. They were busy doing all the wrong things and were missing the life God was calling them to live. The multitudes asked John what they should do and John answered, "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath food, let him do likewise." The tax collectors asked and John said, "Extort no more than that which is appointed you." The soldiers asked and John said, "Extort from no man by violence, neither accuse any one wrongfully; and be content with your wages." John answered them with a call to repentance and faithfulness to God's Word.

And so, in this second week of Advent, we ask, "What should we do?"

John answers, "Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance."

Paul answers, "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; so that ye may approve the things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and void of offence unto the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

Paul was concerned for the Philippians. He knew that though they were doing well at living the life they had been called to live, they would face difficult times. There were those who had gone into Philippi to stop the growth of the Church and destroy the faith of the young Christians. Paul wrote to encourage them to stand firm in their faith and to keep their eyes on Christ. We wait for the Nativity, but we are also waiting for the Day when the Lord will come again. We have to be ready for Christmas, but we are reminded to be ready for the Day of the Lord when Christ will come in glory.

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. Advent has become a time to talk about hope, to look forward to the coming of Christ, but historically it was a season of repentance. Are we meant to be lost in the chaos of all our preparation? Or are we meant to be growing deeper in faith as we draw nearer to the Christ?

This can be a very difficult season for everyone with so much to do and so little time, although it seems as though the Christmas season has gotten longer and longer every year. In the days of my youth the holiday season began after Thanksgiving. I remember how Black Friday more than just a day of frenzied shopping for door-buster deals. It was a special day to kick off the season of preparation. The malls were transformed between Wednesday night and Friday morning. Santa came during a special ceremony accompanied by pretty girls in reindeer costumes galloping in front of his sleigh. We stood in line for hours to meet the jolly old elf and give him our Christmas lists. A few years ago I went to the mall before Thanksgiving and realized Santa was already there, bored by lack of children. The stores have had Christmas displays up for months with Christmas music playing in the background. What used to be the twenty-five days of counting down to Christmas has become months of preparing. Children don't have a sense of time. They see those first signs of Christmas and become excited about what is to come. But now that those signs come so early, it is easy to become disappointed and lose interest.

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. Just like those Israelites in Malachi's days and the Jews who heard John the Baptist's cry, we need to be called to repent, to turn around, to wait patiently and seek God.

That's why the 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 the last great prophet under the Old Covenant 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. Yet, we listen to his story during this time because in the cry of John the Baptist we see 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. We are waiting but while we wait let us rejoice in the work that God continues to do in our lives, cleansing us with the fire that transforms us into the people He has created and redeemed us to be.