Second Sunday in Advent December 7, 2003.

Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:68-79 Philippians 1:3-11 Luke 3:1-6

First Reading

Malachi is primarily written to the corrupt priests of Israel. The prophet calls the priests those "who despise [the Lord's] name" (1:6). The priests are accused of causing "many to stumble" and of corrupting the covenant of the Lord (2:8). Malachi says that these prophets have "wearied the Lord with [their] words" (2:17) "by saying, 'All who do evil are good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.' Or by asking, 'Where is the God of justice?"'

Our text is an announcement that the messenger of the Lord, and subsequently the Lord himself, will suddenly come to his temple. Ironically, this messenger is one in whom the priests claim to be delighting, and the Lord is one they claim to seek. The prophet, however, is skeptical of their welcome for the Lord and his anointed and reminds them that the new arrivals will purify these descendants of Levi as gold and silver are purified. In other words, they will be put through fire. The soap (in Hebrew, "lye") of the fuller will cleanse them of all impurities. The message is undoubtedly that this cleansing process will not be pain-free. But the result will be that the offerings given in Judah and Jerusalem will again be pleasing to the Lord, for they will be made by righteous hands.

The Epistle reading is primarily a testimony to Paul's affection for the Philippians. This congregation seems to have been the first established by Paul in Europe, and his relationship with them was a very happy and close one (Acts 16:11-13, 4:15-16). The work of the gospel in Philippi, however, was very difficult, as there was intense opposition to Paul's evangelistic efforts from the beginning (Acts 16:19-40). This persecution apparently only cemented Paul and the Philippians together even more closely. Thus, in today's text Paul praises them for their "sharing in the gospel from the first day until now." The word translated "sharing" is koinonia, a word that has found its way into popular Christian usage. Often translated "fellowship," participant with," "partner," or "sharer," when a person is in koinonia with another, the sharing is much deeper than any of these translations suggest. Those who are in koinonia are in fellowship with Christ, the Spirit, one another, and with the work and suffering of the gospel. Paul's multiple thanksgivings for the faith of the Philippians are all the more profound as he gives thanks to God for the myriad ways in which they share with him in the gospel.

The central figure of the Gospel text is, of course, John the Baptist. Well before this time, at both the announcement of his birth to Zechariah (1:17) and on the occasion of his circumcision (1:76), we are told that John will be the one who "will go before the Lord to prepare his ways." This parallels the Malachi text and undoubtedly brings to mind, for its hearers, the promises and warnings of Malachi. As in Malachi, the people that first heard the announcement of this messenger and the Lord's imminent return were ill-equipped to welcome it. The list of names, from Tiberius to Annas and Caiaphas, was certainly no list of saints, and thus this messenger came to a people claiming to "delight" in the Lord but by no means living that way. But that is exactly why John came "proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

The exilic prophet Isaiah is quoted here. Is the inference that the hearers are also "exiled in sin"? Claus Westermann says that these verses are a "message of God's new act ... the new event, the exile's release and the new exodus, is already under way." God has forgiven the people and resolved upon their deliverance. "That God turns once again to his chosen people in forgiveness puts everything right" (Handbook of the Old Testament, pp. 34-36). All this can be seen from the simple purpose clause that is translated "repentance for the forgiveness of sins." The phrase might well be translated "repentance so that sins might be forgiven."

In other words, the purpose of repentance is that sins might be forgiven. God has decided to forgive. That is the Good News. GM

Pastoral Reflection

Paul's declaration, "that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless," being ready for the coming of the Lord, or being prepared for the announcement of God's arrival, are certainly themes that arise from these readings. Because Advent is a time of preparation, it is appropriate that at least one Sunday before Christmas be devoted to repentance.

We might ask our hearers whether they are ready for Christmas. What does that mean? Of course it means getting presents purchased and cookies baked and decorations up, but the challenge could be to stop and prepare one's heart. For a preacher this is no small task, for one could simply shame everyone from the pulpit for "being so secular," but where is the good news in that? Perhaps we could invite our hearers into the place where one can hear the weeping of Jesus over Jerusalem, or the lamenting of the Lord in the book of Hosea. Certainly a preacher would want to announce the fact that God has decided to forgive sin!

A preacher could talk about preparing for death by lifting up the lives of saints who have passed away in faith and hope. We could talk about preparation for receiving Holy Communion by lifting up our parents' and grandparents' memories of going to the church or the parsonage and meeting with the pastor the night before receiving Holy Communion. Aside from the impossibility of such a system in our day, and the fact that many of our churches practice weekly communion, this could be an excellent way to reflect on what preparation means for receiving the sacrament. We might also consider preparation for Holy Baptism. Many pastors provide pre-baptismal counseling with parents and/or candidates. This practice could be described and used to remind people of the promises of baptism and the promises of raising a child in the Christian faith. "Preparing the way of the Lord" could find its way into sermons on a wide variety of subjects.

A related but more difficult tack is to look at the costs of being unprepared. The Malachi passage particularly lends itself to this. The priests for whom this text was written did not consider themselves unprepared to meet the messenger of the Lord, and yet they clearly were. What is the warning here for us? Hubris? This kind of preaching is difficult not because people might not want to hear this word but because it is difficult to get back to the gospel of forgiveness if the sermon theme is unpreparedness. One might get to the gospel by showing how God prepares us through "fire" and "fuller's soap." The preacher might suggest that God's cleansing action, though painful, is really a gracious act. Like a surgeon who cuts out cancer, or a parent who disciplines a child, or a counselor who leads an intervention, painful means sometimes lead to life-giving ends. This could be a way of getting to the gospel word of God's love without giving up on the theme of unpreparedness.

Philippians gives the preacher fodder for celebrating our fellowship (koinonia) with other believers, with Christ, and within the work of the ministry. We are not alone. Faith is not merely "Jesus and me." Christian belonging means that I am attached to everything of the Spirit, and in this I rejoice. Tying in somewhat with the major theme of preparation, one could say that our partnership with other believers, with Christ, and with the Spirit is one way of ensuring that we are "prepared" for the coming of the Lord.