Making Preparation for the Coming Reign of God -- A Lectionary Reflection
Malachi 3:1-4
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6
Making Preparation for
the Coming Reign of God
In times past Advent has taken on a
penitential hue. The use of violet or
purple as a liturgical color linked Advent with Lent, and there’s somberness to
most of Advent hymns, but there’s also this sense of expectation and
anticipation that runs counter to this penitential mood. The commercial and the cultural dynamics
would rather embrace the mood of expectation over that of penance, but maybe there
is room for both. Perhaps the current
trend to use color blue as the proper liturgical color can signify this change
in perspective to bring together penance and expectation. We look forward to the coming of the Lord
with joy and excitement, but we also want to be found at our best when the day
arrives.
The lectionary readings throughout
the season of Advent bring both the call to repentance and the proclamation
that the arrival of God’s Messiah is on the horizon. As the voice of John the Baptist rings out, we
hear the call to prepare our hearts and lives for this day when the realm of
God will break into our midst bringing with it a new vision of reality. As we await that day, there’s work to be
done, preparations to be made, paths to clear.
The first word comes from the
Prophet Malachi, whose book brings to a close the Hebrew Testament. We don’t know when and where he spoke. There is no historical data to work from, no
specific context given. Many learned, as
I learned, that he was the last of the prophets prior to John. After his ministry closed God’s voice ceased
to speak with any clarity for the next four hundred years. There may be historical critical reasons to
question this traditional reading, but there is a connection between our
reading from Malachi and the Advent message.
We hear the word of God – a messenger is coming, a prophet, who will
speak for the Lord, a prophet who will clear the way for the Lord, so that the
Lord might come to God’s Temple. There
is an apocalyptic feel to this message.
Malachi raises the question: “Who
can endure the day of his coming? Who
can withstand his appearance? He is like
the refiner’s fire or the cleaner’s soap” (Mal. 3:2 CEB). We might await this messenger with hope, but
also with a bit of trepidation. We will
not be left unchanged by this encounter.
The impurities of our lives will be removed in this encounter. But then when we are refined and cleansed, we’ll
be ready. Like the Levites who are
cleansed and purified by this encounter, we can offer the righteous offering,
which will be pleasing to God. Yes,
Malachi reminds us that if we wish to greet God’s Messiah, we must make proper
preparation. For Christians, we hear
this message and think of the ministry of preparation that John undertook, that
through his ministry of baptism he provided the means by which God might refine
and cleanse the people to receive the one who brings the realm of God into
existence in our midst.
Paul
writes to the Philippian Church – presumably from a prison cell –giving thanks
and praise for this church that he had founded.
He gives thanks that they are partners with him in ministry, and had
been so from the point they first believed.
It is a common theme for Paul – to give thanks for those who had heard
and followed the gospel. But he also
recognizes that the work of God is not yet complete. In verse 6 of this first chapter, Paul notes
his confidence that “the one who started a good work in you will stay with you
to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus.” I would take this to be a reference to the
presence of the Holy Spirit. The work of
God isn’t complete; refining and cleansing needs to continue, but Paul is
confident that this will happen. And so
he prays. He prays that their love will
grow richer in knowledge and insight. Out
of this enriched love that comes with spiritual maturity, they can “decide what
really matters.” Then, they will be “sincere
and blameless on the day of Christ.”
There it is -- another reference to the time of preparation. The good news is that this fruit of
righteousness comes from Christ. It is a
gift and provision of God. It is an act
of grace that transforms and prepares us for that day when God’s reign is
revealed in its fullness so that we might “give glory and praise to God.”
If Malachi speaks of a coming
messenger who will prepare the way, our reading from the Gospel of Luke introduces
us to that person. The appearance of
this messenger may seem different from Malachi’s description – it’s less
apocalyptic – the ministry of preparation is nonetheless present.
When the Gospel of Luke begins, with
two birth announcements – of John and Jesus – and their subsequent births, the
ruler of this world – Caesar – still goes by the name of Augustus. Now, years later – in the fifteenth year of
the reign of Tiberius (son of god?), while Pontius Pilate was serving as governor
and Herod Antipas was holding court in Galilee, during the priesthood of Annas
and Caiaphas, “God’s word came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” We can speculate why he was living out in the
wilderness or desert – was he an Essene? Whatever the reason for his being in the
desert, it appears that like Moses before him, the call of God comes to John in
a place of remoteness where the distractions of daily life give way to the calm
desolation of this region. How will he
respond? Did he know that this day would
come? After all, according to Luke, his
father had revealed his vocation at the time of his birth (Luke 1:67-79).
In this reading, John hears the call
of God and heads to the Jordan, where he calls on the people to be baptized as
a sign of repentance, or as the Common English Bible renders it – as a sign
that they “were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their
sins.” John takes up this ministry of
preparation in fulfillment not of Malachi 3, but of Isaiah 40:3-5. In this passage from the exile, we hear of “a
voice crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare
the way of the Lord; make his paths straight . . .’” As a result of this
ministry of baptism and repentance, way will be made straight, mountains and
hills leveled, the crooked straightened, rough places made smooth. Every obstruction and obstacle to the coming
of the Lord will be removed, so that on the Day of the Lord, “all humanity will
see God’s salvation.”
It is only the second week of
Advent. There’s still time to get
ready. But will we wait until the last
moment, or will we prepare now for the coming of the reign of God, which John
announces and the coming one will embody?
The choice is ours. It needn't be foreboding -- it can be a moment of great joy. But we have to prepare ourselves.
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