Jesus speaks to you today, in His Gospel, saying,
On this second Sunday in Advent,
we continue to ponder our Advent wreath and its meaning. Last week, we learned
that the candles are lit in memory of the Old Testament prophets and that the
first candle represented hope. Hope that the promise of God made flesh would be
coming soon and be everything the Lord said it would be.
This week we focus on our second
candle and ponder two things, in light of what St. Malachi spoke to us today:
faith and preparation. Faith such as what the prophets had in prophesying and
not getting to see that prophesy come true and preparation in the fact that God
becomes silent.
Especially with St. Malachi’s case, he is the Old Testament prophet that
caps off the Old Testament. His book of prophesy is the last thing the people
of Israel will hear from God for the next 430 years or until John the Baptist
shows up. 430 years.
When we have a Last will and
testament from a loved one, we usually hold that pretty close to our hearts,
because it is the last time our loved one spoke to us or wrote what they were
thinking of, to us. It becomes extremely important and what we use to determine
what our loved one would want to happen in our lives.
So we hear our prophet, speaking
to us in our familiar Church, and it doesn’t seem like we get a nice,
comforting message from him. He tells of a Day that is coming, burning like an
oven and if we don’t fear, it will burn us up as well. But even if we do fear,
there’s going to be burning anyway, for the sun of righteous burning is going
to rise upon us.
The only comfort we are given is
a command to remember Moses and to be on the look out for Elijah, but if Elijah
doesn’t come, then there will still be destruction.
Wait, what? Are we supposed to
wait or look for the guy? Must there really be a burning no matter what? Can’t
we skip that part? Don’t you want to leave on a high note, God, and not such a
doom and gloom laden parting?
Repent. When was the last time
you remembered the 10 Commandments? Our small catechisms sit and gather dust
when they should be for gathering the family, as it says, “As the head of the
family should teach … in a simple way to his household.” We do not fear the
Lord. This is easy enough to see in what passes for seasonal decorations.
Neither do we wait for Him. We
are so quick to get to what we think we should be doing, that nobody stops for
prayer at church nor Bible study at church. Yet, God is insistent that He will
come. Not only does St. Malachi say it, but St. Paul
In sin, Advent is something we
do not wish to pass through and would much rather get to Christmas. While it is
a good thing to get to Christmas, as it is promised to happen, to rush things
only causes more sin and anxiety. Because the heavens are being shaken.
Our Lord waits and yet He does
not wait. Our Lord does wait for the right time to do everything. Jesus was not
late in coming to rescue His people from their sins, but came at the proper
time, as all God’s actions do.
Yet, in Christ we see the Lord
in haste. He is quick to take action, not waiting for our say so or approval.
He comes in His own way and doing His own work, work for the salvation of the
world. The Lord gives ear to our pleas and returns, as our Introit says. He
does not delay, but comes quickly to the womb; to our flesh.
Thus we hear this story again
this year, as the years before. Just as the fig tree starts to leaf, so does
the seasons of the Church prepare you, teach you, and mold you into the
Christ-like creature the Holy Spirit desires.
Jesus comes quickly because we
would not do anything on our own. Left to find our own way through God’s Word
or His Church, we would consistently find idols and demons. Thus it is the Word
and Sacraments that St. Paul
It is belief that spans the time
and space between God’s action and apparent inaction. It is belief that His
words are true and His promise fulfilled. It is belief that this short time of
darkness and tribulation will come to an end. Winter is bearable, because we
know Spring is right around the corner.
What we don’t know is what we’ll
have to go through to get there. What comes between now and Christmas? Will we
make it? What about the time between now and summer or the Lord’s Return?
What we do know is that the Word
made flesh shakes the heavens, and earth and sin can not stand it. We know that
our redemption has not only drawn near, but has already come for us in Word and
Sacrament. We have seen the anguish of the world and the havoc it wreaks on our
lives, and yet find peace in the Church and her liturgy.
When we are weighed down with
dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, the Church stays awake at
all times, offering prayer and Service. Teaching those who listen and
proclaiming the strength of Jesus that leads us out of those evil things, to
see Him face to face. His preparations are complete and are the only ones that
matter.
For we may not know all things,
but we know that what the Lord has told us is true and certain and worthy of
Faith. We know how God actually deals with everyone each and every time and
that will not change, even 430 years from now.
We know:
(1)
people will be brought to the faith by water Baptism in the name of the Most
Holy Trinity, both as infants and as adult converts
(2) Men
- called and ordained pastors - will preach the gospel, administer the body and
blood of Christ, and absolve sinners
(3) The
creeds of the church will be confessed by the faithful as they have since the
earliest centuries
(4) Hymns
confessing Christ and divine grace will continue to be sung by the faithful
(5) Young
people will be catechized in the faith through catechisms that they will learn
by heart
(6) The
church's liturgy will continue as it has since the earliest centuries - focused
at altar, font, and pulpit; spoken and chanted, with reverence and holy joy,
transcending age, ethnicity, and subcultures and uniting the church across time
and place
(7) In
their personal piety, Christians will make the sign of the holy cross, pray the
Lord's Prayer, and chant the psalms, collects, and the daily offices of the
church
(8) The
canonical biblical books will be studied in their original languages and taught
in the common tongues, as well as the historic confessions of the church
(9) Pastors
will visit the sick, the shut-in, the dying, the poor, the outcast, and others
who are forgotten and left behind by our shallow entertainment and youth
culture (which is embraced and obsessed over by the church growth experts).
They will bring them the Good News of Jesus Christ and will anoint them and
prepare them to die in the faith of Jesus Christ
(10)
Christians will continue to endure persecution, as the cross is, and will
remain, a mark of the church until the Lord returns in glory.
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