Churches With Heart

Moody-Leon United Methodist Church

Malachi 3:1-4 (NIV)

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. Some of you recognize those twelve characteristics as the twelve points of the Scout Law that are a part of the Boy Scouts of America. Isn’t it amazing! I still remember all twelve. I can rattle them off with no problem, but I can’t remember to take my keys out of the front door lock or where I left my glasses.

A part of my preparation for life was a strong involvement in Boy Scouts. My Dad was my scoutmaster. He used that marvelous program to prepare me and hundreds of other boys for what life has to offer. Scout troop 36 was sponsored by First United Methodist Church in Haskell, Texas. Some day I need to find out how many boys were lead to the rank of Eagle scout by my Dad. I was a part of the first group of six. I can’t tell you the names of all six of those boys, but I can tell you that the Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” To be prepared is a good thing.

Advent is about preparation. We prepare for all kinds of things. My Dad through scouting and in other ways prepared me for life. He prepared me for things that were yet to come. Many of you have been preparing for Christmas. You have been shelling pecans for the goodies. You have been decorating the outside and the inside of your homes. You have been shopping for gifts to give to those who are special to you. All of this is in preparation for Christmas.

Malachi tells us that God will send God’s messenger, who will prepare the way before Him. Luke quotes the prophet Isaiah in his gospel as he proclaims John the Baptist as this “voice crying in the wilderness”, this messenger sent by God to prepare the way. In this passage we read today, it seems that the messenger is one who comes before the Lord Almighty. In the next sentence it seems that the Lord Almighty is this messenger.

While Malachi is confusing about who is the messenger and who is the one who comes to prepare, he is very clear about the nature of the preparation. He asks, “Who can endure the day of his coming?” He speaks of the refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. Preparation is not easy.

To refine is to make fine or pure. To refine silver requires heating the ore to melting temperatures so that the impurities can be separated from the precious metal. It is a process that results in transformation. Malachi speaks of a preparation that might even be difficult.

Just look at the preparation that John the Baptist offered. He was an in your face kind of guy. He calls the crowd around him a brood of vipers. He calls for repentance, that is not only stop your sinful ways, but never return to them. He calls for self examination. John caused the people to pause and think about were they were in relation to their God.

Advent is a time of preparation. It is a time that we can pause and take an accounting. It can be a time to ask the big questions like, “Why am I here?” “What is truly important to me?” “Where is Jesus Christ in my life?” “What makes Christmas important to me?”

We are, I think, more familiar with Luke’s version of Isaiah’s message. He says, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness; “Prepare the way of the Lord.” But in the book of Isaiah it reads: “A voice cries out: (and this is what the voice says) ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” Is. 40:3

Advent is a time of preparation. A time to examine the wilderness of our lives, the deserts in our lives. It is a time to clear the path between us and our God. It is a time to remove obstacles that stand between us and our God.

Advent is a time of preparation. Malachi speaks of preparing in difficult, harsh, painful ways. He speaks of the refiner’s fire. Jesus is not only the refiner’s fire for us; Jesus went through the refiner’s fire for us. Jesus suffered on a cross so that we might be made fine and pure.

Today we celebrate Holy Communion. It is a holy time that we remember what Jesus has done for us. This is a holy time open to every one in this room. It is a time that we can literally commune with Jesus Christ. This time is a gift from Jesus to you. A time for tearing down walls. A time to be as close to Jesus as you will ever be this side of heaven’s gates. A time to prepare the way to a very personal relationship with that one for whom we are waiting. As you think about sharing in Holy Communion don’t think about how you can prepare for it, think about how Holy Communion prepares you as you wait for the Christ.