In the Name of God the Creator, the Redeemer and Sustainer. Amen!
This week marks the second week of Advent. The period of Advent for me is a time of reflection. We look at what is and anticipate what ought to come. We reflect on the life that is and hope for something better. This second week of Advent takes us from thinking about hope to a related idea of peace, something we all need to think more about.
The word Advent means the arrival of someone or something important. In the context of Christianity, it is believed to be the arrival of the Messiah. As the Prophet Malachi predicts in the first reading this morning:
- The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.
- The messenger…in whom you delight is coming.
- But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?
- He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and
- He will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness
These Advent statements ask about our worthiness and willingness to welcome the messenger of God and address the question of our readiness. They are statements or questions that stir the message of hope in our hearts. But this anticipation is ambiguous: will it be beautiful or terrible? Will it be peaceful or bring more conflict? Will it bring calm to the world or chaos? The truth is that Jesus is already in our midst, we should not wait for another arrival.
However, I am intrigued by the words of the Prophet Malachi. The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.[1] I am sure many people, like me, cannot wait for God to stir up and refine what has become of the church today. Many people have lost interest and faith in the church. For some, the church has ceased to be a safe haven. As Christians, we are challenged to articulate the hope and peace that the world needs.
Maybe we can rework the words of the prophet and say: the Lord whom we know is already in our midst and waiting to help us restore God’s glory in the world. It is not about who is bad or good in the church. Note something about Malachi’s message when he says, [the messenger] will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.[2] The church needs refinement, not blaming or chasing anyone away. Refinement does not mean rejection or dismissal. The descendants of Levi, says the prophet, will be purified and refined, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.[3] So the challenge is to pray for the refinement of the people that might have hurt us in the church. But this refinement must be seen or experienced by the world.
The world needs us as the church. This is not a time to be debating whether God is he, she or an it. This is not a time to play blame games. It is a time to bring an alternative way of thinking and living to/for the world. We are the messengers that the world is waiting for. I am positive that, like the audience of the Prophet Malachi, we too want to see things made right, the way God intended. At the same time, though, we do not want to go through great pain to see it happen. But, as St Benedict’s puts it and Malachi, gold and silver must be tested by fire. So, in the refining process, we can expect some hurt and discomfort. Homework for you! What would God’s refining look like in the world today? What needs refining in my life so that I can articulate righteousness in the world?
And what does Paul say to the Philippians (1:3-11):
I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me… And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Like Paul, I have faith in you. The world needs us as the church. The candle lit today is for peace. Traditionally it is called the Bethlehem Candle, it symbolizes peace and preparation, reflecting Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the peace that Christ’s birth brings.[4] The world needs peace. Let us show the world that the Lord, the Prince of Peace is in our midst. We are the coming that the world is waiting for. The Christian movement started with a young man in his 30s from the town of Nazareth, calling strangers to change their view of the world. He is not coming again in the same way he did then. We as the church are it for now. May our love overflow more and more. Amen!
[1] Malachi 3: 1b
[2] Malachi 3:3
[3] Malachi 3:3b
[4] See https://www.mercyhome.org/blog/sunday-mass/advent-wreath/