The lectionary readings for this week certainly aren’t abounding in the “warm fuzzies” I normally envision when Advent and the Christmas Season come to mind. Rather, the common thread is the announcement/prophecy of the second appearance of the LORD on earth; the day Malachi warns, “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For 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. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.” (Malachi 3:2-4)
Zechariah’s prophecy in Luke and Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi provide a gentler tone when they speak of this Second Advent of the LORD. Zechariah tells his son, John, “And, you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet onto the way of peace.” (Luke 1:76-79) Paul’s words to the Philippian church are even more comforting, “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…And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you 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.” (Philippians 1:6, 9-11)
Recently I came upon this post, and it speaks of the great need we have of God’s intervention, to bring about the completion of the good work begun among us, to give us light, to guide us onto the way of peace, overflowing love and righteousness, made possible by the First Advent of the LORD:
The Edge of Catastrophe
There has hardly ever been a time when it was as evident as it is today that God and His righteousness and love do not yet rule. We see it in our own lives and in current events. We see it in the fate of the hopeless, the millions upon millions of unemployed. We see it in the unjust distribution of goods though the earth offer unstintingly its fertility and all its potentials. There is urgent work that must be done to help humankind, but it is obstructed and destroyed by the injustice of the present world systems.
We are in the midst of a collapse of civilization. Civilization is nothing but humankind’s orderly work in nature. And this work has turned into a disorder whose injustice cries out to heaven. There are hundreds of signs that something is about to happen. Nothing in history takes place, however, unless it comes from God. So our plea to Him now is that He makes history, His history, the history of His righteousness.
And when God makes His history, we all have every reason to tremble. For as matters stand today, He can do nothing unless His wrath first sweeps over all the injustice and lovelessness, all the discord and brutality, that rule the world. His wrath will be the beginning of His history. First must come the day of judgment: then the day of joy, of love, grace, and justice can dawn.
Yes, this post is harsh, not something one would typically choose for Advent; however, the words ring true. We are experiencing first-hand many of the issues the author, Eberhard Arnold, experienced in Germany in 1933, when he penned this “post”; yet he remains hopeful in spite of the circumstances he perceives surrounding him because he has chosen to look to God to fulfill the promise that began with the First Advent over 2,000 years ago. We, too, must be thankful, focusing on the promise, our Savior, of humble birth, the source of our salvation, our hope, and our faith. The Gift of Love and Light.
Loving Father, renew in us the warmth of Christmas joy through the love of Jesus Christ. Send us out in loving service to share the Good News that our LORD has arrived and His light has overcome the darkness of our world. Amen.
Linda Summers
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