The God who keeps promises
Commentary
Object:
Both my congregation and local community are exhausted with the past political campaign season of attack commercials, promises, and half-truths told about the other candidate. Finally, it is the holiday season. We do not care which holiday it is at this point, be it Advent or Christmas. However, when the dust settles in the national and local political spotlights, one wonders: "Who keeps their promises? Who were simply pundits and staff paid to repeat talking points in order to get their candidate elected? What now? Is there a hopeful future?"
The texts for the Second Sunday in Advent are intended to bring assurance that our God does indeed keep his promises. The messengers he sends us are good for their word. We as a church remain a people of the promise. Holidays are not a season of immunity from disappointments. Some companies do indeed issue layoff or termination notices during the holiday seasons in order to improve the bottom line of their financial books. Families do raise their expectations during this season and are willing to remind relatives that disappointing such expectations is unacceptable -- sometimes it can even get ugly!
As the holiday season is well on its way, questions might linger in the back of many people's minds: "Whose word can be trusted? Who is letting the spirit of the season allow them to make promises or say words in which they might regret later?" It is to such doubts and worries that today's lessons address.
Malachi 3:1-4
This is one of the often-used texts in the Christian New Testament. It is often associated with the Nativity of John the Baptist. The broader context of the Judeans of that time is, Why are the people of God still suffering after much sorrow? Is God good for God's promises, or the covenant he has made? There are doubts whether God is just because those who rule them are so wicked and brutal. This is not such a clean-cut, black-or-white kind of question, because the people of Israel have also sinned. They have been indifferent to God's will and have been punished. Now they complain that God overlooks the sins of Israel's enemies, while allowing the people of faith to suffer. This text is a partial response to the question asked in chapter 2:17, "Where is the God of justice?" Many theologians call this the "theodicy" question about the existence of a just, powerful God in the face of rampant evil in the world.
Malachi 3:1-4 says that God is good for his word. God is keeping his covenant (3:1). The day of the Lord is indeed coming (3:2). God is sending the new messenger like a refiner's fire of silver and will purify God's people. One posture of Advent is to respond to life's unfairness as a way of refining, a purifier or one who receives clarification along their faith journey. The essential message of this text is that God keeps God's word and covenant even when people doubt him and evil seems to be getting the upper hand.
Philippians 1:3-11
Paul is awaiting trial in a Roman jail on undisclosed charges as Philippians is written. Jail was not a punishment unto itself then. After the trial, a person was released, executed, or given some other form of quick punishment such as flogging. Essentially, his life is put on hold or waiting. This is what ties this text to Advent themes. He is closer to this Philippian congregation than any other congregation he has written epistles to in the New Testament. Yet, there are dissenters within the congregation who may disagree with some decisions made related to supporting Paul or his mission. In response to such strain in some relationships, the letter is couched with words of thanks in response to God's grace. There is remembrance that Paul and the church are partners in ministry -- despite any unfortunate circumstances Paul has at any given moment.
Paul understands that he is going to be put on trial for the sake of the gospel he preaches and is supported by the Philippians. Paul is like many leaders of organizations who must find a way for the congregation to move forward on the agreed-upon mission, though there are dissenters who persist and are not afraid to make their feelings known. Such leadership requires a mature love and certain level of spiritual growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Constant prayer and thanksgiving are given for all of the people of the congregation (dissenters especially!). People point to a love that is beyond being sentimental, does not shrink back in difficult times, but also is willing to be tested in such times. Such mature love equips Christians to make difficult choices on matters that count in life, yet remember that discipleship is a journey of growth in doing the risen Christ's will in all matters.
The text also points to the eschatological day of Christ, that all Christians will be seen to be tried and true to their faith. Again, this language is couched in prayer and thanks rather than commands or exhortations. Continuity in prayer and thanks is how a Christian responds to God's grace and is one mark of a mature disciple. Paul believes that if any community is close to this "mark" of mature discipleship, it is probably the Philippians. All of this is done for the sake of the gospel, even if it means imprisonment. Paul is simply walking his talk in this thanksgiving introduction to the epistle. Though confined to a jail, Paul is confident that God is good for God's promises.
Luke 3:1-6
In keeping with the tradition and promises made to comfort the people of God in Isaiah 40:3-5, Luke fixes the calling of John the Baptist in a desert, also using a similar pattern to the calling of Jeremiah 1:1-2. Debates may occur as to how accurate Luke's historical details are regarding the dates and rulers he cites, but he worked with the information available to him at the time. The main point is that Luke wants to fix the ministry of John the Baptist within Rome's history (probably around 28 CE/AD), to counter the failed promises of the empire with those that are kept by God. John will point to a leader who does not abuse power as Rome does.
In preparation for this good news, John uses the tradition found in Leviticus 15 to preach forgiveness and baptize those who are repentant. Advent is such a time of re-examination of what people of faith need to cleanse out of their lives and what changes need to be made for a future of new life. Some scholars have linked John's ministry to that of the Essenes, or that community who is associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls. One ongoing track of illustration that may be used is to think about somebody's cousin speaking or writing about a given family. Usually they are in the "ballpark" but do not have all the inside details. Whenever a news story surfaces about another revelation from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Christians may liken it to the cousins of Jesus and his family -- and take it for what it is worth.
In times when political and military leaders find themselves embroiled in scandal, King Herod is the New Testament version of such controversy. John the Baptist is one who will eventually "name the elephant" in the room and pay for it. But Flavius Josephus records in Jewish Wars the details of King Herod's family. Josephus (and John) might be likened to the Entertainment Tonight and Insider shows of today. Amidst all of this scandal, Luke wants to make sure that John's ministry is dated on the watch of the Roman empire within secular history. What might some events in the life of any church community be that the leadership would want to have written within the context of secular history? Examples might be what did the church do in response to Hurricane Sandy or when a power outage occurs in a certain community? The text essentially reminds God's people that he is faithful and has not abandoned them but is keeping his promises.
Application
Holidays are times when people often raise their expectations of others in the family, community, or where they work or study. Such expectations often result in disappointment or resentment. Recent events in sports doping scandals, military leaders letting the nation down, and even employers deciding to trim their payrolls with layoff notices all remind people that Rome and King Herod type powerbrokers are always at work in breaking promises as they disrupt the lives of families. In Malachi and Luke, God is good for his promises. God keeps his promises, though not in ways one would expect. The comfort God proclaimed to a broken, defeated people in Isaiah 40 still comes to the surface in those places in life where new voices and new people do not conform to the talking points or party line of any organization.
Preparing for any new life entails a constant self-inventory or repentance and having faith in God's promises. Christians continue to be a people of the promise such as those found in Malachi 3 and Isaiah 40. What promises have been fulfilled that people never expected to even happen? Advent is a time to expect the unexpected when it comes to promises being fulfilled.
Alternative Application
In America, many places have free food or meals and used clothing stores for those in need. By the standards of developing countries, this would be like living like Donald Trump. Advent might be a time to explore ways to support a ministry that a given church or denomination sponsors for any third-world ministry that is in need. To fulfill Isaiah 40 and Luke 6 that all flesh will see the glory of God, discover ways to impact those ministries that might even welcome a piece of coal in a stocking or a wooden stick for a campfire. This is also a sign of a mature spirituality in Philippians 1.
The texts for the Second Sunday in Advent are intended to bring assurance that our God does indeed keep his promises. The messengers he sends us are good for their word. We as a church remain a people of the promise. Holidays are not a season of immunity from disappointments. Some companies do indeed issue layoff or termination notices during the holiday seasons in order to improve the bottom line of their financial books. Families do raise their expectations during this season and are willing to remind relatives that disappointing such expectations is unacceptable -- sometimes it can even get ugly!
As the holiday season is well on its way, questions might linger in the back of many people's minds: "Whose word can be trusted? Who is letting the spirit of the season allow them to make promises or say words in which they might regret later?" It is to such doubts and worries that today's lessons address.
Malachi 3:1-4
This is one of the often-used texts in the Christian New Testament. It is often associated with the Nativity of John the Baptist. The broader context of the Judeans of that time is, Why are the people of God still suffering after much sorrow? Is God good for God's promises, or the covenant he has made? There are doubts whether God is just because those who rule them are so wicked and brutal. This is not such a clean-cut, black-or-white kind of question, because the people of Israel have also sinned. They have been indifferent to God's will and have been punished. Now they complain that God overlooks the sins of Israel's enemies, while allowing the people of faith to suffer. This text is a partial response to the question asked in chapter 2:17, "Where is the God of justice?" Many theologians call this the "theodicy" question about the existence of a just, powerful God in the face of rampant evil in the world.
Malachi 3:1-4 says that God is good for his word. God is keeping his covenant (3:1). The day of the Lord is indeed coming (3:2). God is sending the new messenger like a refiner's fire of silver and will purify God's people. One posture of Advent is to respond to life's unfairness as a way of refining, a purifier or one who receives clarification along their faith journey. The essential message of this text is that God keeps God's word and covenant even when people doubt him and evil seems to be getting the upper hand.
Philippians 1:3-11
Paul is awaiting trial in a Roman jail on undisclosed charges as Philippians is written. Jail was not a punishment unto itself then. After the trial, a person was released, executed, or given some other form of quick punishment such as flogging. Essentially, his life is put on hold or waiting. This is what ties this text to Advent themes. He is closer to this Philippian congregation than any other congregation he has written epistles to in the New Testament. Yet, there are dissenters within the congregation who may disagree with some decisions made related to supporting Paul or his mission. In response to such strain in some relationships, the letter is couched with words of thanks in response to God's grace. There is remembrance that Paul and the church are partners in ministry -- despite any unfortunate circumstances Paul has at any given moment.
Paul understands that he is going to be put on trial for the sake of the gospel he preaches and is supported by the Philippians. Paul is like many leaders of organizations who must find a way for the congregation to move forward on the agreed-upon mission, though there are dissenters who persist and are not afraid to make their feelings known. Such leadership requires a mature love and certain level of spiritual growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Constant prayer and thanksgiving are given for all of the people of the congregation (dissenters especially!). People point to a love that is beyond being sentimental, does not shrink back in difficult times, but also is willing to be tested in such times. Such mature love equips Christians to make difficult choices on matters that count in life, yet remember that discipleship is a journey of growth in doing the risen Christ's will in all matters.
The text also points to the eschatological day of Christ, that all Christians will be seen to be tried and true to their faith. Again, this language is couched in prayer and thanks rather than commands or exhortations. Continuity in prayer and thanks is how a Christian responds to God's grace and is one mark of a mature disciple. Paul believes that if any community is close to this "mark" of mature discipleship, it is probably the Philippians. All of this is done for the sake of the gospel, even if it means imprisonment. Paul is simply walking his talk in this thanksgiving introduction to the epistle. Though confined to a jail, Paul is confident that God is good for God's promises.
Luke 3:1-6
In keeping with the tradition and promises made to comfort the people of God in Isaiah 40:3-5, Luke fixes the calling of John the Baptist in a desert, also using a similar pattern to the calling of Jeremiah 1:1-2. Debates may occur as to how accurate Luke's historical details are regarding the dates and rulers he cites, but he worked with the information available to him at the time. The main point is that Luke wants to fix the ministry of John the Baptist within Rome's history (probably around 28 CE/AD), to counter the failed promises of the empire with those that are kept by God. John will point to a leader who does not abuse power as Rome does.
In preparation for this good news, John uses the tradition found in Leviticus 15 to preach forgiveness and baptize those who are repentant. Advent is such a time of re-examination of what people of faith need to cleanse out of their lives and what changes need to be made for a future of new life. Some scholars have linked John's ministry to that of the Essenes, or that community who is associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls. One ongoing track of illustration that may be used is to think about somebody's cousin speaking or writing about a given family. Usually they are in the "ballpark" but do not have all the inside details. Whenever a news story surfaces about another revelation from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Christians may liken it to the cousins of Jesus and his family -- and take it for what it is worth.
In times when political and military leaders find themselves embroiled in scandal, King Herod is the New Testament version of such controversy. John the Baptist is one who will eventually "name the elephant" in the room and pay for it. But Flavius Josephus records in Jewish Wars the details of King Herod's family. Josephus (and John) might be likened to the Entertainment Tonight and Insider shows of today. Amidst all of this scandal, Luke wants to make sure that John's ministry is dated on the watch of the Roman empire within secular history. What might some events in the life of any church community be that the leadership would want to have written within the context of secular history? Examples might be what did the church do in response to Hurricane Sandy or when a power outage occurs in a certain community? The text essentially reminds God's people that he is faithful and has not abandoned them but is keeping his promises.
Application
Holidays are times when people often raise their expectations of others in the family, community, or where they work or study. Such expectations often result in disappointment or resentment. Recent events in sports doping scandals, military leaders letting the nation down, and even employers deciding to trim their payrolls with layoff notices all remind people that Rome and King Herod type powerbrokers are always at work in breaking promises as they disrupt the lives of families. In Malachi and Luke, God is good for his promises. God keeps his promises, though not in ways one would expect. The comfort God proclaimed to a broken, defeated people in Isaiah 40 still comes to the surface in those places in life where new voices and new people do not conform to the talking points or party line of any organization.
Preparing for any new life entails a constant self-inventory or repentance and having faith in God's promises. Christians continue to be a people of the promise such as those found in Malachi 3 and Isaiah 40. What promises have been fulfilled that people never expected to even happen? Advent is a time to expect the unexpected when it comes to promises being fulfilled.
Alternative Application
In America, many places have free food or meals and used clothing stores for those in need. By the standards of developing countries, this would be like living like Donald Trump. Advent might be a time to explore ways to support a ministry that a given church or denomination sponsors for any third-world ministry that is in need. To fulfill Isaiah 40 and Luke 6 that all flesh will see the glory of God, discover ways to impact those ministries that might even welcome a piece of coal in a stocking or a wooden stick for a campfire. This is also a sign of a mature spirituality in Philippians 1.
