It Takes Good Messengers
Commentary
We knew it all along, but it takes good messengers if we are to hear it again.
Baruch 5:1-9
The initial option for the First Lesson is taken from a letter purported to have been sent by Baruch, the secretary of Jeremiah, from exile in Babylon, to the priests and people of Jerusalem early in the fifth century B.C. (1:1-2). More than likely, though, it was written in the period after the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple during the period of Persian domination. This lesson is part of a closing poem of consolation regarding the promise of the glorification of Jerusalem (4:5 — 5:9). Strongly influenced by Isaiah 40-66, offering a word of encouragement, it closely resembles the Songs of Solomon 11:1-7. The point of the text and the book as a whole seems to be that just as the Hebrews received promises of consolation while in captivity under Babylon, so those promises are relevant in the later era of domination by the Persians and later by the Greeks (the second temple period).
Reference is made to the garments of mourning which might be put aside in favor of the beauty of the glory of God (v.1). In its place the righteousness [tsedeq or dikaiousune] of God might be worn; it is said to be the diadem of everlasting glory (v.2), for God will show the Jerusalem‘s (and the faithful’s) splendor everywhere, calling it “righteous peace, godly glory” (vv.3-4).
It is good to be reminded at this point that most Old Testament scholars contend that the righteousness of the faithful and God’s righteousness are about relationship, having to do with God’s loyalty to his covenant in saving us or our loyalty to it. Such righteousness may have been understood late in the Old Testament era and so in the period of this apochryphal book as something God bestows on the faithful (Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol.1, pp.373,376ff.). Thus, all that is prophesied concerning the redeemed Jerusalem and her people is to be deemed a gift of God!
The city is called to rise, look to the sea to see her children gathered at God’s Word for he has remembered them (v.5). They had left by foot in captivity, but will be returned to Jerusalem by God, carried on a royal throne, for God has ordered that the mountains be made low, and the valleys filled up so that Israel might walk safely to the glory of God (vv.6-7). The woods and every tree shade Israel at God’s command for he will lead Israel with joy in light of his glory, with mercy and righteousness that come from him (vv.8-9).
Like the people of Israel when this book was written, America needs a fresh start. Foreign or hostile powers have been alienating our nation, indeed the globe, for nearly two years with the pandemic. We’ve also come under the domination of addictions. It is estimated that between 1.5% to 1:8% of Americans suffer from internet addiction (6% of the worldwide population). A 2015 study of the National Institute of Health indicated that 10% of American adults have suffered from drug addiction (4% actively addicted as of 2015). Polls also suggest that we are addicted to ourselves, as a sense of entitlement of narcissism reigns in American society, not unlike the President we elected in 2016 (Jean Twenge, Generation Me, pp.66ff.).
In our context, this text offers a word of hope, the gift of a fresh start. Of course, this new reality has precedents. In a sense, we have known all along that God operates this way, as God has offered this sort of consolation since the days of the Babylonian captivity. There is no reference to a prophet in the text, for we all have this word. We can be the ones to get this message to others. We have the promise of resurrection, of a new and better day ahead, when all our mourning and addictions will be overcome. We do not do it, but God does! Another sermon angle might be to explain the concept of righteousness in the Old Testament as a way of undergirding that what God did for Israel in the past, he will do for us.
Malachi 3:1-4
The alternative option for the First Lesson is drawn from a prophetic book about whose author we know little. The name Malachi means “my messenger.” The prophet probably lived between 500 BC and 450 BC, after the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem under Persian domination. The book is devoted to the temple and reflects a high view of the priesthood, emphasizes covenant (2:4-5,9-10,14; 3:1), but also a concern about repentance.
The lesson begins with the Lord promising to send his messenger to prepare the way before Him. Yahweh will suddenly enter his temple, it is claimed (v.1a). The messenger of the covenant is said to be coming (v.1b). None can endure the day of the Lord’s coming and stand when he appears, it is proclaimed (v.2). He comes to refine and purify the people until they present offerings to the Lord righteousness (v.3). We note again that this term does not just connote legal judgmental actions, but when applied to God, it concerns loyalty to one’s relationship to him (Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol.1, pp.373,376ff.). When that happens and they [perhaps an allusion to the temple priests] are cleansed, the offering of Judah will be pleasing the Yahweh, as it once was v.4).
December is a time for looking forward — to the joys of Christmas and the coming new year. We need to prepare ourselves, to get ready. The lesson provides opportunities for sermons
about getting ready for Jesus in our lives. Sermons on this text can clarify the need for preparation and how it happens. The Book of Malachi itself is about repentance, and the text makes clear that in our present ways of beginning and acting, none of us can stand with confidence before God. But because we cannot get our acts together on our own, we need God in Christ to come to purify us. This work of God then purifies us and what we can offer to God. The best way to get ready for Christmas, the new year, and life is to get out of the way, to put our vanity and arrogance aside, and be drawn by God. This is the prophetic word for preparing for Christmas and for all that comes next.
Philippians 1:3-11
The Second Lesson is drawn from a letter written by Paul while a prisoner to Christians living in a province of Macedonia. There is some debate about whether the book in its present form might be a combination of three separate letters. Its immediate occasion was to thank the Philippians for their gifts. His main purpose is to urge persistence in face of oppositions, using himself as an example. The epistle in its final canonical form serves as Paul’s last will and testament, offering the church a witness on how to respond faithfully even when he is no longer present.
In this lesson, Paul opens the epistle with a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the congregation in Philippi (vv.3-4). He expresses confidence that the good work begun among the flock by God will be brought to completion when Christ returns (v.6). Paul then notes that his regard for the Philippians is appropriate, for they hold him dear and are sharers with him in God’s grace (v.7). Paul next refers to his compassion for the Philippians (v.8). He offers prayer that their love may overflow/abound with full knowledge to help them determine what is best, so that they may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ’s return (vv.9-10). He refers to a harvest of righteousness [dikaiosune] through Christ Jesus (v.11).
In the midst of all our pre-Christmas business and plans, Paul suggests a prophetic alternative. He would have us start with gratitude. There is much good among us, but it is not all the good that there will be. Even better, sermons on this lesson can focus on how we all share in God’s grace, that God’s grace leads us to love so richly that it will overflow in our lives and among those around us. Sermons on how God and the Christmas word change us are certainly in line with the Advent theme, as this word can transform us to be people who carry this message.
Luke 3:1-6
The gospel is drawn from the first installment of a two-part history of the church traditionally attributed to Luke, a physician and Gentile associate of Paul. Along with Acts, the author’s intention was to stress the universal mission of the church (Acts 1:8).
This lesson is a description of the ministry of John the Baptist and his preaching.
It is reported in all the gospels, but Luke’s version provides more details regarding the historical context and concerning the content of John’s preaching. (And unlike John’s version [1:20], in Luke he is not reported to have denied that he was the Messiah.) The account begins with an identification of the year (probably sometime between 26 and 29 AD) when John received a revelation with reference to who was ruling in the Roman Empire, the regional rulers in Palestine, and the high priest at the time (vv.1-2). Receiving the word in the wilderness (v.2), John goes to the region around the Jordan River proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin (v.3). Luke sees this as fulfillment of the words of Isaiah (40:3-5) (vv.4-6). The text speaks of a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the Lord’s way, making his paths straight. At that time all the valleys will be made low, the crooked straight, rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see salvation (referring to the inclusion of Gentiles). Moral and spiritual renewal are coming.
What social commentator Christopher Lasch wrote about America over forty years ago is still pertinent. He claimed that we had become a people addicted to self-seeking and acclaim (The Culture of Narcissism, esp. pp.116-117). Little has changed as the election of Donald Trump and his continuing political impact demonstrate. These are the dynamics which lead us to try to get the biggest cars, the latest gadget, the big house, anything to get noticed. John the Baptist is clearly a counter to these trends. Rather than seeking acclaim he went into the wilderness to proclaim a coming Christ who would also be counter-cultural. His message to those who noticed him was to get out of the way and point to Jesus. He also says that Jesus’ coming will upset our applecarts.
Sermons on this lesson will proclaim that life has to change, that self-seeking is not what God wants, is not the way to happiness. This is a prophetic word we can all share, a word of hope for all, which can make life better. Living this way, a life renouncing the things of the world, makes the good things in life look better because they are gifts of God and not things you deserve or have earned.
All the lessons are prophetic, calling the faithful to hear the prophets and to take stands against the way the world is now. Sermons on these themes are excellent preparations for the coming Christmas season.
Baruch 5:1-9
The initial option for the First Lesson is taken from a letter purported to have been sent by Baruch, the secretary of Jeremiah, from exile in Babylon, to the priests and people of Jerusalem early in the fifth century B.C. (1:1-2). More than likely, though, it was written in the period after the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple during the period of Persian domination. This lesson is part of a closing poem of consolation regarding the promise of the glorification of Jerusalem (4:5 — 5:9). Strongly influenced by Isaiah 40-66, offering a word of encouragement, it closely resembles the Songs of Solomon 11:1-7. The point of the text and the book as a whole seems to be that just as the Hebrews received promises of consolation while in captivity under Babylon, so those promises are relevant in the later era of domination by the Persians and later by the Greeks (the second temple period).
Reference is made to the garments of mourning which might be put aside in favor of the beauty of the glory of God (v.1). In its place the righteousness [tsedeq or dikaiousune] of God might be worn; it is said to be the diadem of everlasting glory (v.2), for God will show the Jerusalem‘s (and the faithful’s) splendor everywhere, calling it “righteous peace, godly glory” (vv.3-4).
It is good to be reminded at this point that most Old Testament scholars contend that the righteousness of the faithful and God’s righteousness are about relationship, having to do with God’s loyalty to his covenant in saving us or our loyalty to it. Such righteousness may have been understood late in the Old Testament era and so in the period of this apochryphal book as something God bestows on the faithful (Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol.1, pp.373,376ff.). Thus, all that is prophesied concerning the redeemed Jerusalem and her people is to be deemed a gift of God!
The city is called to rise, look to the sea to see her children gathered at God’s Word for he has remembered them (v.5). They had left by foot in captivity, but will be returned to Jerusalem by God, carried on a royal throne, for God has ordered that the mountains be made low, and the valleys filled up so that Israel might walk safely to the glory of God (vv.6-7). The woods and every tree shade Israel at God’s command for he will lead Israel with joy in light of his glory, with mercy and righteousness that come from him (vv.8-9).
Like the people of Israel when this book was written, America needs a fresh start. Foreign or hostile powers have been alienating our nation, indeed the globe, for nearly two years with the pandemic. We’ve also come under the domination of addictions. It is estimated that between 1.5% to 1:8% of Americans suffer from internet addiction (6% of the worldwide population). A 2015 study of the National Institute of Health indicated that 10% of American adults have suffered from drug addiction (4% actively addicted as of 2015). Polls also suggest that we are addicted to ourselves, as a sense of entitlement of narcissism reigns in American society, not unlike the President we elected in 2016 (Jean Twenge, Generation Me, pp.66ff.).
In our context, this text offers a word of hope, the gift of a fresh start. Of course, this new reality has precedents. In a sense, we have known all along that God operates this way, as God has offered this sort of consolation since the days of the Babylonian captivity. There is no reference to a prophet in the text, for we all have this word. We can be the ones to get this message to others. We have the promise of resurrection, of a new and better day ahead, when all our mourning and addictions will be overcome. We do not do it, but God does! Another sermon angle might be to explain the concept of righteousness in the Old Testament as a way of undergirding that what God did for Israel in the past, he will do for us.
Malachi 3:1-4
The alternative option for the First Lesson is drawn from a prophetic book about whose author we know little. The name Malachi means “my messenger.” The prophet probably lived between 500 BC and 450 BC, after the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem under Persian domination. The book is devoted to the temple and reflects a high view of the priesthood, emphasizes covenant (2:4-5,9-10,14; 3:1), but also a concern about repentance.
The lesson begins with the Lord promising to send his messenger to prepare the way before Him. Yahweh will suddenly enter his temple, it is claimed (v.1a). The messenger of the covenant is said to be coming (v.1b). None can endure the day of the Lord’s coming and stand when he appears, it is proclaimed (v.2). He comes to refine and purify the people until they present offerings to the Lord righteousness (v.3). We note again that this term does not just connote legal judgmental actions, but when applied to God, it concerns loyalty to one’s relationship to him (Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol.1, pp.373,376ff.). When that happens and they [perhaps an allusion to the temple priests] are cleansed, the offering of Judah will be pleasing the Yahweh, as it once was v.4).
December is a time for looking forward — to the joys of Christmas and the coming new year. We need to prepare ourselves, to get ready. The lesson provides opportunities for sermons
about getting ready for Jesus in our lives. Sermons on this text can clarify the need for preparation and how it happens. The Book of Malachi itself is about repentance, and the text makes clear that in our present ways of beginning and acting, none of us can stand with confidence before God. But because we cannot get our acts together on our own, we need God in Christ to come to purify us. This work of God then purifies us and what we can offer to God. The best way to get ready for Christmas, the new year, and life is to get out of the way, to put our vanity and arrogance aside, and be drawn by God. This is the prophetic word for preparing for Christmas and for all that comes next.
Philippians 1:3-11
The Second Lesson is drawn from a letter written by Paul while a prisoner to Christians living in a province of Macedonia. There is some debate about whether the book in its present form might be a combination of three separate letters. Its immediate occasion was to thank the Philippians for their gifts. His main purpose is to urge persistence in face of oppositions, using himself as an example. The epistle in its final canonical form serves as Paul’s last will and testament, offering the church a witness on how to respond faithfully even when he is no longer present.
In this lesson, Paul opens the epistle with a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the congregation in Philippi (vv.3-4). He expresses confidence that the good work begun among the flock by God will be brought to completion when Christ returns (v.6). Paul then notes that his regard for the Philippians is appropriate, for they hold him dear and are sharers with him in God’s grace (v.7). Paul next refers to his compassion for the Philippians (v.8). He offers prayer that their love may overflow/abound with full knowledge to help them determine what is best, so that they may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ’s return (vv.9-10). He refers to a harvest of righteousness [dikaiosune] through Christ Jesus (v.11).
In the midst of all our pre-Christmas business and plans, Paul suggests a prophetic alternative. He would have us start with gratitude. There is much good among us, but it is not all the good that there will be. Even better, sermons on this lesson can focus on how we all share in God’s grace, that God’s grace leads us to love so richly that it will overflow in our lives and among those around us. Sermons on how God and the Christmas word change us are certainly in line with the Advent theme, as this word can transform us to be people who carry this message.
Luke 3:1-6
The gospel is drawn from the first installment of a two-part history of the church traditionally attributed to Luke, a physician and Gentile associate of Paul. Along with Acts, the author’s intention was to stress the universal mission of the church (Acts 1:8).
This lesson is a description of the ministry of John the Baptist and his preaching.
It is reported in all the gospels, but Luke’s version provides more details regarding the historical context and concerning the content of John’s preaching. (And unlike John’s version [1:20], in Luke he is not reported to have denied that he was the Messiah.) The account begins with an identification of the year (probably sometime between 26 and 29 AD) when John received a revelation with reference to who was ruling in the Roman Empire, the regional rulers in Palestine, and the high priest at the time (vv.1-2). Receiving the word in the wilderness (v.2), John goes to the region around the Jordan River proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin (v.3). Luke sees this as fulfillment of the words of Isaiah (40:3-5) (vv.4-6). The text speaks of a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the Lord’s way, making his paths straight. At that time all the valleys will be made low, the crooked straight, rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see salvation (referring to the inclusion of Gentiles). Moral and spiritual renewal are coming.
What social commentator Christopher Lasch wrote about America over forty years ago is still pertinent. He claimed that we had become a people addicted to self-seeking and acclaim (The Culture of Narcissism, esp. pp.116-117). Little has changed as the election of Donald Trump and his continuing political impact demonstrate. These are the dynamics which lead us to try to get the biggest cars, the latest gadget, the big house, anything to get noticed. John the Baptist is clearly a counter to these trends. Rather than seeking acclaim he went into the wilderness to proclaim a coming Christ who would also be counter-cultural. His message to those who noticed him was to get out of the way and point to Jesus. He also says that Jesus’ coming will upset our applecarts.
Sermons on this lesson will proclaim that life has to change, that self-seeking is not what God wants, is not the way to happiness. This is a prophetic word we can all share, a word of hope for all, which can make life better. Living this way, a life renouncing the things of the world, makes the good things in life look better because they are gifts of God and not things you deserve or have earned.
All the lessons are prophetic, calling the faithful to hear the prophets and to take stands against the way the world is now. Sermons on these themes are excellent preparations for the coming Christmas season.
