Sermon on Malachi 4:1-2a; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
By Revd Gordon Thomas
MAKING CHOICES
Malachi 4:1-2a
1 See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. [NRSV]
1 See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. [NRSV]
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 6 Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, 8 and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. 9 This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. 11 For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13 Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. [NRSV]
2 Thessalonians 3:6-
Luke 21:5-19
Luke 21:5-19 5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down." 7 They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" 8 And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is near!' Do not go after them. 9 "When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." 10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. 12 "But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15 for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls. [NRSV]
Luke 21:5-
PREPARING TO BE PREPARED
These are odd Sundays we're in now. In a fortnight Advent starts and we think about celebrating Christmas and also how we can be ready to meet Jesus when he comes again. Advent is about being prepared and now we prepare to be prepared! The readings aren't easy either. They can be badly used to draw some pretty spooky conclusions and even frighten people. So let's be careful today as we see what's in there. And let's start with perhaps the most straightforward: the end of St Paul's 2nd letter to the church in Thessalonica written perhaps just 20 years after Jesus's death and resurrection.
FOCUS ON GOD (1)
This is a very practical passage, easy to understand isn't it? Don't be idle; don't be lazy. Other translations help us understand what was wrong in this early church: don't waste time; don't be disorderly; don't step out of line are some I've found. Paul, like Jesus, is clear that a sign of the church is that its members live in love and support for one another, encouraging one another; building each other up, living as the family of God. So a church where people are doing their own thing, not pulling their weight, is a contradiction in terms.
Quite why this had happened in Thessalonica isn't clear. Perhaps the church family believed that Jesus's return was imminent and some of them can't be bothered about this sort of stuff. But Paul knows the church must focus on God in Jesus, who tells his followers to love one another so that the world may believe, not getting sidetracked, never tiring of doing what is right.
FOCUS ON GOD (2)
Malachi's equally short book, the last book of the Old Testament, written around 500 years before Paul's letter, about 100 years after Jerusalem had been captured by Babylon and the Temple, the great symbol of God's presence, destroyed, has in a sense the same theme, in a far bleaker context: focus on God. The Temple is rebuilt, but Malachi condemns the faithlessness of the people, especially their leaders, the priests, towards God and each other. He rebukes them for denying God's justice, blaming Him for the evil they have brought upon themselves. The priests are obsessed with ritual not right teaching. They are not focussed on God.
Malachi paints a picture though of a few Jews who are faithful, of a time when it will be clear who serves God and who doesn't; when there will be no doubt about His justice: the arrogant and evildoers will be condemned, and for the faithful: those who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.
WHO IS THIS?
Some read Malachi's prophecy as looking forward to the end times when Jesus returns, and there is something in the language which resonates with final judgement. But Christians of course see the prophecy fulfilled in Jesus himself. Three hundred years ago Charles Wesley was no doubt thinking of Malachi's prophecy as he wrote the words we sang in our first hymn: Christ whose glory fills the sky, Christ the true, the only light; Sun of righteousness arise, triumph over shades of night. And at Christmas we'll sing: Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace, hail the Sun of righteousness; light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings.
In the birth of Jesus, God's judgement over the arrogant and the evil which Malachi looks for is shown in its fullness in Jesus's life and death. But it is God's mercy that triumphs. John the Baptist's father sees the coming birth of Jesus as brought about by the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come out of heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the path of peace. Jesus comes to bring life, not take it away; to change and soften hearts. In Jesus, God's mercy and His justice are at work perfectly. The prophecy is fulfilled but perhaps in a way that Malachi could never have imagined.
THE TEMPLE
And nor could Malachi have ever have imagined that Jesus would say what he says about the Temple. At the time of our gospel reading it was magnificent. It had been continually beautified since its rebuilding 500 years before, and Herod the Great was carrying out the latest and grandest work which finished in AD 63 seven years before it was finally destroyed! Apart from all that, the Temple was where God's presence with His people over the centuries was symbolised. We can't quite understand just how important the Temple was (and is) to the Jewish people. So Jesus's prediction that it would come crashing down was deeply traumatic to devout Jews, even the disciples. And yet if they'd been listening to Jesus they must have been prepared. He had given a taste of what was to come when he turned the moneylenders out of the Temple. It was under his judgement, no longer the place where the people found God. It was now a barrier to them doing so; it was corrupt; it proclaimed that religion and its trappings were the way to God. Jesus said he was the way. There was no other. As the later New Testament writers were to put it: Jesus with his people the church is the Temple with Jesus the chief cornerstone. He is where we encounter God, not a building however beautiful. Which makes it tragic that some Christians actually support plans to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem today. Jesus the perfect heavenly temple has made the imperfect, temporary temple, not reformed, but redundant. As he dies on the cross the temple curtain which serves to separate humanity from God is torn in two from top to bottom. On the cross, Jesus reconciles us to God. No temple; no sacrifices are needed ever again.
THEN AND NOW
And Jesus's warnings and promises in the passage come true: early Christians are persecuted, arrested and martyred; they are given words and wisdom to speak the truth. We read elsewhere that Romans fight each other in AD69 following Nero's suicide; the temple is finally destroyed in AD70 and Mount Vesuvius erupts in AD79. It must have given believers food for thought!
And today we know that many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted for their faith (see the cards that Gill has left out); they need our prayers, support and our action. But we also know that their real sustenance is in these words of Jesus, that he will give them words and wisdom to stand firm against their oppressors.
END
Jesus, the Sun of righteousness; Jesus the fulfilling of the old prophecies; Jesus our meeting place with God; Jesus the provider of words and wisdom; Jesus the creator of new relationships in his church. Let no-one put fear in your heart through these readings: they tell us of Jesus the bringer of light from heaven to shine in darkness around us; to transform us and those we encounter with his good news.
AMEN
These are odd Sundays we're in now. In a fortnight Advent starts and we think about celebrating Christmas and also how we can be ready to meet Jesus when he comes again. Advent is about being prepared and now we prepare to be prepared! The readings aren't easy either. They can be badly used to draw some pretty spooky conclusions and even frighten people. So let's be careful today as we see what's in there. And let's start with perhaps the most straightforward: the end of St Paul's 2nd letter to the church in Thessalonica written perhaps just 20 years after Jesus's death and resurrection.
FOCUS ON GOD (1)
This is a very practical passage, easy to understand isn't it? Don't be idle; don't be lazy. Other translations help us understand what was wrong in this early church: don't waste time; don't be disorderly; don't step out of line are some I've found. Paul, like Jesus, is clear that a sign of the church is that its members live in love and support for one another, encouraging one another; building each other up, living as the family of God. So a church where people are doing their own thing, not pulling their weight, is a contradiction in terms.
Quite why this had happened in Thessalonica isn't clear. Perhaps the church family believed that Jesus's return was imminent and some of them can't be bothered about this sort of stuff. But Paul knows the church must focus on God in Jesus, who tells his followers to love one another so that the world may believe, not getting sidetracked, never tiring of doing what is right.
FOCUS ON GOD (2)
Malachi's equally short book, the last book of the Old Testament, written around 500 years before Paul's letter, about 100 years after Jerusalem had been captured by Babylon and the Temple, the great symbol of God's presence, destroyed, has in a sense the same theme, in a far bleaker context: focus on God. The Temple is rebuilt, but Malachi condemns the faithlessness of the people, especially their leaders, the priests, towards God and each other. He rebukes them for denying God's justice, blaming Him for the evil they have brought upon themselves. The priests are obsessed with ritual not right teaching. They are not focussed on God.
Malachi paints a picture though of a few Jews who are faithful, of a time when it will be clear who serves God and who doesn't; when there will be no doubt about His justice: the arrogant and evildoers will be condemned, and for the faithful: those who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.
WHO IS THIS?
Some read Malachi's prophecy as looking forward to the end times when Jesus returns, and there is something in the language which resonates with final judgement. But Christians of course see the prophecy fulfilled in Jesus himself. Three hundred years ago Charles Wesley was no doubt thinking of Malachi's prophecy as he wrote the words we sang in our first hymn: Christ whose glory fills the sky, Christ the true, the only light; Sun of righteousness arise, triumph over shades of night. And at Christmas we'll sing: Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace, hail the Sun of righteousness; light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings.
In the birth of Jesus, God's judgement over the arrogant and the evil which Malachi looks for is shown in its fullness in Jesus's life and death. But it is God's mercy that triumphs. John the Baptist's father sees the coming birth of Jesus as brought about by the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come out of heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the path of peace. Jesus comes to bring life, not take it away; to change and soften hearts. In Jesus, God's mercy and His justice are at work perfectly. The prophecy is fulfilled but perhaps in a way that Malachi could never have imagined.
THE TEMPLE
And nor could Malachi have ever have imagined that Jesus would say what he says about the Temple. At the time of our gospel reading it was magnificent. It had been continually beautified since its rebuilding 500 years before, and Herod the Great was carrying out the latest and grandest work which finished in AD 63 seven years before it was finally destroyed! Apart from all that, the Temple was where God's presence with His people over the centuries was symbolised. We can't quite understand just how important the Temple was (and is) to the Jewish people. So Jesus's prediction that it would come crashing down was deeply traumatic to devout Jews, even the disciples. And yet if they'd been listening to Jesus they must have been prepared. He had given a taste of what was to come when he turned the moneylenders out of the Temple. It was under his judgement, no longer the place where the people found God. It was now a barrier to them doing so; it was corrupt; it proclaimed that religion and its trappings were the way to God. Jesus said he was the way. There was no other. As the later New Testament writers were to put it: Jesus with his people the church is the Temple with Jesus the chief cornerstone. He is where we encounter God, not a building however beautiful. Which makes it tragic that some Christians actually support plans to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem today. Jesus the perfect heavenly temple has made the imperfect, temporary temple, not reformed, but redundant. As he dies on the cross the temple curtain which serves to separate humanity from God is torn in two from top to bottom. On the cross, Jesus reconciles us to God. No temple; no sacrifices are needed ever again.
THEN AND NOW
And Jesus's warnings and promises in the passage come true: early Christians are persecuted, arrested and martyred; they are given words and wisdom to speak the truth. We read elsewhere that Romans fight each other in AD69 following Nero's suicide; the temple is finally destroyed in AD70 and Mount Vesuvius erupts in AD79. It must have given believers food for thought!
And today we know that many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted for their faith (see the cards that Gill has left out); they need our prayers, support and our action. But we also know that their real sustenance is in these words of Jesus, that he will give them words and wisdom to stand firm against their oppressors.
END
Jesus, the Sun of righteousness; Jesus the fulfilling of the old prophecies; Jesus our meeting place with God; Jesus the provider of words and wisdom; Jesus the creator of new relationships in his church. Let no-
AMEN
Rev Gordon Thomas © 2007