“A Changeless God” Malachi 2:4-7

S-1523 2SIA/3C 12/06/15Hymns: (O)#344; (S)#878; (C) #354,

Texts: Psalm 66:1-12; Malachi 3:1-7; Philippians 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-14

Theme: “A Changeless God” Malachi 2:4-7

Question: “Have you noticed any changes?” (12^th Sermon at Trinity).  

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text is the O.T. reading: “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.  From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’”  (Malachi 2:4-7)

INTRODUCTION: In Nomine Iesu 

Beautiful and beloved God’s Advent people, the Office Hymn we just sang Abide With Me has these words:  “Change and decay in all around I see”. It doesn’t take an overactive imagination to see all of the changes that have taken place in our lifetime.  There is no doubt that our world is changing at a pace that seems to get quicker each any every day.  

Some change is good. With the advancements in technology it is nothing short of amazing what humanity can do. The Smartphone I carry in my pocket has hundreds of times more computing power than the first IBM desktop we owned. With this tiny tool, I can speak and see people all over the world in an instant…and you can get hold of me fast.

In the medical field procedures that once required drastic incisions and invasiveness, are now done with incisions less than a couple of inches long. Heart bypass surgeries are being performed on hearts that don’t have to be stopped! Farming has certainly changed. Today, we have 36, 48 and 54 row planters. They can get a lot done with fewer resources than ever before.

But as we know all too well, not all change is for the better. Sometimes the changes introduced are actually examples of the decay that we sang about in the hymn. Even with all of the computing power and communication ability of the internet, one of its leading items of commerce is pornography. This rampant electronic evil is a sign of decay. The radical redefinition of marriage and the family by a minority and give in to, by a public that is afraid to be called intolerant is a sign of decay.

Things that were once considered shameful, are now accepted and regarded as commonplace, and in some perverse way even celebrated. People hopping from one congregation to another all because they don’t like something the pastor once said when he was preaching the clear Word of God in its truth and purity is another sign of this decay. Signs of decay are all around us daily.

These changes cause us to question what is happening to our world. We feel out of place here in this changing world. So much has changed. Some for the better, most for the worst. If it were up to us, as we listen to the Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah last Sunday and Malachi today, this process of change and decay might just lead us to want to throw up our hands and toss in the towel. PAUSE.

Don’t be too quick to do that. It is important that we hear the Word of God that comes from the lips of Malachi; God’s Messenger. For I the Lord do not change. These words are indeed very comforting to you and me. In a world that is so filled with change, almost on a daily basis so that uncertainty breeds fear and unbelief, to know that the Lord does not change is an incredible piece of good news! The Lord is not like us. He is not fickle. He does not change His plans in midstream. There is no greater news for you and for me this Advent or any day for that matter except to hear of the changeless God in a changing world.

But what makes this proclamation of the un-changeability of the Lord even sweeter for you and me today is to know to whom these words were spoken. Last Sunday we heard the Prophet Jeremiah prophesy a restoration of Judah and Jerusalem even before the Babylonians had conquered them. This was such a message of Good News in the face of God’s wrath.

But that is where the changeless message of God given to Malachi is different and far more damaging. You see, Malachi is carrying the Lord’s message to those who had returned from Exile. They lived with the pain and grief of not having Jerusalem and the Temple. If anyone should have held fast to the statues and practices of the Lord, you would think that it would be these people of Judah.

But that was not the case at all. Things had changed with the people of Judah. Many abominable practices had not only crept in, they were being celebrated. In Judah in that day you could have sung the same words of Abide with Me. Change and decay was all around them. God’s people had changed from faithful to faithless. We see a laundry list of the promised judgment in our text. “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.”

God’s messenger was going to come and pronounce judgment on those who had embraced change and decay.  As God’s elect in the Church, we too should know better than the people of Judah did so many centuries ago. God is very explicit in His Word as to what it means to follow Him. It means regular times in God’s House, at His table and in His Word. It means eagerly going up to the house of the Lord, not just settling on some attendance once in a while. It means to freely forgive others as we in Christ have been forgiven. It means embracing the radical generosity of the Lord toward us in Jesus Christ at the Cross as it manifests itself in acts of radical generosity toward those around us. PAUSE.

Sadly, we too, are adversely affected by change and decay. The sinful flesh works in league with the devil and the world and that change and decay rots away at us. We hear of the change and decay in the world in regard to marriage and we see the statistics aren’t any better within the Church. We hear the Word of God presented in its truth and purity and it offends because it actually calls sin, what it is—SIN. The scandal of the cross, that Jesus had to die for me, strikes out at us who think we aren’t really that bad off, shakes our psyche and self–worth. This Change and decay isn’t just a minor issue among us in the Church, it is rampant!

Yet to you and me and all Judah, God’s Word of Promise remains secure. For I the Lord do not change. But this is no cheap grace.  Therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.  From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. The sweet Gospel of this message is found in the fact that our unchanging God is in the business of changing you! This change is what we call repentance. The Lord Jesus through His Word highlights the decay in us. When we see this sinful decay in the full light of God’s Word, there comes the cry of faith. Faith cries out to our unchanging God. He doesn’t change His mind with us. If you and I were dealing with the change and decay in all others around us, our patience and mercy would have a limit. But not so with the Lord. This is our changeless God in a changing world.  His grace and His mercy are indeed limitless. There is no change or decay in you that will cause the Lord to give up on you!

While this gracious Lord will not give up on you, He will also not give in to you. Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. This means that you and I can’t be okay or tolerant of the sin within us. It is this sin which authors the change and decay that separates us from God. To leave us here would be to leave us in judgment and death. And this would not do for God! This changeless God in a changing world calls us back to Him!

This Holy Spirit inspired call to repentance turns sinners like you and me away from the empty life of the fathers, toward the fully blessed life of OUR Father in Heaven through the Eternal Son—the Babe of Bethlehem. When His Word falls on you and fills your ears, it both kills you and makes you alive. It kills you as you are buried through baptism into Christ and it makes you alive in the sweet Gospel of a resurrected Christ. In this act you are changed by the Changeless Christ!

Just as John the Baptizer cleared the way for the Gospel that is Jesus, words like these from the prophet Malachi also call us to change. While this change is not our choice, it is essential. Without the change that is the call to faith in Word and Sacrament, we would be lost in decay and death. But it is the Changeless Christ who works this work in us. He did it when you were washed in Holy Baptism. He does it every day when the Lord calls you by the Holy Spirit to Return to Him. When we are so turned and returned, we know what Godly change is.

Judah never recovered from their fall. Their going through the motions of worship and sacrifice left them that way when Jesus actually arrived on the scene to save the world. You and I cannot get so entrapped with the change and decay that we, too, only go through the motions of worship and service. Today the Changeless God calls you to change again and again. And in this change you and I find life. Life now and life forever in our Changeless Lord Jesus! AMEN.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

“Turning Hearts” (Malachi 4:5-6)

S-1392 26SAP/C 11/17/2013 Hymns: (O) #5; (S) #323; (C) #52

Texts: Malachi 4:1-6; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-28

Theme: “Turning Hearts” (Malachi 4:5-6)

Question: “What causes your heart to turn?” Armour, SD

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text for our meditation is from the O.T. lesson: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction” (Malachi 4:5-6).

INTRODUCTION: In Nomine Iesu.

Most beloved of the Lord, it is easy to turn heads. The fleeting glimpse of beauty or ugliness can turn heads. A magnificent mountain or a mangled accident can turn heads. A stunning woman or a hideous injury can turn heads. But a heart is not turned so easily. Heads are distractible. Hearts not so much. That is because the heart is central to who we are. Your heart just keeps beating away. To be distracted from this task is to die. This is the way it is for the body. It is the way for faith. That which is your heart is central to who you are. This is great if we are talking about the heart of faith. But what if your heart is set on false things? It is also difficult to take your heart from that. That is what Jesus has come to do. Incarnation and crucifixion, Jesus comes to invade your heart. He doesn’t come to cajole your heart. He seizes it. He turns it from death to life. He takes possession of it. He buys it not with gold or silver but with His holy precious blood and innocent suffering and death. Your heart is now His. You are not your own. You belong to him. Your heart has been turned. This is not something you can do. It is an act of grace not decision.

Therefore, as the precious children of the resurrection be prepared for the working of the Holy Spirit upon your hearts today. Today, there will be a surgical procedure on your hearts and mine that will turn us again to the Great Divine Physician of mercy, grace, and love—Jesus the Christ. Today in this place you will hear the mind-boggling work of God on your heart and mine that causes you to know with certainty and confidence that our hearts belong to Him not only for a while but forever. PAUSE.

In God’s inspired and inerrant Word, God uses the term “heart(s)” at least 867 times. Much of His Word is instruction about the care and keeping of our hearts pure from sin and filth. So what does it take to turn our hearts back to Him? How does His Word affect this heart of ours to believe the pure and simple teaching of truth found in Scripture? How do we not let the devil rob us of the joy that fills our hearts because of what Christ has accomplished on Calvary’s cross, so that we may not experience the Dreadful Day of Judgment?

Certainly it is not easy to turn the heart back to God. For that matter, it is impossible for us to do so, on our own; but there are certain things that cause our hearts to skip a beat, or churn with anxiety.

Case in point, when you are in love and you see the person you love, it causes your heart to dance and be filled with joy. But at other times, the heart is aching, broken and filled with sorrow as you see the one you love is laying in a casket ready to be lowered into the darkness of the grave. When the doctor says to you, “Its malignant, we need to operate!” Or when a pastor receives a call to serve another congregation his heart turns and becomes unsettled and so does the congregation.

But the turning of the heart is the work of God. As we come in contact with the Word, that Word does its work of cleaning every evil, impurity, falsehood and inequity from us and fill it with the knowledge of the truth—that our redemption has taken place, our reconciliation has been completed and our rejoicing has begun.

That is precisely what Malachi teaches the people of Israel and us through these words: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” The Lord is sending Elijah so that he may teach us the truth that sets our hearts free. Free to worship, serve, honor, love Him and be with Him.

Elijah did come. He pointed others to the coming of the Kingdom that they should repent and believe in Jesus Christ. He came with such a voice that it rang in the wilderness, in the cities and even in the king’s palace calling all to follow the Heaven-Sent Messenger—who would die for them and rise again to give them eternal life and turn their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh.

It is impossible to avoid the power of God’s Word when you come in contact with it. That Word changes you forever and makes you a follower of Jesus. The Word of God we are told is: “…living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12), and Isaiah says, “…[the Word] shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (55:10-11). The Word of God was sent to turn the hearts of men and women to be hearts that believe in the Savior Jesus for salvation and forgiveness of sins. PAUSE.

That turning of heart was worked out in the life of any enemy of the cross who upon coming in contact with the Word his life was changed forever. This is his story.

In 1980 as a young Muslim man I had a very dear friend, who happened to be my brother. We did everything together. My brother was killed by Christian militia. I vowed revenge for his life. In the day time I went to college and at night I would roam the streets to kill the “enemies of Islam” as I called them. I led a double life: assassin at night and student in the daytime.

As a student at the American University, I had to take a course in cultural studies, for which I had to read selections from the Bible. I knew the Quran well, but the Bible I never held in my hands or even looked at. I read the Sermon on the Mount at the climax of my hate and thirsts for vengeance. Christ’s exhortation: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:45) struck me with a full force. I felt that I had heard the voice of God in stereo. I knew what an enemy is, and sought to kill my enemies. But, in this strange, new and life-giving Word he felt that Jesus’ exhortation was superhuman and cannot emanate from an ordinary human being, but from a divine source. Though many of my religious leaders taught that the Bible was distorted by Rabbis and bishops, Christ’s words “Love God from all your heart, and love your neighbor” sounded authentically divine. Even through the loss of my brother, I thought: “There is another way, a way of forgiveness.” And there was! PAUSE.

Jesus the Divine Surgeon touched his heart and turned it around so that he became a follower of the Crucified One. He came to America, studied in one of our Seminaries and today, thanks to Jesus who talked to him in Beirut, Lebanon he is a Pastor of Kanisat Al Salam = The church of peace (Chicago, IL); and he speaks often to other Arabs and Muslims so that they may meet the same Savior who turned his heart from hatred to love, from death to life and from darkness to light. You have heard me speak of him many times. He is Pastor Hicham Chehab a dear friend and a brother in Christ.

By the grace of God, we, too, have been touched by that Word. In our Baptism as the splash of water was connected to the Word of promise our hearts were made alive and turned from death to life, and from darkness to light. And our hearts continue to be turned as we come in contact with the living Word offered on the Altar in Body and Blood—in, with and under the bread and wine. Here in this place, today Christ continues to turn your hearts to know Him, serve Him and follow Him forever.

Oh, the joy that fills our hearts to know that they have been turned simply by the Divine Physician, Jesus Christ. To Him Alone Be ALL the Glory now and always, amen.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

“Return to Sender” (Malachi 3:7)

S-1348-2SIA/C 12/09/2012 Hymns: #72; #506; L.S. #5; #63; 59; #70

Texts: Malachi 3:1-7; Philippians 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-14

Theme: “Return to Sender” (Malachi 3:7)

Question: “Have you gotten a returned mail?” Armour, SD

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text for our Second Sunday in Advent is from the O.T. Lesson: “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:7)

INTRODUCTION:

O precious priests of God, this is the time of the year when people at the post office dread going to work and need to survive because of the volume of mail. Christmas is around the corner and people are sending their cards and gifts to family and friends. I know that this isn’t as much of a tradition now as it once was. In years past, people actually included hand written notes in every Christmas card. But we no longer live in the past. With busy schedules and rising costs, times have changed. In recent years families have started to send the Christmas form letter.

Because of FB, Tweets and instant messengers serving as the daily Christmas letter, the number of cards and letters are declining! This time of the year being extremely busy and with the expense of sending cards out, many are choosing a different method to send their messages. This is so because it is such a challenge to keep current addresses.

Perhaps you have gotten a Christmas card or a letter stamped with the phrase “Retur to Sender. The King of Rock—Elvis Presley even had a song by this title. Listen, please to the lyric of Elvis’ song; “I gave a letter to the postman, he put it in his sack. Bright in early next morning, he brought my letter back.” She wrote upon it: “Return to sender, address unknown. No such number, no such zone.” We had a quarrel, a lover’s spat I write I’m sorry but my letter keeps coming back. So then I dropped it in the mailbox and sent it special D. Bright in early next morning it came right back to me. She wrote upon it: “Return to sender, address unknown. No such number, no such zone.” This time I’m gonna take it myself and put it right in her hand. And if it comes back the very next day then I'll understand the writing on it: “Return to sender, address unknown. No such person, no such zone.” So why do letters and cards come back? The reasons are these: Shortage of postage, insufficient address, unable to forward, no such street, and no such number. PAUSE.

As we gather in the Lord’s house on this Second week in Advent, we are confronted with this message of sent and sender. In the text, we hear about a message that will be sent from our heavenly Father. But this is not some Christmas letter that is decorated with bows and hallo. The message that is sent is not about God’s time in heaven. It isn’t a recap of the year’s escapades. No, this message is much more pointed. In fact, it is more like a bill for a debt than a greeting card. “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 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 sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver” (Malachi 3:1-3).

The Prophet speaks of a messenger who will come to preach repentance. This message is not very pleasant. In fact it smacks the hearer right in the face. The Prophets cried out for repentance. They scolded and chastised. Through the centuries the message kept coming. In fact, it kept coming all the way until the time of The Messenger, John the Baptizer. And the message was the same. Here is how John relates it in our Gospel reading: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” You don’t print a message like this on a pretty card. No, this message is brutal and direct. It is none other than the work of God’s Law calling us to repentance before it is too late!

But in the world we live in we don’t wish nor care to hear such a message. We want to stamp it with “Return to Sender.” It is a message that doesn’t make us feel good. This time of the year we want a message about a baby and gifts, not about sin and death. We don’t want to be called vipers and sinners! If we are told that what we are doing is against the Word of God, we howl. We won’t receive a message that living together without marriage is sin. We won’t receive a message that leaving your spouse is a sin. We will not accept a message that making worship an occasional thing rather than a priority is a sin. With each proclamation and a hundred more like it you can almost hear the smack of the “return to sender” stamp!

But this is the MESSAGE. It is a message that while not pleasant is meant for a critically important purpose. It is meant to purify. For as this message of Law and condemnation burns us in our sinfulness, it burns off those impurities that would keep us out of the Lord’s presence. Those sins which entangle? They are burned away. The guilt which holds our souls captive? It is seared away so it no longer has a hold on us. In this process of refining and cleansing with all the heat and the scrubbing and scouring we are made holy by His precious blood.

But this Messenger makes it clear that we are more than just holy as a condition. We are called to live in this holiness. Malachi speaks of holiness this way: “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. The cleansed are the sons of Levi. The cleansed are the priests who offer the sacrifices of praise that are acceptable in the sight of our Lord. We, you and I, are those priests. The Apostle Peter proclaims “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”Those of us who by the working of the Holy Spirit receive the Messenger and Return to our Sender, the Lord Himself, become priests who share the excellent message of salvation that only comes from Him!

But this message can be confusing when we seek to live it out. Because we hear so many other messages out there telling us “God’s Word is not important. Do what makes you feel good. Don’t worry about others. Just live and let live.” But this is not what God has called us as His priests to live. No, we are called to live holy lives that reflect His light and salvation. In short, our living out of the Message is living in such a way that our life of repentance shows. This living doesn’t save. That is what Jesus is for. That is what the cross is all about. For through the cross, we see the full meaning of the term “Return to Sender.”

Why you may ask? Because, from the cradle to the cross, we see the perfect life of the Heaven-Sent Savior and Messenger; who came from God and brought us the message of forgiveness and peace. Unlike the postman who delivers your mail, God sent His ONLY Begotten Son, Jesus and gave Him the message of calling us back to His loving Father. And just like the postman returns the letter to its original sender, Christ our Savior because of what He accomplished brings us back to the original Sender—our loving and gracious Father and Creator.

During the Advent Season and Christmas we see the Messenger made flesh. He comes to be our High Priest living our life for us. Doing what is impossible for us to do, offering us to God as Holy in His sight because we have been purchased to be sent to our original Sender. For this reason, we are privileged to live in the marvelous light of that cross. It is that light that pushes back the darkness whereby we see the tremendous God we have!

This God is none other than the One the Messenger points to. Again Malachi tells us “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” The Sender we are called to return to is a gracious and forgiving Lord. He bids us return. And what do we return to find? Here we find a Lord who greets us with a word of Forgiveness, life and salvation. And on that Day we will find a Lord who greets us with the welcoming arms of a Father who sent us away, but is glad that we are home.

So today, at His gracious invitation we Return to Sender. But there is nothing wrong. The address is correct. The postage has been paid in full. We are just returning to where we belong. To be with the Lord! For now and forever! AMEN.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

“I Send My Messenger” (Malachi 3:1)

S-1151 12/06/09 2SIA/3C (O) #63; (S) #66; LSB; (C) #60

Texts: Malachi 3:1-7; Philippians 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-14

Theme: “I Send My Messenger” (Malachi 3:1)

Question: “Would you say you are messenger?”

SOLI DEO GLORIA, Armour, SD

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! The text for our Second Sunday in Advent is from the O.T. Lesson: “Behold, I send My Messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the Messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1).

Introduction: In Nomine IESU

Saints in Christ, there are many messengers that we know of. There is the messenger that is the news anchor on the radio or TV who delivers the news (mostly bad!) of the day. I am sure that you have listened to the bad news lately—Afghanistan, Tiger Wood’s problem and others. There is Instant Messenger that you may have on your computer or cell phone that allows INSTANT contact with someone a world away. But during this Advent season we turn our attention to ancient messengers. These ancient messengers would do heroic things to bring the message that they were called upon to deliver.
No greater example of this exists in antiquity than the messenger Pheidippides,( FUH-dip-I-dees). According to legend, during a time of war between the people of Ancient Athens and the Persians, the battle was not going well for the Athenians. The commanders send Pheidippides, from Athens to Sparta to ask for help. He ran the entire 150 mile ONE WAY trip. When he arrived in Sparta, the Spartans were not willing to send troops to help. So he RAN all the way back to Athens to deliver the depressing news. Then after getting to the site of the battle the next day Pheidippides, was again sent to deliver a message. This time the message was not bad news. He carried the message of victory over the Persians back over the 26.2 mile distance between Marathon and Athens. But the messenger service came at a price. All of the miles covered in such a short time cost Pheidippides, his life. According to lore, he delivered the message of victory as a last act before he collapsed and died.

Ever since Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens people all over the world have been trying to repeat what was done so long ago. We know it today as a Marathon. Today, we have a messenger sent by God not to run a Marathon, but to convey the Message of God to His people.

Listen to the way the Holy Spirit moved Malachi to write these words: “Behold, I send My Messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the Messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1).

The reading from Malachi says that God will send His messenger to prepare the way of the Lord’s coming. The name “Malachi” means “My messenger.” Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. He was the last prophetic voice until John the Baptist, a period of four hundred years. His ministry took place following the return of the captives from exile in Babylon. He came pointing to another messenger John the Baptist.

John came as the forerunner who will prepare the Way of the Lord. The Baptizer came to call sinners to repentance. The Baptizer came to tell people to prepare for the coming of Christ. They needed to know they are in need of a Savior who will take away their sins and make them saints.

In these Words of Malachi the Lord of heaven and earth stated. “Behold, I send My Messenger…” This messenger is not John the Baptizer, not even Malachi himself; even though they are messengers of God. He was pointing to the True messenger—the heaven-sent Messenger Jesus the babe of Bethlehem.

Notice what Malachi calls Him: “The Messenger of the Covenant.” He is reminding the people of God of His covenant and promise in the Garden of Eden. There God promised our fallen parents that He would send His Son as the seed of the woman to crush Satan’s head; to take away their sins and cover them with His righteousness.

Down through the centuries, God’s people raised expectant eyes to the heavens waiting for the Savior to come. Now four hundred years before Bethlehem, Malachi says with great joy, “The Messenger of the Covenant” the Promised Savior will come. And the way he says it as if He has already come.

400 years prior to Bethlehem’s visit, the words were announced that He is coming. The Eternal God would come down to earth He had created to work among the creatures He had made and who in sin had turned away from Him. That’s the miracle in the manger. That’s the real reason for my joy. Others look at the poor baby wrapped in rags and miss the meaning of Christmas. They see only a man and actually see nothing. How sad for them.

If Jesus were only a human being, I would have reason to celebrate and rejoice. Then I could just as well forget about Christmas or change the name of the season for whatever makes me feel good. However, the One who has come, is the Messenger of the Covenant—Jesus the babe of Bethlehem.

And why did He come? He came for me a sinner. He took on flesh and blood for me. He lived for me a perfect life. He died my death and He rose for me so that I can be assured that I will rise from the grave some day.

The Messenger of the Covenant has come. And what a strange Messenger He is. It led Him from the throne of splendor into the poorest crib imaginable, a manger full of straw. It surrounded Him with our skin and saddled Him with our sins. It brought Him into our lives and hearts.

Behold, “I Send My Messenger!” God spoke the prophet Malachi. Sadly the messenger has been replaced with another. We know him as Santa Claus. But do you know how Santa Claus even came to be? Today, the Church remembers the man known as St. Nicolas. (My wife would enjoy this as she is of Dutch Origin). St. Nicolas in the Dutch language is Sente Klaus. And from the Dutch to the English we have Santa Claus. But Santa Claus is not the Messenger. Even thought many people think he is the reason for Christmas.

Malachi told us of the Messenger who is to come and has come. What about the 21^st Messengers? Is it you? Are you willing to be the bearer of God’s Good News to the world? I pray that you are. For God uses all types of messengers. Just as Pheidippides brought the news of victory over the Persians, we, God’s beloved people His messengers of today, take the message of the victory that the Messenger of the Covenant has won for us; to the world—a world who still don’t know this Messenger—Jesus Christ.

God grant us the strength and stamina to be faithful messengers sharing with them the Grace and peace of the Lord, Jesus—the Babe of Bethlehem. Amen.

Now the peace…