“… The Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, in whom ye 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 launderers’ soap.” Malachi 3:1-2
This delightful Saturday Evening Post illustration pictures a salesgirl in the toy department of one of our great stores. In the full picture, the date on the calendar is December 24th, and the hands on the clock point to five minutes past five. The poor girl has slumped upon a pile of toys behind the counter, dress askew, hair disheveled and arms limp at her sides. She has slipped off her shoes and her eyes have rolled back as if she were to breathe her last. She has just made it through another great American Christmas! And, many of us know just how she feels. There are moments when we glimpse that marvelous childhood Christmas again, but the mad crush catches up with us and we find ourselves asking, “How can I stand another year of it?”
There is, however, a far deeper sense to the question, “who can stand Christmas?” Quite apart from the customs that have grown up around the celebration of Christ’s birth, the question must be asked about that event itself. Who can stand before the birth of Jesus Christ? This is the question Malachi is asking in our text, posing it to warn a people who thought themselves quite ready for Christmas. But the answer to their prayers was dreadfully more than they had asked. They sought the Lord as an end to troubles; they wanted a Messianic panacea for peace and prosperity. But the coming One was the Lord indeed, and as the Lord they must meet Him.
He comes not to play favorites on their terms, serve their dreams, and establish their kingdom. He comes to bring peace through judgment, to deal not only with the sins of their enemies, but with their sins. Could they abide His coming? The One whose coming is the subject of prophecy. The Word, Who was in the beginning with God, by Whom all things were made and Who is very God, this is He who became flesh and dwelt among us. Only because He veiled His majestic glory behind the curtain of His flesh could men even look upon Him.
Even so, think how those times came when His majesty and might flashed forth in overpowering manifestations. Think of how those moneychangers fell back under the lash of His scourge as He cleansed the temple. Think of the moment of His arrest in the garden when he said, “I am He” and those who would seize Him fell to the ground. Or think of the centurion who stood beneath his cross as the earth quaked and the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled in tribute to His deity. Think of that hardened soldier crying out, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Yes, Christmas declares to us the unveiling of the invisible God. Ponder that today, beloved. And tomorrow, let us consider the implications of God, with us.
Dear God, the reality of the incarnation is overwhelming. Please help me this year to prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth with all its implications for my life and for the world. Guard my heart against the crowding out of Your Son by the urgent everyday things of the season. Protect my mind; keep my thoughts clear, as I seek You. Amen.
(from Classic Christianity: A Year of Timeless Devotions, Vol II)
Blessings to you and yours,
Cara and Patti
This delightful Saturday Evening Post illustration pictures a salesgirl in the toy department of one of our great stores. In the full picture, the date on the calendar is December 24th, and the hands on the clock point to five minutes past five. The poor girl has slumped upon a pile of toys behind the counter, dress askew, hair disheveled and arms limp at her sides. She has slipped off her shoes and her eyes have rolled back as if she were to breathe her last. She has just made it through another great American Christmas! And, many of us know just how she feels. There are moments when we glimpse that marvelous childhood Christmas again, but the mad crush catches up with us and we find ourselves asking, “How can I stand another year of it?”
There is, however, a far deeper sense to the question, “who can stand Christmas?” Quite apart from the customs that have grown up around the celebration of Christ’s birth, the question must be asked about that event itself. Who can stand before the birth of Jesus Christ? This is the question Malachi is asking in our text, posing it to warn a people who thought themselves quite ready for Christmas. But the answer to their prayers was dreadfully more than they had asked. They sought the Lord as an end to troubles; they wanted a Messianic panacea for peace and prosperity. But the coming One was the Lord indeed, and as the Lord they must meet Him.
He comes not to play favorites on their terms, serve their dreams, and establish their kingdom. He comes to bring peace through judgment, to deal not only with the sins of their enemies, but with their sins. Could they abide His coming? The One whose coming is the subject of prophecy. The Word, Who was in the beginning with God, by Whom all things were made and Who is very God, this is He who became flesh and dwelt among us. Only because He veiled His majestic glory behind the curtain of His flesh could men even look upon Him.
Even so, think how those times came when His majesty and might flashed forth in overpowering manifestations. Think of how those moneychangers fell back under the lash of His scourge as He cleansed the temple. Think of the moment of His arrest in the garden when he said, “I am He” and those who would seize Him fell to the ground. Or think of the centurion who stood beneath his cross as the earth quaked and the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled in tribute to His deity. Think of that hardened soldier crying out, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Yes, Christmas declares to us the unveiling of the invisible God. Ponder that today, beloved. And tomorrow, let us consider the implications of God, with us.
Dear God, the reality of the incarnation is overwhelming. Please help me this year to prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth with all its implications for my life and for the world. Guard my heart against the crowding out of Your Son by the urgent everyday things of the season. Protect my mind; keep my thoughts clear, as I seek You. Amen.
(from Classic Christianity: A Year of Timeless Devotions, Vol II)
Blessings to you and yours,
Cara and Patti
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