Fourth Sunday of Advent

Micah 5:2-5a

2 * But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

are only a small village among all the people of Judah.

Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you,

one whose origins are from the distant past.

 3  The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies

until the woman in labor gives birth.

Then at last his fellow countrymen

will return from exile to their own land.

 4  And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

Then his people will live there undisturbed,

for he will be highly honored around the world.

 5  And he will be the source of peace.

"I'll be Home for Christmas" is a popular song at Christmas because of the common desire to be with those we love during the holiday season. Many are fortunate to have a home to return to; many are not. Many will travel and find that home; many will stay put not having anywhere else to go.


No one understood the desire for home more than the Israelites in exile. Generations of God's people were born and raised in a land that was not their own, growing up hearing stories about the land God had given them, and the days when they had their own king ruling justly over them, instead of a foreign oppressor imposing his will.


It is this desire that the prophet speaks into; he speaks of life, freedom, and peace. But the source of this peace will come in an unexpected way, a child. He will be born in Bethlehem, a town so insignificant that it fails to appear in all the rest of the Old Testament. And there is no mention of this ruler vanquishing the enemies, but of leading the flock with the Lord's strength, and in the majesty of the Lord's name. This ruler will be different. This ruler will truly lead as God himself leads, and the people shall finally be "home".


Advent Action: Are you already home for Christmas? Look around your community and find those who have no one returning home to them for Christmas, and extend your family to include them. Invite them over for Christmas dinner, spend time with them on Christmas Eve, or take a group of friends caroling to their home.

Second Sunday of Advent

Malachi 3:1-4

"I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

Christmas is usually considered a time of joy and celebration, and in many ways it is. But the words of the prophet remind us that Jesus' coming is not without heartache, too. The Lord is being sought by the people, who are looking for the age-old covenant to be fulfilled (see Gen 12:-13; 2 Sam 7:12-14); they are longing to be the people God promised they would be, dwelling in the land God promised them, and living in God's presence.

"But who can endure the day of his coming?"

Christ comes to keep the covenant, but like any promise, our side must be kept, too. God does not desire blind obedience, but heartfelt, life-changing devotion. To be refined like gold and silver means allowing all the old, corrosive elements of our hearts to be painfully removed in order to shine in the light of God's love. Will we heed the words of the messenger, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (Luke 3:8)? Will our lives reflect the life-changing devotion God desires from us?

May this Advent season challenge us to prepare our own hearts to receive God's promises by shedding the dross from our hearts, and filling them with God's love.

This post originally appears on theorchardadvent.blogspot.com

Tis the pre-Season

One of my favorite seasons of the year is Advent (the other is Lent), and now that November has arrived I have started some pre-season reading in the book of Malachi.

I've never intentionally read Malachi, but it seems like a logical choice to read before Advent. Malachi is the final word before the start of the New Testament. Through Malachi, the Lord continues to confront the people of Israel with how they have strayed from the righteous way. These confrontations anticipate the ministry of both John the Baptist and Jesus as they will one day preach, "Repent for the kingdom of God is near!"

If you're looking for something to read over the next three weeks, give Malachi a glance. How do these words confront us in preparation for Jesus?