Malachi 3:16-18

Malachi 3:16-18 

English Standard Version 

  The Lord pays attention, 

  There was a time I would've heard that as a threat.  I would've thought that the Lord, like Santa, was making a list and checking it twice, and those who were naughty were kept off the list.  Only the good boys and girls could end up on the Lord's list.

  But then I listened to the Gospel.

  And I heard it again.

  And again.

  And again.

  I'm a slow learner at times.

  But the Gospel tells us that Christ was good, and because Christ lived a perfect life, all those who believe end up in the book of remembrance, in the book of life.  It's not our goodness that gets us into the book -- it's Jesus'.  

  So then I started to worry if I believe in the right ways.  It all comes back to anxiety over performance -- it's the same worry as before, just dressed in different clothes.  It's the devil, whispering into the depths of my hearts that I'm not good enough, that I'll never be good enough.  But God roars with a mighty thunder, declaring to all the world that we are God's anointed, marked in the waters of baptism as Christ's own forever, and the devil shall not have us.

  We are God's treasured possessions, and we know this because we have seen the full price God was willing to pay to claim us as God's own.  God's own Son -- that price was not too high so that God could be with you forever.  

  The Lord pays attention.  The Lord saw your suffering, and the Lord saved you.

Malachi 3:6-12

Malachi 3:6-12

 English Standard Version 

  In the state of Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk.  For all of you heading south for summer vacation, if you visit Alabama, you cannot wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.  In Alaska, you cannot wake a sleeping bear to take a photo.  

  I think there is a tendency exists to think of the tithe in a similar fashion.  We think of it as an old-fashioned law that belonged to a different time and place.  When Jesus died to fulfill the Law, we think of the tithe as an old requirement that doesn't belong to modernity.  I've seen statistics that put giving around 2.5% of income for Christians.

  But whenever Jesus talked about Old Testament requirements, he never lowered the standard for how we should obey them.  He fulfilled the parts of the Law that focused on ceremony, but when it came to giving to God, that aspect remains.  

  In Malachi, the prophet accuses the people of robbing God by not bringing the whole tithe into the storehouse.  The prophet invites the people to test God, and tells them that God is ready to throw open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings.  I love that image.

  I don't think tithing is formulaic, where God does something once we do something else.  God's not at our beck and call to fulfill our desires if we put the right coin in the vending machine.  

  But I also believe that we're invited to give generously, to give richly, to give of our firstfruits to God, and when we truly give of ourselves to God, when we live with God's Kingdom first in our hearts and minds, then we experience blessings.

  We're invited to test God, to see what might happen.  May we have the wisdom to put God first and do just that!

Malachi 3:1-4

Malachi 3:1-4 

English Standard Version 

  I've seen a few reports about the Queen's jubilee in England.  Lots of ceremonial celebrations.  I always imagine what it would be like if someone showed up before the dirtiest person in England and said they were to be presented before the Queen.  So much effort would go into cleaning up that person, making them presentable.  It's no small feat, but that's what must be done so they can be presented, due to the gulf existing between the height of royalty and someone covered in filth.  

  I've been thinking a lot lately about the presence of God.  We long for it, and yet at the core, it's so different than we are.  We are sinful and broken, and God is purity and perfection.  Emotionally, we bounce all over the place, and often find ourselves in conflict, and yet God is pure love, consistent faithfulness.  We are unworthy of God's love, and such efforts must be made to make us worthy.  When we talk about a refiner's fire, we're talking about putting precious metals in the hottest part of the fire to burn out impurities.  The precious metals look great when they're out of the fire, and we all love to see glass when it's blown artistically, but none of us would joyfully welcome being placed into the midst of a blazing furnace or a refiner's fire -- the heat would be so intense, we fear getting destroyed.

  And so what a gift it is that Jesus Christ willingly steps into the depths of the furnace, into the central core of the refiner's fire, and bears all the heat, so that we don't have to.  How amazing is that -- we could have been consumed, but Christ endures that so that we don't have to.  Christ makes us worthy by accepting the heat of the flames, and we receive the reward he deserves, and it's given as a gift.....

  How incredible is that???  We are converted from the depths of unworthiness to the heights of heaven, made worthy to sit before God in all of God's perfection....

  It's simply amazing...

Malachi 3:1-3

Malachi 3:1-3
English Standard Version (ESV)

  It's easy to sit back and judge, to remove yourself from the immediate situation and only tell others what you think of the situation or outcome.  It seems like much of social media exists as an ever-accelerating whirlpool that exists to judge others, with the crowds often serving as the judge and swiftly executing jury.  (As an aside, is anyone else considered that society's first impulse seems to be to capture something on video rather than step into the fray and assist?)
  One of the things that's fascinating to me about God is that God is not content to sit outside of the situation and only judge.  Refining is hard work, laborious work -- and yet God partakes, joining in with the effort.  Refining involves heating the subject up until the impurities are burned out -- and so the refiner must be close enough to the fire to judge when that occurs.  In the same way, God enters into our world to save us, and in the process, we see the pain and suffering that Jesus undergoes as a result, because God loves us too much to remain outside.

Malachi 3:6-12

Malachi 3:6-12
English Standard Version (ESV)

  We love the thought of revenge, of getting even.  The internet seems to be a happy place when someone gets what is coming, and when they do not, there is a loud outcry for justice.  It seems to be human nature for us to want to see punishment.
  Here, God accuses the people of robbing him by not bringing their full tithe to him.  I doubt this passage is read very often on stewardship Sundays, but the Bible is consistent about calling us to give a tithe to the church.
  What I love about this passage is that God isn't using this as an opportunity to rebuke or punish the people.  Instead, God is teaching them about God's character.  The flaw is pointed out, and then to answer the question about why they should follow the Law, the reward is pointed to.  God isn't motivating us through threat of punishment -- rather it's through encouragement.  God is pointing to the abundant life that comes when we choose to live according to his commands.  God isn't eager to punish, he is eager to bless.  This is what is so frustrating to me about people who try and threaten others to come to church -- we should want to come to church because we want to experience the wonder of God's grace and love, the kind of God who invites people to follow him by pointing to the blessings that come with discipleship.