First Sunday in Advent

“Bah, Humbug!”

“Bah humbug!” With these immortal words, Ebenezer Scrooge—that embodiment of stinginess—dismisses the Christmas ideals of restorative justice and charity. But in nighttime apparitions Scrooge must face squarely the rotten fruit of his miserliness. Through Scrooge’s character in A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens tells the tale of a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner” whom readers love to hate. 

 But what if Scrooge is really us? Maybe we don't refuse to give heat to the Bob Cratchits in our lives nor contribute to the demise of crutch-toting Tiny Tims. But do we overspend on stuff for ourselves while tossing only our leftovers in the offering plate? When stopped at intersections, do we study our dashboards and pray for the light to hurry up and change as our unsheltered neighbors shiver outside the car window? Are we content, as Shane Claiborne says, “to worship a homeless man on Sunday but ignore the homeless person on Monday”? Do we keep the good news about grace to ourselves, happy to enjoy its benefits while unwilling to risk opening our mouths because we fear what others think more than we revere God?

 Malachi helps God’s people see that his standards for charity and justice far exceed those exemplified by his people after their rescue from a strange land. And through penetrating use of rhetorical questions, the Lord exposes the rationalizations of His people, particularly the stinginess of the nation’s spiritual leaders, the priests. 

Sadly, little has changed. We who say we follow Christ still need the reminder to stop squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, and clutching. And the reminder even comes with a promise that if we devote ourselves to the Lord—to doing justice and mercy in His name—we too have the hope brought by the sun of righteousness, which already arose with healing in its wings. 

Today notice signs in the biblical text that indicate God's people have let their relationship with the Almighty deteriorate.

 During the Advent season, Christians celebrate the two comings of Christ. His first coming we remember with gratitude that he would live among us and give his life for us. His second coming we anticipate, looking to that day when he will welcome his followers to live with him in his kingdom forever. With that second coming also comes justice, when God makes everything right. 

The Book of Malachi is full of warnings from a loving God who wants to draw his followers closer, to protect them from straying further and being on the wrong side of his judgment. As you take warning and comfort from Malachi this Advent season, take the same from the ancient words of the Nicene Creed, a rallying point of hope for Christians throughout centuries: 

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

And his kingdom will have no end.            —Steve Smith

Prayer for first Sunday in Advent:

O God, by whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth your blessing on us, and help us to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and to receive from your abundant grace. We pray this in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.  

If you are making an Advent wreath part of your worship, at this point the youngest person lights one purple candle.  

Photo credit: Jude Beck on Unsplash