Prepared for His Arrival December 9, 2018 sermon

By Pastor Greg...

A woman and her husband interrupted their vacation to go to the dentist. "I want a tooth pulled, and I don't want any painkillers because I'm in a big hurry," the woman said. "Just extract the tooth as quickly as possible, and we'll be on our way." The dentist was quite impressed. "You're certainly a courageous woman," he said. "Which tooth is it?"

The woman turned to her husband and said, "Show him your tooth, dear."

Why do we laugh at jokes like that? Well, mostly because the ending is not what we expected. And the longer we think about the story, our laughing turns to sympathy. I mean, what does this trip to the dentist tell us about their married life… you know what I mean? If we actually take the time to think about what has been said, there is far more to the story than an initial chuckle.

It’s the same with the Christmas story.

When we tell the story of Christmas, we typically think of Mary, Joseph, some shepherds, the angels, the animals, the innkeeper, the Wise Men, and, of course, the Baby Jesus. However, there is a part of the story that is often overlooked; it’s the unexpected part of Christmas that Hallmark forgot.

“Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 2“But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. 4 Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past” (Malachi 3:1-4).

The Prophet Malachi turns to those living in Jerusalem and assures them that the Messiah will arrive one day. But, before He appears, a messenger will clear the way for the promised Lord (this messenger was John the Baptist; Jesus attributed the prophecy here in Malachi to John - compare Matthew 11:10). But Malachi shares something unexpected. He says the Messiah – the Lord the people desire – will refine and cleanse, not just comfort and love. When the Lord appears, He will thoroughly purify and cleanse the people; He will work in their lives to make them holy.

Unfortunately, this is something Israel forgot; they overlooked this part, and instead were merely looking for a Messiah who would love them and care for them. They did not expect this kind of Messiah.

I think today, people overlook this as well. It’s the part of the Christmas story we tend to ignore.

God, in His mercy, sent His Son – the Messiah – to ransom us and give us everlasting life. The little Child in a Manger is a “Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel”[1] (Luke 2:32). But, as Malachi points out, the tiny Baby will also confront our sin. Through the heat of trials and the washing of our heart, the promised Messiah will prepare us for the day when He presents us to the Father. According to the Apostle Paul, Jesus came to make us holy and clean; a church without spot or wrinkle (compare Ephesians 5:26-27).

If we examine the Christmas story more closely, we will realize that the whole reason God sent Jesus in the first place is because we are sinful people. We just cannot stop making a mess of things; our lives are a hopeless wreck. In Jesus, God does for us what we could not do for ourselves. As we gaze into the wooden Manger and the tiny Child sent by God, we recognize that He has come to wash away our sin and burn away the things in our life that do not belong.

It just seems to me, this is part of the Christmas story that is overlooked.

In the Old Testament, God sent Malachi to remind the people what their Messiah would do. In the New Testament, God sent John the Baptist with a similar message. John’s message of repentance and baptism is symbolic of refining and washing. He prepared people for the work Jesus was sent to do in their lives. The Church continues to spread this same message. God sent His Son because our lives are blemished; we are people soiled by sin. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If we allow Him, Jesus will do His work in our life… preparing us for the day we stand before God the Father as people who are holy and clean. As we await an Advent of our own – Christ’s second coming – I pray that this Christmas Season we are reminded why Jesus came in the first place.



[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Lk 2:32). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.