Reflections on "A Final Word" Malachi 3: 1-4

It felt like a good ending to the minor prophet series.  I actually think the sermon in the Chapel went a bit better than the one in the Sanctuary.  In both, I was freelancing quite a bit from the text that you see below.  I was trying to take what felt like a complicated concept -- the idea that the  prophets reveal the death and resurrection of Israel (See Donald Gowan,Theology of the Prophetic Books: The Death and Resurrection of Israel for more information on this topic) -- and make it accessible and pertinent to the listener.  I have enjoyed this preaching series because it has forced me to dig into the texts and study them in a way I have not done previously.

“A Final Word” FPC, Troy; 9/2/15; Minor prophet series; Malachi 3: 1-4

Introduction: Every spring where I went to college there was a big show associated with Parent's Week-end. It was sort of a talent show.

Any group – service organizations, fraternities, sororities, etc. - could participate with some type of skit. Often they were musical reviews.

Some groups performed high quality musical numbers that revealed their talents.

The fraternity I was in always participated in this show with a musical skit that parodied some aspect of the life at college, typically offering a sarcastic view of a pressing issue on campus and always taking a jab or two at the administration. Our skits did not reveal much talent. Thankfully it was before the time of cell phones that could videotape.

But, every year the skit had a big finish. Somehow, regardless of the plot of the skit, we finished with a high kick routine. 50+ guys arms draped over one each other in a pseudo-chorus line high-kicking to the music.

We always had a big finish.

Not so with the minor prophets. Malachi, the last minor prophet chronologically, and also the last book of the Old Testament, finishes with not much more than a prophetic whimper.

\Malachi, which means “my messenger, is probably a collection of anonymous prophesies that take on the name Malachi because one of the prophesies uses the phrase “my messenger,” editors chose to give those prophesies that name when they put together the minor prophets.

Malachi picks up on a few of the themes we have already discovered, but does not really hit them very hard. A reference to the destruction of Edom, a mention of the day of the Lord that is coming, but really not much else.

In fact, (Donald Gowan,Theology of the Prophetic Books: The Death and Resurrection of Israel, 177)

Almost half of Malachi's verses ask questions, rather than pronouncing some grand prophecy.

As we finish our preaching series on minor prophets, I have a couple of thoughts on Malachi.

Move 1: Malachi represents the shift that has taken place in the life of Israel.

a. Although there are no historical references to date Malachi, it is generally assumed to be a post-exilic work.

1. Pre-exilic prophets forcefully challenged the religion of Israel that had co-opted so much of the religious traditions of the pagan gods.
2. Pre-exilic prophets exposed the disparity of classes that had developed in Israel.
3. Pre-exilic prophets looked to the looming destruction of Israel and proclaimed doom and gloom and called on Israel to repent.

b. But after the exile when Malachi prophesies there is less less on outside agents and conflict with other countries and more on the role of leadership within Israel (Gowan, 177).

1. Malachi has a high view of the priesthood and its responsibilities, and the prophecies suggest that the priests were not living up to those responsibilities.

2. In Malachi we discover the transition from dependence on tradition and the inspired words of prophets to the use of written scripture as definitive for the faith and life of the Jewish community.

3.  Malachi emphasizes the need for leaders and people to commit to faithfulness.

4. Malachi writes in the muted tones of someone who is part of the post-exilic faith tradition that has returned to Jerusalem and regained its focus on temple worship and the monotheism to which God calls them.

Move 2: Importance to Israel and to us is the discovery that that they, that we, can be be changed.

a. Gowan sees the overall theme of the minor prophets as a resurrection story.

1. The title of Gowan's book reveals the point he makes -- the prophets show journey that takes place in Israel as Israel moves from the religion of its pre-exilic world to the religion of its post-exilic world.

2. He argues that there has to be a death of pre-exilic Israel's tradition to allow for the resurrection of the post-exilic faith tradition of Judaism.

4. The pre-exilic  religion of Israel was marked by synchretism, the blending of Israelite tradition with the Canaanite religions; its death is represented by the exile; the post-exilic religion of Judaism returns to a monotheistic understanding with God as the one God to be worshiped (Gowan, 188-200).

b. Death and resurrection, of course, is a theme true to the God we know.

1. In fact, we know Malachi a bit because the portion of the third chapter that we are reading Sunday morning is part of the Advent lectionary readings and gets read during Advent every third year.

2. It is hard for us to read Malachi and not associate it with Christ, the one who shows most clearly God's power to resurrect, to turn death into life.

3. Powerful witness for us.

4. When we face tragedy, we can be people of hope because we know how God resurrected Israel and transformed them into a new people.

5. When we recognize that we need to change our lives, we can be a people of hope and believe that we can be be changed.

5. did Israel cry out in the midst of their fall and destruction? Yes.

6. Did Israel ask “why?” many times over? Yes.

7. Did God, in the midst of the destruction of Israel, rescue them from exile and transform them. Yes.

100. During seminary I did a two year internship as an Intern Associate Pastor. As part of my work, I taught Jr. High Sunday School class for a year. It was a class with about 12 Jr. highs.

1. One of the kids was the typical statistic we read about in magazines, or hear about on the news.13, parents divorced in bad situation; mother a recovering alcohol; father a continuing alcoholic; reputed to join his father and step-mother as they smoked pot; history of petty thievery; sometimes brought his knife to Sunday School; reeked of smoke most Sunday mornings; in and out of counseling; known to lash out at others if they didn't do what he wanted;

2. he was also the smartest kid in the class; knew the Bible stories from SS better than any of them; he had two stepsisters who worshiped him and he them; he was a complex, contradiction, a scary person seemingly headed for jail or suicide; he was the oddball in the sea of middle-class suburban Presbyterianism in Houston.

He also happened to be there the Sunday this intern read the story about Christ washing the disciples' feet; he heard me tell the group that now we needed to find partners with whom to exchange this ritual; as could be expected, the Jr. highs weren’t sure they wanted to wash each other's feet, and it was clear none of them would be his partner. So there I was, left to be his partner.

It started out as a clash of wills. “We are going to wash each other's feet.” I told him.

“You can't make me!” he was right.

“Look, I'm not leaving here until we do this." As the others in the class giggles and hurriedly washed each other's feet, made jokes about the smell, as they probably missed the whole point of the lesson, I was in a battle of wills.

Whatever the reason, he finally gave up the stare down, tore off his shoe and very dirty sock, laughed and stuck his foot in my face.

“Okay, wash me.”

In truth, there wasn't much to it. I took his foot, washed it, and then gently dried it off. he never did wash my foot. to this day, my lasting memory of him and foot washings, is the silence and the stare he gave me as I washed his foot. The insolence was gone; something in the moment quieted
him and caused him to stare as the intern/minister to be bowed before him.

I wish I could say that in that moment this kid's live was turned around. It wasn't. I wish I could say I made such a great impression on him, he changed his ways, but he didn't.

But I have a hope, I have a hope that he has been changed, or that God is still working on him.

I remember him and carry this hope for him because I know the God of resurrection, the God who can transform our lives.

Conclusion: No high kick routine to finish the sermon series on the minor prophets.

But we will come to our Lord's Table. The Table set by Christ’s death and resurrection.

The table to which we are invited to meet the living Christ, who continues to be at work transforming our lives and our world. Amen.