Malachi 3: 1-2 “See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?”

Malachi is derived from the Hebrew word for “Messenger.” The Book of Malachi, written a thousand years after the time of Abraham, is the last book of the Old Testament. Biblical scholars have determined it was written around 435 BC when the last Persian ruler had departed from Judah. Although God’s chosen people had returned to rebuild the Holy Temple, they had also fallen into spiritual lethargy, thus digressing from the true worship of the Lord.

Much like hearing “Breaking News” alerts of today, Malachi 3:1 delivers a glorious message of hope fulfilling the ancient prophecies. “The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts.” I can only imagine the great excitement, and personal anticipation that overcame the people upon receiving the news. In Malachi 3: 2 God’s messenger calls us to prepare for the time of his judgment by asking these questions: “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?”

The Book of Malachi pronounces God’s eternal and enduring love for each of us, and the imperative for us to embrace the true words of the Lord. God evokes all of us who hear these messages to personally take responsibility for our own actions to follow the Covenant, and to recover from our own spiritual lethargy.

Reading these verses resonated with me deeply, causing me to ask, “Will I endure”? “Will I stand?” This being my first reading, I wondered how it would relate to the Advent Gospel scriptures, and to my fond memories of Advents past: lighting Advent Sunday candles, listening to Handel’s Messiah, and opening beautiful Advent calendars. To my joyful surprise, the words of Malachi, “the messenger,” offered me a profoundly new and amazing Advent gift that calls me to better discern God’s everlasting Love and to seek God’s grace for my actions as I continue my faith journey.

May these words of Malachi also resonate with you.

Mark Wilterding