Messiah, Bass (Or Alto?) "But Who May Abide..."

Listen (4:46)

But who may abide the day of his coming, 

and who shall stand when he appeareth? 

For he is like a refiner's fire. 

(Malachi 3: 2)

Reflection

Malachi continues with his warning of God's sudden appearance in the midst of a bored, complacent temple worship. Malachi sides with the majority opinion of prophets in this matter, which is, in short: 

"You think you want the day of the Lord. Believe me, you don't." 

The tradition of the "day of the Lord" in the post-exilic prophets, which becomes "Judgment Day" in the New Testament, foretells a time when the truth is revealed. There will be no hiding from who we are, what we have done, and how it has affected others. I'm with Malachi here: as much as we use words like "hope," and "expectation," and "anticipation" as we observe Advent, as much as we cry out, "Come Lord Jesus," I don't think we understand the full import of what we are saying. It's human nature to joyfully expect the judgment of others. But that refiner's fire is coming for us, too. We too will feel the heat, will be melted down, and it will be revealed that we are not who we said we were, or even thought we were. Refining means loss. It means that, just as some impurities are removed from silver, certain aspects of who we are--not just the stuff we're not proud of, but more than likely, some things we are proud of, or even cherish--are not going to make it into the final version of ourselves that God has in mind. 

As a dyed-in-the-wool Lutheran, I believe the passages of scripture that say it's God's grace that saves us, through our faith in Christ. But the thing I hear in Malachi is that this "saving" will probably hurt, and the "us" who are saved may be strikingly different from the "us" we picture. My natural human reaction is to fear that, not to abide that or stand for it. Only by the Holy Spirit can I say, "Come Lord Jesus," understanding what that really means. 

Prayer

Jesus, have mercy on us. By your Holy Spirit, begin the work of refining us, melting us down, and shaping us into who you want us to be. Help us not be too attached to the form we take in this life, so we can be ready for what is coming. Amen. 

Discussion Questions: 

1) If you grew up hearing about the Day of Judgment, what kind of images or feelings did it evoke for you? 

2) What are some aspects of our minds or spirits that might be difficult to lose? Are there parts of ourselves that we hope will go away? 

3) Advent prepares us, not for Christmas, but for Christ's return. How do you think Advent would be different if it were observed in a whole different time of year, without any connection to Christmas?