Do We Really Want This Gift?
Dr. James Mayfield
December 14, 2003
Text: Malachi 3:1-4 I remember asking for a baseball glove; but when I unwrapped the Christmas gift, it was not the kind of glove I wanted. I wanted a baseball glove but not that baseball glove. At times I have asked God to guide my life, but when I see where God is leading me, that is not where I want to go. I am reminded of a song sung in a musical review that was presented at the North American Ecumenical Assembly in 1961. Don't worry, I am not going to try to sing it. The title is "The Repair Job" I asked God in to do some repair and He's making the whole place over! My bungalow was modest with a simple one floor plan and all it's quirks and foibles satisfied this simple man. I knew the drains were leaking, the gutters rusted through, the shingles had been warping, the paint was peeling too. I knew it needed fixing, and I thought I could afford some sort of small repair job; then, God went overboard. He kept on saying what could be and how the place could look. He said He would take over, and now I'm being took. ... He's making us over; He's making us over; nothing's the same since that house wrecker came. I had a little workroom. It was cozy, dark and warm. He stabbed the shabby flooring and out the termites swarmed. The demolition crew came in and built a tower there; it isn't cozy any more; there are windows everywhere. And heights can make me dizzy, but the thing that's worst of all is that against the whole darn countryside my trophies look so small. And I was fondest of my den, as fond as of the devil. My gosh, do you suppose that's why He's building me split-level? ... He's making us over; He's making us over. It won't be the same anymore. He's dug some new foundations, and He's adding several floors. The maintenance is frightful, and He's multiplied the chores. I put the question to Him: just how soon would He be through? "Why," God said, "I never finish, once I go to work on you." He built a sort of skylight with a sunlit glassy dome. I said: "You come live here. It's not what I call home." We had an awful hazzle when he said that was his plan: to make a sort of castle from a bungalowy man. ... He's making us over; He's making us over. We can't be the same anymore. Who of us has not prayed the prayer of Advent, hoping for God to come among us to come deal with some mess in our lives or in the world? But, of course, we want to be able to tell God just what needs to be done, and just how far to go. I want God to repair what I see is broken. I want God to change those around me so that they will not only be less of a bother but will happily agree with me and energetically do what I ask. I want God to make the world safer; I want the hungry fed and the homeless housed. I want everyone to have what they need to be healthy and happy. I want God to do all this so my conscience won't bother me, and if the truth be known, I want God to do this without me having to make any real sacrifices of time or money. Like the man in that song, I want God to come do a repair job on the world and on my life. The problem is, God is not in the minor repair business. God does not just fix-up our bungalow lives. If we let God in the door of our lives, God takes over and begins an on-going project of major renovation, converting us from the way we are, to the way God sees we can be. God is not a Santa Claus, delivering the stuff on our want list. God does not come into our lives to make us comfortable and life easy. Christ came to save us from sin; to rescue us from all that distorts our living, to save us from whatever hinders us from living as God intends. God comes into our lives to transform us, so that the kind of love that shaped Jesus' life will shape the way we live. God does not come into our lives so we will never be unhappy and never cry. God comes into our lives to give us new hearts, so that what we cry about is worth crying about. God does not come like some sort of maid to fluff our pillows so we can comfortably rest our heads. God comes into our lives like some tough old trail boss, kicking us out of our bedrolls to get us moving toward the future God sees. God is not some great cruse director focused on keeping us happily entertained. God is like the general of an army that has a mission to accomplish, and that mission sometimes requires us foot soldiers to make the ultimate sacrifice. But all I really wanted, was just to have a little fresh paint and some new carpet. All I really wanted is just to be comfortable, to not have any big problems, or deep sorrows or terrible tragedies. All I wanted is for my children to be happy and healthy and successful. All I wanted is just to enjoy life. Can't God give me what I want? Isn't this the way we are? We want God to bless us, but we want God to bless us the way we want to be blessed. Our problem is we want God to give us what the world is selling, and we do not want even to think about the possibility that what the world is selling and what God offers are in conflict. But of course, in all too many ways, they are. The world around us urges one set of priorities and values; and God in Christ offers a different set. We are presented a choice, and like it or not, we have to choose -- and not just once but time and again, not only day after day but hour after hour. In the passage we read this morning, Malachi describes the coming of the Lord as being like the refiners fire, that purifies gold and silver. When God looks into you or into me it is like someone who looks into rocks and is able to see the gold that is there. God does see the gold in each of us. Each of us is a unique creation of God worth more than any amount of dollars. But for the gold in us to be worth much it has to be refined, and the crud burned away. This is why Malachi spoke of the coming of the Lord being like refiner's fire. The parts of the Gospel I like most are those that speak of forgiveness and hope, healing and strength, power and goodness. But this pleasant stuff of the Gospel does not come without bringing change, transformation, conversion. This transformation involves what Malachi compared to experiencing the refiners fire. The crud that is distorting who we are has to be melted away. Advent is the season of the year when the basic prayer is for God's grace to come alive in us and among us. Malachi reminds us that when God's love moves into our lives, it seldom comes like a foot warmer; it usually comes like refiners fire, bringing change. We sing "Come Lord Jesus Come." But when Christ came and when Christ comes, Christ does not come to do simple little repairs; he begins ongoing, major renovation. It is the renovation aimed at transforming us from the persons we are to the persons God sees we can be. Are we sure we want this Christmas gift? The Christ who comes does not come to bless the world as it is or to bless us as we are, but rather to bring salvation, conversion, transformation, and this means change, profound change from the way we are to the way God intends us to be. This is the real Christmas gift, and it is one we cannot buy in stores or make on our own. God, help us truly want this Christmas gift; so that we will be able to recognize it, embrace it and be transformed by it. Amen. Pastoral prayer: God, it is that time of year when we realize that ready or not Christmas is coming. In the hectic rush of preparing for and striving to enjoy this holiday season, it is easy for us to be like those in Bethlehem who missed what was happening in their midst. We do not want to be insensitive and unaware of your grace coming into our lives. Give us the ears of the shepherds so that in the midst of the noise around us we are able to hear the announcement. Give us the eyes of the wise men so that we can see the starlight of your grace and be guided into the presence of Christ. We confess that sometimes our being insensitive to the coming of Christ is because we know Christ has not come to bless the mess we have made but to redeem us, and this means change, profound and often scary change - but change we know we ought to make. Help us be aware of the coming of Christ and give us faith and courage to embrace the change his coming brings so we will live as he was teaching us to live when he taught us to pray: " Our Father ...." |