Rev. George Miller
Aug 7, 2022
Malachi 3:1-12
In preparation for this month’s Women’s Equality Day worship, Millie
loaned me a book called Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts.
It felt like learning about American history for the 1st time.
I had no idea how hard things were for our American ancestors, what it
was like leading up to and during the Revolutionary War.
No idea that women worked from sun up to sundown no matter if you were a slave
or slave owner, if you were a peasant or the elite; that women were expected to
have a child every 2 years.
No idea just how severe taxation was or the lengths women went to
figuratively give a finger to the British.
No idea that teenage girls were left at home to run entire households, or
Martha Washington traveled beside her husband in a constant line of fire.
Nor do I recall learning about the constant threat of rape, communicable diseases,
and smallpox, or the amounts of homeless women and children who traveled with
the soldiers.
Founding Mothers has become a
harrowing read, making me wonder-
How? How did these women do this?
Why? Why don’t we know more?
Would anyone today do the things that were done 300 years ago in the name
of freedom?
Was there ever a time in which things were easy and danger free? We hear people talk about the “good old days”
but did the “good old days” actually ever really exist?
In the 80’s we had AIDS. 70’s Vietnam. 60’s protests, assassinations, and segregation. 50’s was the Cold War, polio, and kids hiding
under desks.
The 40’s saw an attempt to entirely annihilate gypsys, Jews and gays. Not to mention Jim Crow, lynchings, prohibition,
internment camps.
Exactly when were the Good Old Days?
How long did those Days actually last?
Who actually benefitted from them?
Because as Founding Mothers make clear, the pursuit for freedom and justice is non-stop, persistent,
made of much bravery and bold people.
There is another question- where?
Where was God during all of this?
Amid all these world events, where has God been? When atomic bombs fell, people from Africa
forced into chains, and women set fire to family farms so the enemy could not
take it?
Where was God? It’s a question as
old as time, one that permeates today’s reading.
Malachi takes place about 75 years after Haggai had the Temple rebuilt.
The Exile’s been over for 200 years.
Judah is up and running again as a legitimate country. They have their Kings, their Commandments, Laws,
and Sabbath rituals back in place. But…
Things just don’t feel right; they don’t feel the same. The people of Judah are felling abandoned by
God; unloved.
Judah’s priests have resumed corrupt ways, acting like they’re doing
nothing wrong. They and the people aren’t
offering God their best. They give God
less than God has asked, the leftovers and trash they do not want.
This makes God feel weary; tired of holding onto God’s end of the covenant
when the Temple leaders don’t even try to do their part.
The same people who are cruel to their spouses, who do unjust things, who
engage in acts of violence come to the altar with crocodile tears because they
think God is failing them.
The nation is polluted with people refusing to pay their employees a fair
wage, who oppress children, who ignore the immigrants. (see Chapter 3)
The nation of Judah takes God to trial.
The people who long for the “good old days” and want to “make Judah
great again” try to put all the blame on God, saying “Where were you?” “Where are you?” “Why don’t you love us?”
God responds “Ever since I’ve known you, you always did what you
wanted. Return to me, and you will see
that I am right there.”
“Return to me,” God says, “And things really will be great. Return to me and let me love you as you as I have
always wanted to love.”
This intrigues the people; they ask “How shall we return.” The answer God gives is much different than
what God says in Micah.
God’s answer to them is spoken in a language they understand- capitalism.
God says “Stop holding back your offering. Give to me what you know you should. Stop giving me only your 3rd, or 4th
best.”
To a nation that has spent so much time trying to do things their way,
for their own benefit, God gives them a challenge- “Give what you know should
be given. And…” says God-
“Watch how I will give back to you, how I will open the treasures of
Heaven and rain down upon you blessing upon blessing.”
Weeks ago, Carole shared research stating that the best form of medicine
and long life is doing acts of kindness.
The Venerable Rev. David Astor taught us that the Buddhists believe that
generosity is the 1st step to everything.
Malachi, which is the closing book of the Old Testament, has God saying, “bring
to me your full offering and see how happy you will be.”
The people of 5th Century Judah can’t figure out where the
Good Old Days have gone, so God’s response is “The Good Old Days are yet to be.”
The people wonder where God is, and God says, “I’ve been here the whole
time, waiting for you.”
They wonder why God doesn’t love them; God says, “I have always loved
you, even when your actions show that you take that love for granted.”
The God of Malachi is a God who is present, who hears, who loves, and a
God who wants to love in return.
The God in Malachi is one who endures the harshest of words and accusations,
takes note, God listens.
God tells them that there will be healing in their wings, they shall leap
like horses freed from their stalls.
God says “If you want to live in the Good Old Days, the choices are yours.”
“The Good Old Days are not what you thought was in the past- they are the
days that await for you in the future.”
The message of Malachi is a challenge, and it is a promise.
The message of Malachi is deeply meaningful while oh so simple.
The message of Malachi is a measure of what we are willing to do if we
wish to experience true happiness.
The message of Malachi is that God has not forsaken us, nor deserted us.
God is right here, ready to bless us yet again.
For that, we can say “Amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment