24. Saturday after Third Sunday in Advent.
Lord, purify our hearts
by thy word and by faith. Amen.
Malachi 3, 1-6. Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
❦
The messenger of the covenant, whose coming was expected by Israel in the Old Testament, is the Lord Jesus Christ; he establishes a covenant between God and us. This is a covenant in holiness and righteousness, a covenant which unites a holy God and a holy people of God. But, alas, like the Jews, we, also, are reluctant to hear this, and many close their ears entirely to this truth. They are willing to be saved by Christ, but not to be cleansed from sin; they are willing to reign with the Lord, but not to suffer with him; not to crucify the flesh and forego the pleasures of sin. They wish to avoid the pain of repentance and sanctification. But the Lord comes to make us holy; he saves from sin and purifies unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. He refines them as silver and purges them as gold. If you are a true Israelite, you shall not escape the fire of Christ’s sufferings. Jesus is himself a refining fire, and our purification is from him. His life in abasement was unbroken suffering, for throughout his whole life here below he bare our sins and was the sacrificed lamb under the wrath of God. In obedience to the will of the Father he was always victorious, but the fire in the sacrifice of the altar was never quenched until he was able to cry: “It is finished!” This propitiatory suffering is ended, but the fire of purification burns; the sufferings of Christ continue in his body, which is the church (Colossians 1, 24), until the last Christian is perfected in holiness. This refining fire consists especially of internal tribulations of many kinds: Fear and dread of death; sad and heavy thoughts; the darts and buffetings of the devil; bitter pain by reason of the evil lusts of the flesh; cares and sorrows; remorse and sadness on account of old and new sins, a remorse in which “hope despairs and despair hopes;” — and the only support of the soul is the Spirit which makes “intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Dear Christian friend, do not allow yourself to be led astray by the circumstances, that you may, perchance, never have felt this very strongly. God adjusts the burden according to the ability of each to carry it. Continue to walk in the light and confess the Lord, and in his own good time he will purge you in the furnace of suffering.
The metaphor concerning the purification of gold and silver in fire is appropriately supplemented by the other figure: “He is like fullers’ soap.” Out of the heart issues the life; a clean heart means clean hands. The offering of pure hearts and hands is pleasant unto the Lord.
God grant that the messenger who goes before with his call to repentance may prepare the way for him to many hearts. Blessed are they which enter into the covenant of the people of sorrow with the Man of sorrows; for they shall also partake of the joy of holiness with the perfectly purged congregation, if they remain faithful unto the end.
Lord Jesus, thou knowest that our flesh shrinks from suffering. Teach us to know the blessedness of bearing thy cross. We feel that there is yet so much of uncleanness in us; cleanse us, faithful Savior; refine us, and purify us, and mold us to be like thee. Amen.*
My hope, my all, my Savior thou!
To thee, O Lord, my soul I bow;
I seek the bliss thy wounds impart,
I long to find thee in my heart.
Be thou my strength, be thou my way,
Protect me through my life’s short day;
In all my acts let Wisdom guide,
And keep me, Savior, near thy side.
[suggested tune: Tallis’ Canon, TLH 558a; listen here]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.