The Sun of Righteousness: Malachi 3:13-4:3
By Natalie Davey
I believe that a good metaphor stands the test of time - it retains the power to communicate wisdom and truth beyond its originating context. Pastor Alan prefaced his sermon today by contextualizing Malachi's word to Israel as the last prophetic voice to speak to them for 400 years. His metaphor for God's work in our world - "the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings" - is as powerful today as it was then...speaking a much needed word of hope into our journey of "long perseverance in the same direction" (Peterson).
We need that hope to sustain our faith because ours is a world of silos where we are encouraged to store parts of ourselves that are only accessed for specific purposes. How easy it is to live like Toffler's "Modular Man" who speaks only of God as an idea or a concept - we make Him a commodity (asking for what we need when we need it) or murmuring under our breath "Why bother?" But this head space of nominalism runs counter to a fully integrated life of faith with the Good Father who sees all of our disparate parts and loves us completely as whole people.
Malachi's reference to the book of names is a powerful image that would have taken the Israelites back to their first stories of faith (in Deuteronomy 6,7 and 8). It is an image that points to how we are remembered; like the song says, "He knows my name!" That same image takes us forward today, setting the scene for our future with God: as the sun rises and sets and rises again, we are called to an energetic faith journey (one that is mysterious and therefore a challenge to our too-easily adopted utilitarian worldview). The great wisdom gleaned from Malachi's metaphor is that in Christ, who is both the sun and the son, our end is so much more. It is infinite meaning, joy and life!
Listen to this sermon here!
2 Comments
Natalie, thank you so much for stirring up my faith, hope and confidence in this great God that we serve. Thank you as well Pastor Alan for sharing such a powerful and life-changing invitation for people of faith to examine their lives and come back to their "first love" or to stay of the faithful path. Creating a book of remembrance or journal is a powerful tool to reinforce the specific ways that God's faithfulness continues to be with us.
Great words Natalie reminding us of the importance of the metaphor 'the sun rising with healing in its wings' -- a picture of Gid's loving compassion that brings healing, comfort and hope to a broken and tired people.