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Good Shepherd Community of Faith |
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An American Baptist and United Church of Christ Welcoming and Affirming Congregation |
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Do Not Be Weary Malachi 4:1-2a; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Our first reading is from the prophet Malachi. We don’t hear much about Malachi. He’s one of the lesser prophets and not one we quote much. So, I’d like to begin by telling you what “The Message” has to say about the book of Malachi. It says, “Most of life is not lived in crisis—which is a good thing. Not many of us would be able to sustain a life of perpetual pain or loss or ecstasy or challenge. But crisis has this to say for it: In time of crisis everything, absolutely everything, is important and significant. Life itself is on the line. No word is casual, no action marginal. And almost always, God and our relationship with God is on the front page. “But during the humdrum times, when things are, as we tend to say, ‘normal,’ our interest in God is crowded to the margins of our lives and we become preoccupied with ourselves. ‘Religion’ during such times is trivialized into asking ‘God-questions’—calling God into question or complaining about [God], treating the worship of God as a mere hobby or diversion, managing our personal affairs (such as marriage) for our own convenience and disregarding what God has to say about them, going about our usual activities as if God were not involved in such dailiness. “The prophecy of Malachi is made to order for just such conditions. Malachi creates a crisis at a time when we are unaware of crisis. He wakes us up to the crisis of God during the times when the only thing we are concerned with is us. He keeps us on our toes, listening for God, waiting in anticipation for God, ready to respond to God, who is always coming to us. “Malachi gets in the last word of Holy Scripture [as presented in the Hebrew texts before the arrival of Jesus on the scene]. The final sentences in his message to us evoke the gigantic figures of Moses and Elijah—Moses to keep us rooted in what God has done and said in the past, Elijah to keep us alert to what God will do in the days ahead. By leaving us in the company of mighty Moses and fiery Elijah, Malachi considerably reduces the danger of our trivializing matters of God and the soul.” So, here in the last chapter of Malachi, the last chapter of the Hebrew scriptures, we find a warning as well as an offering of hope: “See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble . . . But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” In other words, do not be weary. As Paul says in 2 Thessalonians, “Brothers and Sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” Do not give up. Those who surround you with evil will perish, but you who are righteous will rise. It reminds me of the old saying, “What goes around comes around.” Have you ever felt like you make every effort to do what is right but nothing comes of it? Yet, you look around and see those who are not righteous being rewarded? I can think of one prime example that was in the news a while ago. I know lots of clergy people who work very hard to do what is right. We truly care about the people we serve and see ministry as a calling, not as a means to manipulate people or to get rich. We try to uphold God’s word as best we can, remembering that, of course, we are all fallible and will make mistakes. Then, along come people like Benny Hinn or Bishop Eddie Long or Pat Robertson and their ilk. An Associated Press article, written by Eric Gorski, once depicted the life of some of these televangelists: “Acting on tips about preachers who ride in Rolls Royces and have purportedly paid $30,000 for a conference table [and $23,000 for a commode with a marble top], the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee said . . . he’s investigating the finances of six well-known TV ministers. “Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said those under scrutiny include faith healer Benny Hinn, Georgia megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar and one of the nation’s best known female preachers, Joyce Meyer. Grasley sent letters to the half-dozen Christian media ministries . . . requesting answers . . . about their expenses, executive compensation and amenities, including use of fancy cars and private jets. In a statement, Grassley said he was acting on complaints from the public and news coverage of the organizations. “’The allegations involve governing boards that aren’t independent and allow generous salaries and housing allowances and amenities such as private jets and Rolls Royces,’ Grassley said. ‘I don’t want to conclude that there’s a problem, but I have an obligation to donors and the taxpayers to find out more. People who donated should have their money spent as intended and in adherence with the tax code . . . The investigation promises to shine new light on the kind of TV ministries that were crippled by sex and money scandals in the 1980s. Experts also say it stands out as an unusual case of the government probing the inner workings of religious organizations. Most of those under investigation preach a variation of the ‘prosperity gospel,’ the teaching that God will shower faithful followers with material riches.” Perhaps these televangelists should heed the words of Paul: “Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you . . . anyone unwilling to work should not eat.” In light of these get-rich ministries and the struggles that the average clergyperson has just to help his or her church survive, the words of Malachi and of Paul have all the more meaning. “See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble . . . But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” “Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” The same applies in other areas of life—not just in ministry. We see people making fortunes on the backs of those less fortunate, and we are tempted to try to find our own get-rich schemes. We wonder why others should prosper through unrighteous means while we struggle to make ends meet. It’s that mentality that draws people into stealing and cheating, into selling drugs and even their bodies. “But, brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” In other words, do the right thing. Follow in the path of Jesus. Do not be tempted to take the short cut. Because “what goes around comes around.” Call it Karma, if you like. But those who wrong their brothers and sisters in order to prosper will get their comeuppance, if not in this life, surely in the next. And, those who do what is right will receive their rewards. So, “brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” Amen
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