December 12, 2024
The Messenger - Part 4
Malachi 4:4-5
12/12/2024
4 Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes
and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all
Israel.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before
the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
(ESV)
The last chapter of Malachi certainly brings to mind the
final judgment, which is part of the Advent theme, but it also
speaks of the first coming of Jesus. Malachi, the messenger of
God, wrote:
Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and
rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
In the Lutheran tradition, the last Sunday of the Epiphany
Season commemorates the Transfiguration of Jesus. There on an
unnamed mountain, Peter, James, and John looked upon the glory of
Christ. Standing with Jesus were Moses and Elijah, the one
through whom God gave the Law, and the one considered the
foremost prophet. Malachi calls upon us to listen to both Moses
and Elijah for both speak the Word of God for our salvation.
Jesus identified John the Baptist as coming in the power of
Elijah as he proclaimed, ``Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is
at hand.'' The prophetic word of Elijah, the prophetic word of
John, the prophetic word of the Church bring the same message.
Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful.
The great and awesome day of the LORD comes with Christ
Jesus. There, on the cross outside the city gates of Jerusalem,
there in the unnatural darkness where even the sun refused to
bring light on the death of Jesus, our Lord died to bring you
life everlasting. Yet death could not hold the sinless Christ,
showing that we also, being declared sinless for His sake, will
also rise again. May our Lord grant that we hear Moses and
Elijah that we may have life in Jesus Christ. Amen.