CA2PottyTheologyMalachi
Scripture: Malachi 3: 1-4
Title: Potty Theology
Theme: This scripture informs us what God through Jesus is willing to do to accomplish the work of purification and salvation in us. The messenger has come and is coming! Are we allowing him to work in us?
Come in with a shepherd’s outfit (bathrobe with towel on head) on, pretending to look at the manger adoringly. Then rip off the head piece and grab up the toilet brush and bleach.
(Idea for introduction taken from sermon by Daniel Habben on SermonCentral.com)
When you think of Christmas and the Messiah, what images are in your mind? A stable with animals, or shepherds – like the ones that we just sang about. Maybe you also think of angels as they proclaim “Peace on earth and good will to all!” as the baby lays in the manger. But would you ever think about Jesus in housecleaning attire getting ready to clean the toilets? (At this point get the toilet cleaning supplies).
Well if you had asked the prophet Malachi what images he thought about when he pictured the Messiah that’s just how he might have described him. God had told Malachi that the Messiah would come as one who purifies and cleans with fuller’s soap.
Let me explain. The prophet Malachi lived about 400 years before Christ was born. One hundred years had passed since the Hebrews had returned from their exile in Babylon and it was as if God was starting over with his chosen people. Those who had refused to worship God were gone now and this new group was going to be the ones who ushered in the new era of the Messiah.
Things started out well. The Hebrews came home and dedicated themselves to rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord. But this enthusiasm did not last long. They began to get greedy and spend more time building themselves big homes than to focus on the temple. They began to intermarry with pagan cultures after God told them not to. They began to cheat, lie, and steal. And not just the people, but the priests were guilty of this too!
Now, one would think that God would just throw in the towel with this bunch of people. After all, their track record for faithfulness to the Lord was not so good. They complained and turned their backs on God whenever things were going badly. They thought that if they could just do things their own way that everything would be better. When things were going good, they patted themselves on the back instead of recognizing God’s power and grace in their lives.
Aren’t we often like the Israelites? We complain when things don’t go our way! We too, turn our backs on God, believing in our own power instead of the power of God in our lives. And when things are going good, we too often pat ourselves on the back, giving ourselves credit instead of God.
So, why has God not given up on us? Because he loves us so very much! Instead of telling the prophet Malachi that the people would be punished for their unfaithfulness, God told him that he would send “the messenger of the covenant” who would purify the temple and its priests in preparation for the full advent of God the judge. Once the temple had been cleansed and God’s house prepared for him, then God would come to set right the injustices of the world. God would come to restore the hearts of humankind.
Malachi told the people that the Messenger would come as a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap.
Refiner’s fire: Silver doesn’t come out of the ground all shiny and clean. In fact, it is only 1% silver, 99% other stuff. In order to remove the impurities and get to the silver, it has to be crushed, sifted, and heated in the fire. Then when the impurities are all gone, the silver begins to shine – enough so that a reflection can be seen in it. God is refining us – removing all the impurities so that His reflection can be seen in each of us.
Indeed, the Messiah has come to refine us, to purify our hearts so that his holiness and glory can be reflected through our lives, but the next analogy is equally as important.
Fuller’s soap: The fuller was the one who was responsible for cleansing and dying garments. Before cotton, wool, linen or animal skins could be dyed, they had to be cleansed from the oily and gummy substances naturally found on the raw fiber. Many different substances were used during the ancient times for cleansing the materials. They didn’t just have a bottle of Gain around. In fact, being a fuller was quite a nasty business. The fuller’s workplace was usually located far from the downtown business section of the city. Why? Because of the smell.
The ancients did not know soap as we know it today. They would often use ashes from alkali desert plants mixed with oil to make a substance that would clean the cloth. They would also use white clay to get the fabrics white. The smells of the strong alkali and the wet clay surely turned people away, but it’s the other substance that I’m sure was offensive to most. They used urine to bleach cloth also. Yes, you heard me. Urine.
The materials would be soaked in water and then sprinkled with whatever worked best for that material to get it white. Then it would be beaten and washed again by small boys treading on it in a running stream. The process was repeated until the material was clean. Let’s hope that the town’s drinking water wasn’t downstream from the fuller’s shop!
Just as the refiner’s fire removes the impurities of the fine metals until a reflection can be seen, the fuller’s soap removed the dirt and grime from the material until it was white as it could be.
Both processes however are not instantaneous. God has to work in our lives – over time. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we begin a journey. God takes us just like we are – full of impurities, full of dirt and grime, but the good news is that he won’t leave us that way!
Maybe you are feeling the refiner’s fire in your life right now. Or maybe you feel like your life is in the toilet. Malachi was sent to tell God’s people that no matter how bad things seem in the present, God is coming soon to make all things right again.
Jesus is ready to be your fuller or be your silversmith – working in your life to make you pure and white, cleansed from sin. And when Jesus’ work of purifying our hearts from sin is complete, he continues to purify our faith and our trust in God. I don’t believe that God sends bad things to happen to us – bad things just happen. But in the tough times, in the rough spots, in the dirt and even in the toilet, Jesus is there with us, teaching us, guiding us, caring for us as we begin to depend on God more and more.
God is with us. Emmanuel. He’s ready to get rid of all of the dirt, grime, and impurities in your life. Will you let him clean you? Will you let him shine in you? No matter how bad things seem in this present world, Jesus is coming again to set things right. That’s the message this Advent season.
Let us pray.
