Advent 2

In Hebrew, Malachi means my messenger. It is the same word used in the Old Testament for angel.

The book of Malachi is a book of disputatons, a series of questions and answers. This Sunday's text does not include the questions from the end of chapter 2: "How have we wearied him [the Lord]?" (answer: by saying, "all who do evil are good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them") and "Where is the God of justice?" Yet this final question is the springboard for Malachi's message.

Malachi answers the second question, saying that the Lord is coming and how he will act when he comes. His message was one of repentance and reform. "Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts." (Malachi 3.7)

Christians interpret Malachi in a post-Christmas context. In this text, Malachi is a messenger sent to tell of a second messenger (John the Baptist) who prepares the way for the Lord (Jesus Christ). The fundamental question still remains: knowing of the Lord's (re)appearance, what are we going to do to prepare for him?