When the Old Testament prophets speak of the kingdom of the coming Messiah, they point to his throne established and upheld with justice and with righteousness. This week we come to the end of our advent series in the book of Malachi. The end of Malachi is the sentencing phase of a courtroom drama; it's about the final judgment of sin and the promise of restoration for those who repent. The final judgment of sin may not sound very Christmassy, but the arrival of the Christ child is the breaking of the dawn, the coming of light into the darkness. As Malachi puts it, "the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings." Feel free to read Malachi 3:13-4:6, and we will celebrate together on Sunday the joy that justice brings.

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We have already seen that Malachi confronted the complacency of God’s people and their leaders, the priests. It meets us right where we are because we, too, are waiting for the coming of Messiah, though in our case it’s for the return of Christ. In the meantime, the promises of God haven’t all come to fruition. It’s easy to feel like the things God asks us to do just aren’t “working” – at least not how we imagined things to go. Where is God in the waiting? Malachi takes us into the court room in our passage for Sunday. The final three of the six disputations in the prophet’s writings provide the Indictment against the people and the Verdict. You’ll have to wait for next Sunday to get the Sentencing.
As we encounter God’s Word this weekend, we will see the legal standard to which God holds us, the problem with performative religiosity, and the greatest plea bargain that has ever been offered.

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Last week, Pastor Bill kicked off the season of Advent with our first of four sermons in Malachi. Because Advent is an annual reminder of God’s presence in the darkness and waiting, Malachi is perfect for Advent. He is the last of the prophets that God spoke through before 400 years of silence. Nobody likes waiting! It's especially difficult to wait when you don't know how long it's going to take. At least in the check out line, you can see how many people are in front of you. Waiting without any end in sight creates a hopeless feeling of despair. Try writing that on your next Christmas card. The people in Malachi's time were tired of waiting on God, and they decided to take matters into their own hands.

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Through the end of the year we get to shift our focus to Malachi: The Sun Will Rise. The Minor Prophets (called that because they are shorter, not less important) are some of the least-read portions of the Bible for many Christians. They are perfect for Advent, though, because they address God’s people in and after the exile. Malachi, in particular, is the last of the prophets that God spoke through before 400 years of silence. In Malachi’s time the generation that rebuilt Jerusalem and rebuilt the Temple had died. The younger generations were disenchanted, disinterested, and faithless. They hadn’t rejected God outright, but they were just going through the motions in complacency.

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This is part 3 of Jesus’ instructions to the disciples. The first third of the chapter showed us what the marks of Christ’s Kingdom are that His people bring with them into the world. The second portion was filled with warnings about the dangers of following Jesus – that His followers will be attacked, betrayed, and rejected. This week we will see the Cost of Discipleship.

Jesus is a divisive figure. Though He is truly the Prince of Peace, and the Light of the World, the truth is that people like the darkness and the light can feel harsh and painful. Some of you have felt the cost of following Jesus acutely in your life, experiencing rejection from your family, friends, or coworkers. Others have not, but this passage still gives us a costly call to take up our cross as we follow Jesus. Jesus was open about the cost but also offers us a reward that is worth it all.

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Matthew 10 gives us the initial commission that Jesus gave to the 12 disciples. In the first third of the chapter we saw the Signs of the Kingdom as the proclamation, teaching, and ministry of Jesus was given to, and extended through, His disciples. As we continue with Matthew 10:16-31 this Sunday, we will see the Dangers of Discipleship. It remains critically important to discern between what is descriptive of this commission to the 12 and what is prescriptive for us. These first followers of Jesus all faced real peril and persecution, and each would suffer and go to his death proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God in Christ. Though we might not face the same specific dangers, there is much for us to learn in the call Jesus gives to all who follow Him when faced with attack, betrayal, and rejection. Whatever we face, there is good reason for great hope.

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Over the next three weeks we will see the initial call of the 12 disciples, who would later become the Apostles who led the early church. Matthew 10 is the initial base of instruction to the 12. It’s a kind of manual for Christian discipleship. Throughout the chapter we will work to sort out what is descriptive for the 12 disciples at that moment in history versus what is prescriptive for us as disciples and followers of Jesus in DC in 2025.

This Sunday we will see that “Signs of the Kingdom”; what it looks like when the true Kingdom of Heaven comes to bear on this earth. At every time and in every place it is critical that we are able to recognize false expressions and false representations of Christ. In our current moment, there are all kinds of claims to the Kingdom and how it intersects with life, politics, justice, and power. How do we know the real deal? Matthew 10 will help clarify our foggy vision.

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This Sunday we get to hear from Pastor Andrew Elder, who planted Village Church South Belfast. Redemption Hill has been invested in church planting in Belfast since 2012. There are now two churches in the capital of Northern Ireland that we have as brothers and sisters across the sea. Pastor Andrew has been to RHC in the past, and I’m always glad to have him back with us. He plans to preach from Colossians 4:2-6 on living A Life That Prioritises the Gospel.

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