Wednesday of Populus Zion

“Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare my way before me” (Mal 3:1). These words contain a wonderful gift and promise of God. We know that Advent is supposed to be a time of preparation and repentance. When a king came to visit a small town, the people would spend weeks preparing for his arrival. The streets would be swept clean, the unsightly garbage hauled away. The houses would be repainted, and the people would dress in their finest clothes. But how should we prepare to meet Christ? How can a heart be made clean when sweeping only uncovers another layer of filth? How can the refuse be hauled away when the depth of our corruption is bottomless? How can we dress in fine clothes when our best efforts are as filthy rags?

Christians have been taught by the Gospel that we are prepared to meet Christ, not when we have succeeded in cleaning up our lives, but when we receive him with repentant and faith-filled hearts. Certainly, you aren’t counting on your good works and holy living to help you stand before the righteous Judge when he appears. You know, rightfully so, that God regards repentance and faith as righteousness. This is a great comfort to every troubled conscience. But it also presents a new problem: How can you sure that your heart is sufficiently repentant? Advent is the season of repentant preparation, and many of us mark this time with increased piety. Perhaps you’ve been taking time for Advent devotions in the home – increased prayer or Bible reading. If you have, I commend you. These are excellent disciplines, especially in Advent or Lent. But how can you know that you have been repentant enough? When can you be sure that your heart is filled with enough faith? When are properly prepared for the coming of Christ?

Some Christians teach, “Jesus did all the work for your salvation. Now all you need to do is choose to believe in him. Jesus’ job was to die on the cross. Your job is to repent and believe.” When taught this way, repentance and faith become a new kind of good work for righteousness, and it’s up to you to get the job done. But if that’s true, if repentance and faith are your contribution to salvation, then you’ve got no chance – you and I both.

In our Old Testament text we hear the truth of the gospel, which once again, is better news that we could imagine. “Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare my way before me” (Mal 3:1). It is certain that our hearts must be prepared for Christ. And it is also certain that you and I cannot by our own reason or strength prepare ourselves for him. You can’t be repentant enough. You can’t summon up enough faith. God must send his messenger. He must prepare our hearts. Repentance doesn’t come from within you. Repentance is the gift of God. Faith isn’t a work produced by your own heart. Faith is the work of God. Apart from these gifts, who could endure the day of our Lord’s coming? Who could stand before him? In order that we might stand before God, he sends his messenger to prepare the way.

The messenger of God doesn’t make up his own words. He speaks only the Word of God, which is both the Law and the Gospel. The Law destroys every hope in our own efforts, in our righteous living, even in our own feeble repentance and shaky faith. After every one of our support structures has been dismantled, then we are truly prepared for Christ who comes to us with all his mercy and grace. May the Holy Spirit continue his good and gracious work among us, bestowing repentance and faith as he prepares our hearts for the coming of our Lord. Amen.