This second Sunday of Advent we looked at John the Baptist. Pastor Phil Kniss pointed out that John the Baptist was a very odd Character. But Pastor Phil said that if the odd characteristics of John are stripped away, the message is one to which we can say, "Amen!" The Israelites were becoming fragmented, impacted by the politics and culture in which they lived. Not so different from our situation today. And John the Baptist borrowed his message from earlier prophets like Isaiah and Malachi. In Malachi 3:1-4 the prophet uses the images of a cleansing fire and a cleansing soap to illustrate what God is wanting to do. Malachi, like John the Baptist, was bringing good news to people stuck in a wilderness, saying that God was at work refining and calling people back to God. God continues that work today. In what ways are we being called to repent and think again about how we live as God's people?
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