Monday 15 December 2025
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (v. 1)
Background
I love learning about old things, new things and different techniques. I like visiting museums and stately homes, seeing both the artwork and the below stairs activity. There are washboards, laundry soap, goffering irons and the like which meant that laundry was hard work – very hard work indeed!
When I was in training as an occupational therapist I went to a talk by a local gold and silversmith who showed the exquisite, precise hand-crafted work he had done to convert an old gold watch case into a beautiful open rose pendant necklace for his wife. It was labour-intensive, uncomfortable work, needing much concentration, design and planning, but it was all done from the heart.
In both cases – laundry and jewellery making – there is no margin for error or sloppy workmanship. The clothes had to be pounded to perfect cleanliness. The gold must be smelted with no impurities to mar its final form.
When I read this passage from Malachi these are the images that fill my head – cleanliness, purity. Hard work which needs planning and correct process to bring about the best possible outcome.
The Messiah, Malachi tells his listeners, will come to carry through this purifying, cleansing process in order to grow a people of God’s worship, praise and heart. It won’t be an easy process for the people, but it’s one designed for the very best outcome.
To Ponder:
- What are you going through at the moment? Where is God in that process?
Prayer
Holy God, who comes to cleanse and purify our hearts, minds and lives, help us to be open to the power of your Holy Spirit at work in us, in the Church and in the world. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Una McLean
Una is a retired presbyter living in Northumberland with her small dog Patricia. She enjoys all manner of craft work, reading, theatre, cinema and music. She also participates in Traildog events, which grew out of people running in local park runs with their dogs (today she and Patricia walk them as Una treasures her knees).