When I was a boy, my mom and dad always made sure that we knew how to use soap and water. It was important that we were clean before we left the house, or had supper, or did anything special. And going to church was special, so on Saturday nights we had to be especially careful. Cleanliness was next to Godliness. We had to make sure that we scrubbed behind our ears, brushed our teeth, combed our hair, and shined our shoes. Sometimes, Mom would check to see if we did a good enough job, especially behind our ears. And if we didn't do a good enough job, she would take a wash cloth, and soap it up, and scrub – HARD! – just to make sure we were clean. She'd scrub us so hard that we didn't want to be scrubbed again, so we made sure that we got it right the next time.
As modern people, we understand the importance of basic hygiene. We understand the importance of hand washing to prevent the spread of germs, and we can see that we make a better impression on people when our clothes are clean and pressed. We know that the best way to wash dishes is with hot, soapy water – the soap looses the dirt, and the heat sanitizes the dishes. So when we read in today's Old Testament lesson from Malachi that the Lord is like a refiner's fire and a fuller's soap, we get the general idea, right?
Fire and soap. That doesn't sound very Christmassy, does it? Of all the images in the Bible that might prepare us for the arrival of the infant Jesus, of all of the ways we might imagine the Second Coming of Christ, fire and soap are usually not the first to come to mind. But Malachi was, shall we say, "old school". He was the last of the Old Testament prophets, who lived about 400 years before Jesus. We Christians consider him something of a transitional prophet. That's why we put the book of Malachi at the very end of the Old Testament, just in front of the Gospels. The word Malachi means "Messenger," and in this morning's lesson, we receive a message from God. God's message is, "get ready, I'm coming. And by my coming, you will be purified like precious gold and silver. You will be cleansed like a newborn baby. I'm coming. But before I do, I'll send a messenger to prepare the way."
Now, fire is how metal is purified; a jeweler purifies gold and silver by putting them into fire. The fire melts the metal, and causes the impurities to float to the top, where they can be skimmed off. And soap is how we wash things. Fuller's soap isn't like Dove or Ivory soap. It's a strong soap, like lye soap, the kind we use when we really want to get something squeaky clean. Malachi warns us that God will come like a refiner's fire and fuller's soap.
But he also tells that God will send a messenger to prepare us all for his coming and his coming again. And so along came John, the son of Zechariah and the cousin of Jesus. John came preaching about repentance through baptism. Notice that he didn't say, "repent, and then be baptized." It is through our baptisms that we are able to turn our lives around. It is by our baptisms that we are washed with lye soap and purified like precious metals. Our baptism enable us to live our lives as God would have us live, lives of holiness, lives that are dedicated to God. John the Baptist came to prepare us for the time when God was coming. To prepare us for the one we call Immanuel, God in us, Jesus. By our baptism, we are prepared to follow Jesus, the purest, cleanest, holiest one who ever lived.
We don't normally think about God in terms of purity and judgement much any more, especially at Christmas. We'd rather think about peace on earth, and goodwill to all human kind. But Advent is not only about the very first Christmas, it is also about the return of Christ our savior. It is about a time that was, and a time that is yet to come. Advent teaches us that God prepares us through our baptisms to receive the Christ. In the waters of baptism, God washes and purifies us; our hearts are scrubbed clean, so that we are "worthy to stand before God", as we say in the Eucharistic prayer.
Advent is also about the end times, when Christ returns to claim us. A time when we stand before Christ, the King of Kings, the one who has redeemed us with his life and death and resurrection so that we have been made holy to stand in his presence – we who have been purified by Christ. The one who was, and is, and is to come. The one who loves us most, the one who lived and died for us, and yes, the one who will come to judge us at the end of all time when he claims as his own.
Preparing for Christmas is more than decorating, and music, and buying presents. Preparing for Christmas is also about being purified with fire and soap. It's about preparing for the day when we will all be judged. That is why God sent his messenger John to prepare us for the coming of our Lord. Through our baptisms, our lives are made straight, we are prepared for Christ. Through our baptism and repentant lives, we are prepared for the fire and soap that is to come.
I remember another story about soap. I was seven years old when my baby brother was born. One time, I wanted to hold him. But like most seven year olds, my hands were pretty dirty. Mom made me go wash my hands first – I had to be clean before I held the baby.
Advent reminds us that in baptism, God cleans us all so we can hold the baby.
Thanks be to God.
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