and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.
The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight - indeed, he is coming."
- Malachi 3:1
9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah 9:9,10)
Thoughts: Taking a one day break from the catechism to think about the in-breaking of God's presence. The post-exilic prophets (like Haggai, Zechariah, maybe Joel, Malachi) spoke of "The Day of the Lord." The Day of the Lord is the powerful, personal presence of God. For the righteous, it is a day when we see the One we long for. For the unrighteous, it is a horrible day. Perhaps you remember the words of Isaiah when he experienced the holy God- He proclaimed God's holiness and said, "I am a person of unclean lips and dwell among a people of unclean lips." Isaiah was a good man, but even he felt guilty in the presence o God.
Both passages above speak of the Lord coming. Both passages were written to the "remnant" in Judah. In Malachi, He comes suddenly to the Temple that bears His name. In Zechariah, He comes humbly on a donkey ushering in a reign of peace. Of course, Jesus came suddenly to the Temple and threw the moneychangers out. But He also came to Jerusalem as the humble king inviting us into his reign of peace in our hearts.
Christ still comes to us. We should prepare our hearts by seeking to do His will and living humble lives. One day He will come to each of us face to face, and we need to be ready to meet Him.
Prayer: May my heart be ready when you come, O Lord.
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