The Wonder of The Season: The Wonder of the Refiner Fire

Malachi 3: 1 – 4

 “In those days, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea” – Matthew 3:1 is how the scriptures begin the story of John the Baptist. In those days, the story tells of John in the wilderness by the Jordan River. In those days, Rome was robbing people of their identity, the days when the voice of God had been silenced, the days when oppression came from religious and political leaders, and the days when the people longed to be reminded that they were God’s people. 

In those days, John the Baptist appears in the wilderness of Judea, a prophet proclaiming a message of new beginnings, a messenger speaking new life into the wilderness. 

When we thought the messenger would be found through a best-selling author on the top shelf of the self-help section or the words of a well-dressed salesman of religion, God sends a man dressed in camel hair who likes to snack on grasshoppers dipped in wild honey. His message is as unsettling as his appearance, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” – Matthew 3: 2.

His message of repentance was for everyone. It was for those who were certain in their religion, the ones struggling with who they were, and those who knew they needed a fresh start. The message is clear, “Repent and bear fruit.” Don’t just say you are sorry; show it. Don’t just acknowledge your sins; walk away from them. Repent means turn. It means to live your life in a different direction.

In telling the story of John the Baptist, the Gospel writers reflected four hundred years to another prophet. The Lord speaks through Malachi, the prophet, and says, “I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me” – Malachi 3:1. Malachi proclaims that a holy messenger is on the way. His announcement brings with it both a promise and a word of warning. Judgment is coming. 

Last week, Jeremiah spoke to Israelites who were being dragged into exile. This week, Malachi is speaking one hundred years after the exile to people who have settled back in the land and are rebuilding their lives. But as they return, they are bringing with them their old ways. The people are mistreating one another, they are neglecting their faith, and they are committing injustice toward the weak and vulnerable. 

The problem is they blame others. It is someone else’s fault. They even blame God. Finally, the prophet says, “You have wearied the Lord with your words” – Malachi 2:17.

I grew up with two younger brothers. I know what it is to blame others. One time, as kids, we were outside messing around, and one brother said something another brother didn’t like, and rocks started flying. We were throwing rocks at one another. One ducked, and a rock went through a dining room window. 

When our mother came outside to see who was responsible, we all played the blame game. He made me mad, he threw it first, or he made me do it.

If we are honest, we can admit that the tendency to shift blame doesn’t disappear as we age. We are still quick to blame others for the troubles we find ourselves in.  As children, we might say, “It wasn’t my fault!” to escape punishment. As adults, we refine this approach, using phrases like, “If only they had done their part,” or “It’s not my responsibility.” In relationships, the blame game erodes trust and intimacy. In society, blame fosters division.

In Malachi’s day, the people were calling for the Lord to return and make things right, but they blamed the wrong on other people. Malachi says in the scripture before us, “Be careful what you ask for.” “Who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?” – Malachi 3: 2. It is easy to call for justice when we think the problems around us are the faults of others. It’s easy to demand justice when we believe the problems are someone else’s fault.

God is coming in judgment, but when God does, God is handing us a mirror and inviting us to look at ourselves. We are the ones who are going to be refined. We are the ones in need of refining. Malachi says, “The Lord is coming; we will not be left unchanged.” There will be no more playing the blame game when the Lord returns. 

The return will be like being put through a purification cycle or handing a piece of lye soap and scrubbed down until nothing impure is left on us.

Another story of my childhood includes playing in the woods and getting covered in chiggers. My mom would make us strip down naked outside and scrub our skin with this lye soap to wash the little bugs off our skin. It will be harsh. It will be painful. It will be inconvenient. It will be life-altering. I promise no one was left unchanged. We were clean. 

God’s judgment is for restoration. God’s purpose in judgment is not to break us but to shape us into people who reflect God’s peace in the world. The goal is that the divine image in us may be reflected in the human heart.  The wonder of the refiners’ fire is that each of us may reflect the image of God. 

In Malachi’s time, the people blamed everyone else for their troubles. We do the same. We blame the world, our neighbors, and even God. It’s easier that way. But God’s work begins when we stop. It starts when we face the truth, take the blame we’ve been throwing, and hold it in our hands. Only then can the refining begin. Only then can the broken pieces start to mend.

Advent is a season of authentic preparation for the coming of Jesus. Part of that preparation involves Stop Blaming and Look in the Mirror. Advent calls us to step away from the blame game. What brokenness in your life needs refining? Is it bitterness? Pride? A relationship in need of healing? God’s work begins when we stop pointing fingers and instead ask, “Lord, what in me needs refining?”

Last week, I asked, “In what area of your life do you need to reclaim hope?” If I had to guess, it was an area that involves blaming others for the trouble you are experiencing. 

God’s refining fire is not meant to destroy us but to restore us. To burn away all that keeps us from reflecting His image, peace, and love.

And as we are refined, we are also called to reflect that peace in the world. To bear the fruit of repentance—not just words, but actions that bring healing, reconciliation, and love. Who in your life needs to see the peace of Christ in you?

This Advent, let the refining begin. Instead of waiting passively, engage in the work of preparation. Reflect on your life, turn from what holds you back, and let God’s refining fire transform you. When Christ comes, may He find in us hearts ready to receive His peace and lives that reflect His love.

Pastor Jamey

(Click Here to Watch the Worship Service from Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia)

Questions to Consider:

1. What areas of your life feel like they need refining or purification? How can you allow God to start that work in you?
2. Are there situations in your life where you find yourself blaming others? How can you take responsibility and invite God to work on those areas instead?
3. If God handed you a spiritual mirror, what would you see that needs to be refined? What steps will you take to address those areas?
4. How does understanding that God’s judgment is for restoration, not destruction, shape your view of His refining work in your life?

Prayer:

Gracious God, help us to stop blaming others for the brokenness in our lives and in the world. Instead, give us the courage to look in the mirror and see where we need Your healing touch. We surrender our pride, our bitterness, our fear, and anything else that keeps us from reflecting Your image. Amen.

Benediction:

As you reflect on your life, may you have the courage to look in the mirror, let go of blame, and invite God’s refining fire to cleanse and restore you. Amen.

Jesus Invites Himself

Luke 19: 1 – 10

Imagine you’re relaxing at home, you have prepared a nice meal for your family, and someone unexpectedly knocks on your door, announcing, “I’m having dinner with you tonight!” 

Most of us would find that incredibly rude. Uninvited guests can disrupt our plans, challenge our boundaries, and leave us scrambling to accommodate.

Jesus invites himself to the home of a tree-climbing tax collector. 

Jesus is traveling through Jericho. A man named Zacchaeus comes out to see Jesus. Zacchaeus is a ruler among the tax collectors. He is the person at the top of the pyramid scheme. He collects money from the people who collect money from his people. He isn’t the town’s favorite. He is hated. He gets rich off of other people’s poverty. 

He was also short. Determined to see Jesus, he climbs a tree. The story is comical—a guy in a sycamore tree. Jesus stops in the exact spot and looks up. If one person in a crowd looks up, we usually all look to see what he is looking at. I imagine all eyes are now on Zacchaeus. How embarrassing. So, Zacchaeus comes down. 

Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus’s home, and we are told that Zacchaeus is “happy to welcome Jesus” (Luke 19:6). 

No one else was happy. The crowd grumbled. There were plenty of good people for Jesus to share lunch with. Why go to the home of a cheater like Zacchaeus? 

The visit was life-changing for Zacchaeus. He says, “Look, Lord, I give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I repay them four times as much” (Luke 19:8). 

I had a grandmother who taught the Zacchaeus story using a flannel board. Imagine a tree, a short-stature character, and a character representing Jesus. My grandmother would start the lesson by quoting the Children’s song, “Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he.” She would put Zacchaeus in the tree, and she would have Jesus walk underneath the tree. 

In the retelling of the story she would tell of Zaccahaeus’ determination to do whatever it took to see Jesus. Despite the crowd and his physical limitations, Zacchaeus made an extra effort to see Jesus. Jesus awards Zacchaeus for his effort by having dinner at his house. 

On the flannel board at a distance was a house, and my grandmother would have Zacchaeus come out of the tree, and he and Jesus would go to the house for dinner. 

The encounter with Jesus changed Zacchaeus, and Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector, says, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much” (Luke 19: 8). 

Meeting Jesus became a life-changing experience, and my grandmother would tell the kids sitting in a circle, “If you ask Jesus in your heart, your life can be changed today, too.” 

But let’s hear the story again, a little slower. After Jesus had invited himself to the home of Zacchaeus, the scripture says Zacchaeus “Hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”  Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much’”(Luke 19: 6 – 8).

The tax collector Zacchaeus was excited to have Jesus as a dinner guest. The crowd was not happy. They criticized Jesus for eating with sinners. In front of the crowd, Zacchaeus spoke to Jesus about giving money to the poor and making restitution for anyone he had possibly cheated.  

Depending on what translation you read determines how you interpret the text. My translation implies that Zacchaeus will give back or make good based on his encounter with Jesus. However, other translations imply that this is already who Zacchaeus is. He gives to the poor and pays back four times if someone is cheated. The original Greek text gives us no reason to add the words “I will” Or “I am going to.” The Greek text implies that Zacchaeus is a person who is generous and fair all along. 

The text doesn’t say anywhere that Zacchaeus is a sinful person or that he is remorseful or repentant. It says he is short. It says he is wealthy. It says he is a tax collector. Only the agitated crowd says he is a sinner. If they want to call him a sinner and someone who has lost his way, Jesus says, “The Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus even implies that the man is no different than the crowd when he says of Zacchaeus, “He, too, is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19: 9). 

Could it be that Zacchaeus is a tax collector who is fair in his dealings with people and even goes over and beyond to ensure people are treated fairly? But because of their prejudices and judgments, the crowd only sees a sinner. If so, Jesus encourages Zacchaeus and rebukes the crowd when he says, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9). 

Oh, and what does the name Zacchaeus mean? It means “pure” or “innocent.” 

The crowd saw a sinner. Jesus saw a determined man who deserved to be recognized and have his name called. Because he responded, Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus becomes an encounter with grace. 

Baptist preacher and Sociologist Dr. Tony Campolo, who recently passed away, once asked, “What do you reckon Jesus would have said to that prostitute?” He asked the question while looking out the window of his downtown Philadephia to a classroom full of interfaith students.

A Jewish student responded looking out the same window, “Jesus would never see that prostitute.” Campolo began to suggest that Jesus related to prostitutes in scripture. The Jewish man interrupted and said, “Dr. Campolo, you didn’t hear me…..Jesus never saw a prostitute.” Campolo responded to situations from the Gospels. Again, the man replied, “You are not listening to me. Jesus never saw a prostitute.” 

Suddenly, Campolo understood. When Jesus looked at someone, he looked beyond their situation, and he looked beyond their perceptions of themselves and beyond society’s judgment. Jesus saw the whole person. 

“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him (Luke 19: 5 -6).

Jesus didn’t just see Zacchaeus; he called him by name and stepped into his life. He invited himself into Zacchaeus’s home, creating space for grace to work. What if we did the same?

This week, ask God to help you see people as Jesus sees them—not defined by their past, their mistakes, or their reputation, but as children of God, worthy of love and redemption. Then take a step: extend kindness, build a bridge, or reach out to someone you’ve overlooked.Will you be like the crowd, stuck in judgment, or will you be like Jesus, stepping into grace? The choice is yours.

Pastor Jamey

(Click Here to Watch the Worship Service from Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia)

Questions to Consider:

1. How did the crowd’s perception of Zacchaeus differ from Jesus’ perception of him? What does this tell us about how we view others?
2. Why do you think Zacchaeus was eager to welcome Jesus into his home despite the crowd’s judgment?
3. The crowd grumbled about Jesus going to the home of a “sinner.” In what ways do we sometimes grumble about grace being extended to others?
4. How can we, as a church and as individuals, create opportunities for others to encounter grace, even those who might be labeled or judged by society?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Today, we dedicate ourselves to seeing as you see—not with eyes clouded by judgment but with hearts filled with grace. Help us to look beyond labels and assumptions and recognize the worth and dignity of every person as a child of God. Amen.

Benediction:

Go now with eyes open to see others as Jesus sees them, with hearts ready to extend grace and hands willing to serve.

The crowd saw a sinner. Jesus saw a man eager to encounter grace. Who are we overlooking today? #SeeAsJesusSees #LoveBeyondLabels

Jesus didn’t wait for an invitation—He stepped into Zacchaeus’ life with grace. Let’s follow His lead and bring love where it’s needed most. #BeLikeJesus #ExtendGrace

The name Zacchaeus means ‘pure’ or ‘innocent.’ Sometimes, grace calls us to see people as God intended, not as the world labels them. #RedemptiveLove #GraceTransforms