“But for you who revere my name
the sun of righteousness shall rise,
with healing in its wings.
You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” – Malachi 4:2
The last book in the Hebrew Bible has God’s Messenger dealing with disappointment. The returned people set foot on the homeland brimming with enthusiasm and determination. We will rebuild. Yes!
We will make something new in our day. Yes!
The glory of it all soon fades.
The age of renewal, promised by the prophets, isn’t even close.
All is rather dull.
Complacency beckons, the lure of the mediocre.
It was easier to get by than to re-make community.
There was no leaping among them, like calves released from the stall.
Malachi is the last of the prophets.
He remains hopeful that a dawn of justice and healing is both here and coming.
The Sun of Righteousness will rise.
O Radiant Dawn.
We are shaped by the night.
We are refined when darkness falls.
There is healing, begun in the night, under the shadow of divine wings.
Hidden treasures are revealed when the Sun of Righteousness rises.
O Radiant Dawn.
Then there will be life leaping among us.
It is now. And it is coming.
We pray ….
“O Radiant Dawn,
Splendor of eternal light,
Sun of justice:
Come, shine on those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death.” – An Advent Antiphon
Have you known a time when hope or purpose began with energy but slowly gave way to weariness or complacency? What might help rekindle a quiet, steady hope within you now?
Malachi speaks of a rising sun bringing healing and joy. I love this image, often used in Advent, but evocative all year round. Where do you sense even the faintest light of renewal — in your life, your community, or the world?
We come to the end of the Hebrew scriptures. As you have moved through these Old Testament texts, what theme, image, or question has stayed with you? In what ways has your understanding of God — or your way of listening — shifted along the way?
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