See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. (Malachi 4:1-2a)
 

Crossing The Line

In light of the arrogance, greed and evildoings that wreak havoc in our world today, this passage holds a promise of healing and peace for me. It will all be made right again, says the Lord of Hosts. The evildoers will become stubble, with neither root nor branch, but for us there will be hope, and help, and healing (whether we deserve it or not).

The beauty of this passage is that God is telling us that taking care of the bad guys is His business, not ours. We don't need to get caught up in the anger or the retaliation. And that's a relief. Without our lifting a finger, the arrogant and evildoers will burn.

In a sense, He has drawn a line in the sand, assuring us that He will take care of everything on His side of the line, and do it up right. We need to simply stay on our side of the line, continue to revere God and lap up the sweet, warm milk of his healing kindness. It's actually a pretty good deal.

Truth is, there's not much chance that any of us would ever get close enough to return a punch to the arrogant Bernie Madoff or evil Osama Bin Laden anyway. Even those who lost their entire fortune in this recession or lost loved ones in Iraq or Afghanistan will never get to confront their offenders. But, for them and for us, there is healing to be found on one side of the line only.

What about the arrogant and evildoers who are within our reach? A neighbor, a boss or co-worker, sometimes even a family member or friend who breaks our heart, breaks our spirit, or otherwise breaks a relationship that was built on trust. That very relationship of trust has usually given us intimate knowledge of which buttons to push that will cause the most damage. When we cross that line, we become one of the arrogant, sending a message that says, "I'll take care of this one, God. I know just what buttons to push."

Once we cross the line, that opportunity is gone, and the hurt stays and stays. Instead, let us give thanks to the God who can heal every heart. Stay on the side of healing and pray for those on the other side of the line, because God's got some buttons of his own.

Contributed by Linda
Sunday July 26, 2009
Liturgical Year B Week 35
Sunday Gospel Readings:
Lectionary 17 (Proper 12) Eighth Sunday after Pentecost