On the eve of the Eve the scripture readings provide a vivid contrast in how to think about God. The prophet Malachi, the last of the canonical prophets, speaks of God who is swinging a baton and taking names: he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s lye. Shape up or God will strike us with doom. The gospel speaks of the coming of a child — and every parent knows that the gift of a child is a gift from God of hope. “What, then, will this child be?” What both readings suggest to us in these days before Christmas is that we need to repent — in its root meaning translated as “think again.” We need to think again about what it means to have God in our lives and act accordingly. We need to think again about how to unlock the potential that every child possesses. We need to think again about our worth as precious children of God.
