Daily Less for June 24, 2022

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Malachi chapter 3 verses 1-5:

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, 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, says the Lord of hosts. 2But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.* 4Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

5 Then I will draw near to you for judgement; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Today is the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. It is the day we remember his birth, which was said to be six months prior to that of Jesus'. So, yes, that means we are six months away from Christmas. (Cue the June Christmas shopping music.)

John came to purify the priesthood. He himself was in the lineage of the priesthood, but rejected it because of its scandal and corruption. He went out into the wilderness. Thousands followed him.

We live in a time when the priesthood of our own time and place has given way to scandal and corruption.

There are always the Elmer Gantry's, peddling fear and false-salvation for the mighty greenback denomination. But now we see also clergy from both the Catholic and Baptist traditions embroiled in massive conduct coverup. We see clergy taking part in the hostile takeovers of seminaries and universities. And we see some of the most conniving of clergy still giving lie to claims of a false election and a fake presidency.

Is it any wonder why 60,000 people leave the American church every week?

Is it any wonder why so many are so disaffected?

Is it any wonder why the church has such little authority and respect and moral voice?

We sold it for sex, and for money, and for vanity, and for secular glitz, and a joyride on Airforce One.

Two thousand years ago, John the Baptist came to purify religion. May the spirit of John the Baptist be born again today.

Ryon Price is Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.