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Greetings Friends and Families.
This month I want to share with you a couple verses from Scripture from the Bible app, Malachi 4:5-6, “But also look ahead: I’m sending Elijah the prophet to clear the way for the Big Day of GOD—the decisive Judgment Day! He will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents. If they refuse, I’ll come and put the land under a curse.” These are the final words of the Old Testament.
The prophet Malachi wrote to forewarn the people of God what would take place in the future. He told them of a time when God would send a messenger like Elijah, who would turn the people’s hearts back towards God.
The messenger whom Malachi referred to in his prophecy turned out to be John the Baptist. John’s role was to point the people back to God in preparation for the coming Jesus. John preached a message of repentance, and baptized people in the Jordan River as a sign of turning back to God.
For those who trusted in God and believed in Jesus as the coming Messiah, they experienced restoration and salvation. And this is part of Malachi’s message: those who trust in God will be saved from the coming judgment.
One of the signs of this restoration is the uniting of families. The family unit is central to God’s mission, as the relationships within the family represent God’s relationships with His church. God desires the hearts of fathers to be restored to their children and children to their fathers. While we know that no family is perfect—in fact, many families are navigating brokenness—we all look forward to the day when God will completely restore our broken world to harmony and love again.
Until then, we strive to do our best to live in harmony and love with one another. If you are a parent, consider how you can express God’s love through your relationships to your children. And as children, may we use the time we have left to love our parents as well. For all of us, may we consider how we can love those around us in a way that honors God and communicates His love.
I think God is calling on the Church to be a place where families and relationships can begin to find healing.
Let’s be anchored in Christ Together,
Pastor Kathi Kraus
