Sunday, November 30, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Zechariah 12-14, Malachi 1-4
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 138
Devotional Thought
Zechariah closes his prophecy with the siege of Jerusalem, and the picture is desperate before it is glorious. All the nations of the earth gather against Judah; the city is taken, houses are rifled, and half the people go into captivity. Yet even as the battle rages, the LORD makes Jerusalem “a cup of trembling” and “a burdensome stone” to her enemies, and He pours out upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem “the spirit of grace and of supplications.” Then comes the verse the gospel writers would not let go: “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son.” In the same breath, Zechariah promises a fountain opened to the house of David “for sin and for uncleanness,” and a day when “the LORD shall be king over all the earth.” Malachi follows with a courtroom scene: Israel doubts God’s love, offers Him the blind and the lame from their flocks, and wearies Him with faithless worship—yet the book ends with the promise of Elijah before “the great and dreadful day of the LORD,” turning hearts before the curse falls.
Read this on the first Sunday of Advent, and the whole sweep turns luminous. Here is the season of watching and waiting, and here is God’s ancient answer to a watching world: a pierced King, a fountain of cleansing, a day when every pot in Jerusalem shall be “holiness unto the LORD.” Malachi’s weary priests brought their leftovers; Advent asks what we bring. The psalmist shows us the better way: “I will praise thee with my whole heart… for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” Mary, too, knew this God who “hath respect unto the lowly” while the proud He knows “afar off.”
There is a word here for the ordinary week ahead. Some of us are walking “in the midst of trouble,” and the psalm answers with quiet certainty: “thou wilt revive me… thy right hand shall save me.” Some of us have grown casual in worship, and Malachi’s rebuke lands gently but truly—God is not served with what costs us nothing. And some of us are simply tired, looking for a light in a long night.
Zechariah’s last chapter gives us that light: “at evening time it shall be light.” The Lord we await is the Lord who was pierced for us, who opens the fountain, who perfects that which concerns us. “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” He will not forsake the work of His own hands—not Israel’s, not ours.
Reflection
- Malachi rebukes Israel for offering God the blind and the lame while keeping the best for themselves. As Advent begins, what “leftovers” of your time, attention, or devotion are you bringing to the Lord—and what would whole-hearted worship actually look like this week?
- Zechariah says God’s people “shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn.” Have you ever truly looked at the pierced Christ—letting His sorrow and love search you—and what did that looking produce in your life?
Prayer
O Lord, we come to You with our whole hearts, as the psalmist did, and we confess that our worship has too often been the leftovers rather than the firstfruits. Thank You that You have not dealt with us as our sins deserve, but have opened a fountain for sin and uncleanness through Jesus Christ, the One whom we have pierced. In this season of waiting, revive us when we walk in the midst of trouble; stretch forth Your right hand and save. Humble us, for You have respect unto the lowly. Perfect that which concerneth us, O Lord, and forsake not the works of Your own hands, for Your mercy endureth for ever. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 138:1 — “I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.”