A seminary professor has said that there have been more books about angels produced during the past five years than in the previous 150. In our sometimes chaotic and impersonal society we have a deep yearning to be protected, loved, and guided. When we experience life's uncertainties and challenges we need a messenger from God; we need an angel to help us overcome adversity, to guide us through troubled times, to love us when we are most vulnerable, and to correct us when we stray from God's way.

And that's what God promises in our text today. The title of the last book in the Old Testament, "Malachi," is obtained from verse 1. "Behold, I send 'my messenger' (Malachi in Hebrew) to prepare the way before me." Malak is the Hebrew word for "angel." At the time of our text, the fifth century …