Early in December, a resident of a New York apartment building opened the door to her apartment and found a greeting card taped to the outside. "Merry Christmas from the custodial staff," it read.

"That's nice," she thought. Then, she promptly forgot about it.

A week later, she came home to find another card taped to her door. This one said, "Merry Christmas from the custodial staff. Second Notice."

We might call today Advent ” Second Notice.

Today we turn to the little book of Malachi to hear a second announcement of the coming of Christ. And the writer confronts us with this haunting question: Who may abide the day of his coming?

What? Do you mean that everyone will not be pleased at the coming of the Messiah? Strange as it may seem, that is exactly what Malachi is saying. Not every…