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There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said,‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,“Make straight the way of the Lord” ’,as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’ This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. (John 1: 6-8, 19-28)
The man sent by God to be the Herald of Jesus' ministry was a man of God. He sought God early in life; scripture says even before his birth he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and once he started his ministry, he gave it his all. Word soon spread about him and his call to repentance and salvation, and those talking about him wondered who he really was. Was he the Messiah? Was he the prophet Elijah back from heaven, for you will remember, Elijah did not die but was carried off in a chariot of fire; and others wondered if he was the prophet. His confession? "I am not the Messiah." There. An honest answer. No pretending about who he was or was not. And, since you've asked, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord." Word straight from the prophet's book. Those sent by the Pharisees, so-called religious men seeking out any who might disturb their peace, had to ask, "Why then are you baptizing?" This was something reserved for those born unclean, the Gentiles! We Jews are born clean; we don't need baptism!" John's baptism was for the cleansing away of sins, and many heard his call to repentance and presented themselves in need of being cleansed. This baptism, said John, is by water; one is among you whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
Advent is in full swing. Preparations should be ready, for the celebration of Jesus' birth is soon. Our focus, our joy should be on He who was born to take away our sin and make us right with God. At the same time, we realize that He is coming back for us and we should be ready for that as well. We've heard Jesus' witness, John say, that he came to testify to the light, "so that all might believe through him." John was not the light, but he gave his testimony about Jesus and what Jesus can still do for us.
PRAYER: Loving God, send us to be new witnesses of the light and love of the world. Send us among those who have not yet realized the joy and love that can be theirs because of Your love in Jesus. Grant us boldness and joy and help us be the link to life that so many want and have not yet found. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be the reflection of Christ's light today! Begin with a great smile!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Requests: Our prayers for Rev. Tina Carter of Austin. She has been battling cancer for some years now, and it was in remission, but has returned stronger and more aggressive. She heads back to MD Anderson for consultations on what may be next. May the Lord bring a new healing for her.
