“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare a way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.”
As the Christmas season approached this year, I enjoyed going back through the gospels to reread the chapters regarding John the Baptist. This week’s verses of Zechariah’s song specifically point to John and his ministry. Zechariah, speaking to his infant son, recounts all that John is called to do:
To be a prophet of the Most High
To go before the Lord and prepare a way for Him
To give people knowledge of His salvation
In reading what the gospels say about John, we see that John fulfills these things using his own ~unique flair~ and I can’t help but wonder why eating locusts, wearing camel hair, and living in the wilderness had to be part of the package for JTB. I also found new sympathy for the Pharisees, who weren’t so sure about this radical man in the desert. If I am honest with myself, it is easy to fall under the illusion that the Lord surely moves through the lives of people like me, but I question the validity of people and ministries that look different or are outside of my comfort zone. Of course, as believers we should approach everything with a discerning heart and be sure that people and ministries we surround ourselves with are in line with the gospel. However, I encourage you to ponder the beauty of God in using a person as radical as John the Baptist. Contemplate how your eyes might be open to acknowledge the Lord’s hand at work today in environments outside of your comfort zone.
Scripture: Luke 1: 76-77 (76 for littles)
“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare a way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.”
Specifics and Logistics:
Littles: Littles are focusing on who John the Baptist was and why he is important for Christmas.
Bigs: Bigs are also discussing John the Baptist and exploring his message for the people in his day.
Grown ups: Grown ups are doing all the above and contemplating what this knowledge of salvation means for us.
User Update:
I would be lying if I told you we ever fully moved on from the opening question, what is the grossest thing you have ever eaten? Once we told them that John the Baptist ate locusts and honey, the two year old’s response to every question afterwards was “bugs.” As we discussed different aspects about who John was, we realized we didn’t have answers for the why. I am not sure why John ate what he did or wore what he did, but we do know that he prepared a way for Jesus. So we discussed ways we can prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ coming this Christmas season. Some ideas included listening to Christmas music, serving others, and bugs.
I hope that as Christmas approaches, you will continue to prepare a way to celebrate His coming in your hearts and homes.
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Thanks!
Anne