Belief of a lifetime…

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

“I baptize with[e] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.

John 1:6-10, 19-41

John the Baptist is such an integral part of the nativity story that it is perfect to look more closely at during this week’s Christmas focus on faith. John was born of an exceptional birth. His parents were older and childless until an angel visited Zechariah and told Zechariah that he was to have a son who would go before the Lord to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.  He was to be named “John” and would be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for John growing up in the wilderness and knowing that he had a divine purpose to prepare the way of the Lord, the coming Messiah. He was different than others, set apart. It must have felt lonely at times, but the love of his parents must have guided and comforted him every step of the way and the Holy Spirit made him strong.

John spent his whole life knowing and believing that Messiah was to come imminently and he worked diligently to prepare hearts for Messiah. John’s unwavering faith was rewarded with the privilege of baptizing Jesus with water, witnessing the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and to be the first to publicly acknowledge that Jesus was/is God’s Chosen One.  In addition, two of John’s followers became Jesus first disciples. John’s life was a picture of deep faith moved to action.

 Do we allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to work in us and through us to prepare hearts to receive the Lord?