This morning I read a bit of Luke 1 and the pronouncement of the angel concerning John the Baptist's birth.
Luke 1:12-17 (NIV)
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.
16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.
17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
John's place in salvation history is to serve as a forerunner. Like Elijah he is calling fathers to a faith that makes a difference in the lives of their children. And he is taking on the task of truth-telling to the generation that Jesus is revealed in.
Truth-telling is always an ominous task, especially in our generation today. John challenged his generation with truth and it cost him his life! Truth-telling often forfeits acceptance by the wide audience of its culture.
Jesus said of John in Matthew 11:7-19
7 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces.
9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
10 This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'
11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.
14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
15 He who has ears, let him hear.
16 "To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17 "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'
19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."
Advent is a season of truth. In this post-modern age where "truth is relative", "whatever works for you", it is supremely important that we hang on to God's truth. What is that?
1. That God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son. "God with us" Immanuel is the story of Advent and God's great love for us.
2. That without the son, we cannot have life...translated, that means that without the son people live in the darkness of their own sin, and selfishness, that clouds out a picture of life with God.
This is truth, a double truth, that we have incredible dignity as those made in the image of God, and we are profoundly wretched because of sin. This is truth, God is determined to bring us back to Divine Dignity in his son, Jesus.
Perhaps today, we could prayerfully look for truth in our conversations, our observations...not with a sense of superiority or judgment, but with a desire to be ones who can say to Jesus, "I'm seeking to have ears to hear Lord...help me to see and listen, and be a fore-runner today for you."
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