Today we travel with John the Baptist once again, but the time we hear the story from John's gospel. When I read through this lesson I kept hearing the word light over and over again. How the light of the world is coming to us. Here is an excerpt from today's sermon.
Just imagine if you were standing
on the banks of the Jordan
with John that day. Here is this guy, this prophet, speaking to you and the
great crowd you are with, and then some religious leaders come up to him and
start questioning him.
Who are you? They ask. We know you
have gotten a lot of people to follow you, we know you are teaching and
baptizing, but we don’t know who you are, so tell us, they say.
And then John responds to their
questions in the strangest way, for instead of telling them who he is, he tells
them who he isn’t. I am not the Messiah. I am not Elijah. I am not the prophet.
The religious leaders must have been very frustrated at this point. Yeah, so
you’re not these people, but who are you?
John continues on and says, I am
the one who is preparing the way for the Light of the world. I am the one who
is making sure that people are getting ready. And you know what, that light,
that one you seek, he is here. Right here, right now, right in this place. Yes,
he is here, and his light is so bright that the darkness of the world is going
to be shattered.
Yes, imagine if you were standing
there listening to all this, and you hear this prophet telling the religious
leaders, and even you, that the one you are seeking is here. The one who will
bring peace is here. The one who will bring wholeness is here. The one who will
bring forgiveness is here. The one who will bring new life is right here.
What good news that is. He is here.
The light is here. The Messiah is here.
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