John the Baptist announced it

GALATIANS 4:4

PICTURE a rugged, dishevelled social misfit living alone on the edge of the desert. He wears simple clothes made of camel’s hair, bound by a leather belt, and eats whatever he can find. He is a man with a mission and conveys through every move, gesture and utterance that he is possessed with a determined objective. The piercing eye, the pointed finger, the passionate voice and persistent message remind all who encounter him of the prophetic figures of the past.

True to the patterns already set, God chose an unlikely agent to prepare people to hear the message of redemption.

Some may question my introduction of John the Baptist into the miracle of Advent. I agree that this strange character had nothing to do with announcing the birth of Jesus; but what John does do is to help us come to grips with the Advent miracle of Jesus coming as a child in Bethlehem – and also prompts us to connect with the deeper meaning of the message.

Luke’s Gospel records the angel’s announcement to the startled shepherds: ‘Do not be afraid I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people’ (2:10 all quotations from New International Version).

The Advent message is more than a birth announcement. It captures the essence of God’s initiative on behalf of humankind. I point your attention to our study verse, ‘When the time had fully come, God sent his Son’ (Galatians 4:4).

Without any doubt, God ordained it and the prophets foretold it. While the angels shared in the heavenly news, it would be John who announced the significance and impact of the coming of Christ.

I have no desire to add John the Baptist to the nativity scene – he would look somewhat out of place. John prepared the way for Christ and his message; Scripture records that he proclaimed the Kingdom of Heaven. He revealed the need for forgiveness and identified the Lamb of God. He marginalised his own significance and lifted Jesus, the Saviour who takes away the sins of the world. John the Baptist announced his coming (Matthew chapter 3).

The application of John’s announcement presents a twofold challenge. First, it strikes at the very core of personal preparation. It is about receiving Jesus in such a manner that the hindrances, the hesitations and the hang-ups are all discarded. Secondly, it is about sharing with others the reality of his coming.

The weight of responsibility to renew our welcome to the Lamb of God, the Saviour, automatically gets linked to the urgency of the gospel – the good news, intended for the whole world.

Many times during the next few days someone will ask: ‘Are you ready for Christmas?’ The inquiry is asking you to account for presents, cards and decorations. But take a moment to answer the question in a spiritual context. This is the basis on which John invites himself
into the Advent story; he asks the question: ‘Are you ready for his coming?’

Reflect on the poem ‘The Cross In The Manger’ by Ann Weems to find again a sense of readiness and a deep desire to share the knowledge that God sent his Son.

If there is no cross in the manger, there is no Christmas.
If the Babe doesn’t become the Adult, there is no Bethlehem star.
If there is no commitment in us, there are no wise men searching.
If we offer no cup of cold water, there is no gold, no frankincense, no myrrh.
If there is no praising God’s name, there are no angels singing.
If there is no spirit of alleluia, there are no shepherds watching.
If there is no standing up, no speaking out, no risk, there is no Herod, no flight into Egypt.
If there is no room in our inn, then ‘Merry Christmas’ mocks the Christ Child, and the Holy Family is just a holiday card, and God will loathe our feasts and festivals.
For if there is no reconciliation, we cannot call Christ ‘Prince of Peace’.
If there is no goodwill towards others, it can all be packed away in boxes for another year.
If there is no forgiveness in us, there is no cause for celebration.
If we cannot go even now unto Golgotha, there is no Christmas in us.
If Christmas is not now,
If Christ is not born into the everyday present, then what is all the noise about?

By Colonel Peddle (Chief Secretary)