The WHO of Christmas
The WHO of Christmas by Rev. L. John Gable
December 8, 2019
(John appears. Stretches and washes his face in the Jordan River. Looks up and sees the crowd. Talking, as if to himself or to God.)
Already? They are here already this morning? The crowds are coming earlier and earlier and they are getting bigger and bigger. Where are they coming from? Out from the city, from Jerusalem and all of Judea, here to the wilderness, to the banks of the Jordan River? Why do they come? What do they hope to see? “A reed shaken by the wind? A priest in royal robes?” (Matt. 11:7-8) Are they coming to be entertained?
Don’t they realize that I am prophet sent by God to proclaim the Word of God? God has chosen me to be the one spoken of by the prophet Isaiah in days past, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight.” (Luke 3:4). Don’t they realize the weight of this message? I have been called to proclaim the Good News that the salvation of God is at hand! The promised One of God is coming and with Him comes God’s judgement! They must be prepared for the coming of the Lord!
Look at them! All of them! How can I make them understand? To the Pharisees and Sadducees and all those who are so self-righteous in their religiosity, I say, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3:7). They are so smug in their traditions, so certain that they will find favor with God simply because they are descendants of Abraham. That is not true! Don’t they know that “God is able from these stones to raise up children of Abraham!” (Luke 3:8). Just because our people have been God’s people for centuries does not mean we are God’s people today. God is ready to judge us, not on the basis of what our ancestors did, but on the basis of what we are doing today. We become the people of God, not by crossing the Jordan with Moses, but by passing through the waters of baptism. So I call them to repent, every one of them, and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins.
And what of the others in this aimless crowd? Some Jews, some Gentiles, tax collectors and prostitutes, sinners all of them? All I want to do is to awaken them to the truth that God’s judgement is at hand. “Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in to the fire.” (Luke 3:8-9). “His winnowing fork is in His hand and He will clear His threshing floor. He will gather the wheat in to His granary; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire. So bear fruit worthy of repentance!” (Luke 3:12).
How can I awaken this sinful generation from their spiritual slumber? The time is now for repentance. They must turn from their evil ways and return to God. The time is now for real and lasting change. Not just in their words, but in their actions and their attitudes, and such change is available only through the power of the Spirit of God.
O Lord, the people continue to come to me, and I am grateful for this opportunity to proclaim Your Word, but they must understand that I am not the Messiah! I am only the messenger who has been called to prepare His way. I am not the light, but “I come to bear witness to the Light.” (John 1:8) They must understand that “There is One coming after me who is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. I baptize with water, but He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:11)
I know that His coming has been spoken of for centuries. They have heard this message so many times that now their ears are dulled from hearing it, but they must understand that I have seen Him. I have seen with my own eyes “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). His name is Jesus, from Nazareth, and He came here, to me, not long ago, to be baptized. At first I refused saying, “No, I need to be baptized by You!” But He answered, “Let it be this way for now.” (Luke 3:14-15). I stood in this very place and baptized Him. And when He came up out of the water suddenly the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and rested on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” (Luke 13:16-17).
Up until that moment I wasn’t so sure myself. I have known Jesus from the time we were children, but now I know, with absolute certainty, that He is the Messiah; that the promises of God have been fulfilled, for I have seen Him with my own eyes. So now I must proclaim my message of preparation with even more passion and urgency. They must be prepared for the coming of the Lord. They must be ready to recognize and welcome Him. Now “I must decrease, so that He may increase!” (John 3:30). I must prepare the way by pointing them to the One who is the Way.
(Kneeling to pray) Lord, I thank You that you have made this truth known to me and have given me the privilege to share in this ministry of preparation. Give me the strength to proclaim Your Gospel message to this people with boldness and conviction and clarity that they may hear and believe in the One You have sent for our salvation, Jesus, called the Christ. Amen.
(To the people) Brothers and sisters and all who have felt cut off from the promises of God, hear this Good News! God’s promise is being fulfilled in your hearing today. I am John, called the Baptizer. I am not the Messiah, but I am the one spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight.” I call you to repent, every one of you, and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. “I baptize with water, but the One who comes after me will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire” and that One has come. His name is Jesus. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Prepare His way.