Luke 3:4-6

“as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”’” vs. 4

While Isaiah was imagining a highway stretching from Babylon to Judah on which the Israelites could travel from captivity to freedom, Luke uses the same words with slight modifications to describe the mission of John the Baptizer. While in John’s lifetime he was much better known than Jesus, after his death he began to be known as the one who had prepared the way for Jesus. Indeed, that’s exactly what took place. Many of John’s disciples became followers of Jesus, convinced that Jesus, and not John, was the Messiah sent from God. In Advent we celebrate John’s mission, and remember that a part of our discipleship is to prepare the way for Jesus to enter the hearts of those seeking salvation. There’s probably no greater joy for any of us than to be the means by which others come to know Christ. We naturally have that role as parents–it’s a promise we make to our children when they are baptized. But sometimes we have opportunities to provide invitation and direction to seekers. What a blessing it is to be that kind of influencer! We don’t have to do the preaching and the baptizing. There are plenty of others who can do that. But when we can point the way for a lost and lonely soul, everyone goes home a winner!

Thought for the Day: What kind of influencer am I?