Pause for thought
As we pause today, let us join with the praise of all God's people in these words from Psalm 9.
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
(Psalms 9:1-2)
Bible Reading: John 1:19-23
This was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem
sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Messiah."
They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"
He said, "I am not." "
Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us.
What do you say about yourself?"
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet,
"I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming.'"
A Reflection:
Identity can be an important issue for us today, both in terms of ‘Who am I and why am I here?’ and also in terms of identity theft.
John the Baptist was a bit of a lone wolf, preaching in the wilderness and drawing quite a crowd. Concerned, the religious authorities came to him and asked him, ‘Who are you?’
If someone asked you the question, ‘Who are you?’, how would you reply?
It seems that in Jesus’ time, as well as in ours, many people define themselves by what they do. Having clarified that he is not the Messiah, not Elijah and not the promised prophet, John declares himself as ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming.’
John didn’t need to use someone else’s identity, he was secure in who he was, in the person that God had created him to be. If you ever wish you were more like someone else, be confident in who God made you. No one else can fulfil that role better than you!
God had given John a central role in preparing the people for the coming Messiah. I wonder if you could see a role for yourself in clearing the way for the Lord to come into the life of someone you know. What might this ‘clearing the way’ involve?
Pray:
Father God, thank you that you created me unique.
Help me to fulfil your plan and purpose for my life, however that might work out in the months and years to come. Amen
Make way for the King of kings
Comments