Dear Parishioners,
In ancient times, when a king was going to visit a city, he would send before him someone to herald his coming, someone to announce that he would be arriving soon. The herald would go around the city, and go before the leaders of the city, telling them all, “The king is coming. He will be here any day. So, clean up your lives. Make sure you are all in obedience to the kings commands.” As we look at the Gospel reading for this week (Lk 3:1–6), this is what we see going on. The King is coming, and He has sent a herald to announce His imminent arrival. The king, of course, is Jesus Christ, and the herald is John the Baptist. John’s message is that the people need to repair their lives and prepare for Christ’s coming. He does this by calling the people to repent and be baptized. In this second week of Advent, Luke emphasizes the incomparable importance of Christ’s coming by pointing out how Isaiah had prophesied not only the arrival of Jesus but even the appearance of the messenger, John. God had long been preparing this pivotal moment in the world’s history and wanted to do everything possible to alert his people of its coming.
Although Christ has come to the earth, and although he has come to dwell in every human heart, there are many who have not heard of him or welcomed him. With each person, Jesus continues to use this same approach: he sends his heralds ahead of him. We are those heralds. Each of us is Christ’s messenger, boldly drawing others’ attention to the truth and grace of Christ by our words, deeds, and example. Among the many responsibilities each of us has, none is greater or more rewarding than teaming up with the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts for the Lord. Are we being good messengers?
God Bless,
Deacon Howard
