by Cindy Schatz
John 1:6-8, 19-28
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ 20He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ 21And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ 22Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ 23He said,
‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
“Make straight the way of the Lord” ’,
as the prophet Isaiah said.
24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’ 26John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’ 28This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
December 13 is the Commemoration of St. Lucy, also known as Lucia Day. Lutheran churches and lodges with members of Scandinavian heritage often host a ceremony with a girl robed in white with a crown of candles upon her head. Just as the candles were meant to light the way of St. Lucy, her day in mid-Advent points to the arrival of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist, who preceded St. Lucy by nearly three centuries, was a contemporary of Christ. This passage reveals that he was mistaken for the returning Elijah, or the Prophet or even the Messiah. His spent his life disputing those misconceptions and made pointing others to Jesus his primary mission. He was a witness to the Light, and the Light was Christ.
Do we seek to be in the light or to provide the light? Would our friends and neighbors recognize us as witnesses? Do our lives point to Jesus? Dear God, we pray, please help us this Advent as we consider how we can light the way to Jesus for others.