I will send my messenger; “He will prepare the way for me.”
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If our lives continue in the direction they’re now going,
how prepared will we be when the King of Kings comes in all his glory? “True
repentance is to cease to sin.” St. Ambrose
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The task of choosing a name is an honourable task but nonetheless a difficult task. Whether it is choosing a name for a person, or for a business, or for a society, there are many factors to be considered. One of which is that it must sound nice and also meaningful, not just in the predominant language, but also in other dialects and languages.
The name John is a Jewish name (Yehohanan) and it means God-is-gracious. That name has a great significance for Elizabeth and Zechariah. Elizabeth was barren and barrenness was seen as a curse from God. So the conception and birth of John was indeed a gracious blessing from God. But God's grace did not just give Zechariah and Elizabeth a son. God's grace will be continued in the life and mission of John.
John's mission was to prepare the
people for the time of intense grace from God. A time of restoration to the
dignity as God's people. A time of reconciliation between God and each other.
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Indeed, “God is gracious.” We are told today about the birth of the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist. We remember the coming of the Savior and how a special messenger of God had to prepare the hearts of people for the coming of the Savior. But our Savior, Jesus, came long ago. How much are we living as people who are saved? How much do we enter into God’s plan to save our world? How much do we prepare Jesus’ coming into the hearts of people today?
Prayer: Lord, our God, in this time of waiting, you must still be waiting for us, how we respond to the coming of your Son Jesus in our hearts and in our world. Make us people of hope, not people of the past, but men and women, the young and the children too, who want to see Jesus, our Savior, alive and active among us. We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
