For this, the last episode of the Advent season, we consider John the Baptist.  He is but one more piece of evidence offered by the Gospel writers in their presentation of Jesus as the promised messiah, the anointed one of God.  John goes before Jesus.  Who then goes after Jesus?  Stated in a different way, who will follow Jesus?  Will it be you?  While it is important to understand all the lead up to the birth of Jesus, the issue of how we will respond to that birth is even more so.  Unless Christmas is more than an observance, unless we allow it to become an experience, it all matters very little.