December 8, 2024

Today's Reading: Luke 3:1-14 (15-20)

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:14-25:12; Obadiah 1-21; 1 John 2:15-29

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (Luke 3:4b)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. You’ve probably heard this before, but it won’t hurt to hear it again: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us…” Simply put, if we can’t admit we are sinners, we aren’t being honest. Sadly, that describes a lot of people.

It’s easy to make excuses for sin as if the things you do or fail to do aren’t really your fault. It’s easy to compare yourself to someone really bad and say: I’m so much better than them! But God isn’t fooled, and He isn’t interested in arrogant, dishonest people who deny their sins. Rather, He wants genuine sinners who are sick of their sins and want to do better. These are the ones He can help, and indeed, He does more than help; He forgives them, saves them, and gives them life without end.

In Jesus’ day, there were many in Israel who denied that they were sinners. They thought that because they were children of Abraham, sin wasn’t a problem. Some of the most religious people of all (the Pharisees) were so impressed with themselves that they could only see the sins of others. Jesus had a hard time with people like this, not because He was unwilling to bless them, but because they had no use for Him. And here is the simple truth: until you admit you are a sinner, you won’t have much use for a savior from sin. 

In order to prepare people to receive the one and only savior from sin, God sent the forerunner to tell people the truth. He would tell people they needed to repent. John was the one who fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy about the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He prepared the way of the Lord by urging people to receive a Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He called a lot of people sinners, and with colorful images, he reminded them of the consequences of sin: “The axe is already at the root of the trees and every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire!”

John’s goal was not just to scare people but to alert them to the reality that we all need a savior. John also pointed to the Savior Jesus, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

John the Baptist reminds us that we won’t really get Jesus until we see how badly we need Him. But once you are convinced of your need, you’ll never want to be without Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry Announces that the Lord is nigh; Awake and hearken, for he brings Glad tidings of the King of Kings! (LSB 344:1)

-Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

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