[John] himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

— John 1:8

When we think about sharing our faith, we are often nervous about having the right words to say. What if I say something wrong? What if someone asks me a question I don’t know how to answer? What kind of witness would that be?

I love how the gospel of John describes the work of John the Baptist. It is a reassuring description of what it means to be an evangelist (a messenger) for Jesus. We are told that John came as a witness, to testify concerning the light of Christ. We get this important clarification: “He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.”

Wherever you may be right now, take a look at the closest light near you. Doing so might not be very comfortable for your eyes, though. In general, lights are not designed to be looked at. The purpose of a light is to reveal the things around it. For example, you can read a book and see other things around you because some kind of light is helping you to see those things.

The role of John the Baptist, “who came as a witness to testify” about Jesus, was to help people understand about the light. John was not the light. But he helped people to understand that the One who is the light makes it possible to see what life is all about. In the same way, our witness about Jesus is not about ourselves—it points people to the One who is the light of the world.

Jesus, light of the world, shine in our hearts today. Help us to witness faithfully about you in a world that longs for your light of love and hope. Amen.