Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Luke 3:7-18

Like Jesus, John the Baptist does not believe in giving the crowds a "sugar coated pill." John was direct and to the point: "you brood of vipers." There was something wrong and John was not afraid to say it. He knew why God called him, he knew that he needed to be faithful to that call and ministry, and he was willing to respond to that call, fully knowing the consequences. John's life was literally cut short, but his message truly prepared the way for the Lord.

We could read the story of John the Baptist and his story could sound foreign to our ears. My question when I read his story is: Could I be like John the Baptist if the time ever comes that I need to give my life for the kingdom of heaven?

That is a hard question and there is no easy answer. Names start popping in my mind: Peter, Paul, Ruth, Esther, Rahab, the friends of Daniel...Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Stanley Jones, Archbishop Romero, Vidal Garcia. These, and many others, gave their life for what they believed in their hearts.

As pastor, my everyday call is to be true to my call as a Christian. Is that an easy task? NO! The temptations of this world enticing me to back off my beliefs are always there. Someone might say: "It is better to take the easy way, rather than the hard way." Yes, the temptations of this world, the voice of the devil is real: "Take the easy way; follow the crowd; don't change anything; don't look for trouble."

But instead of being part of a misguided crowd, God calls me -- and us -- to be a leader, preaching and living the Good News, the message of Advent: "The kingdom of God is here!" This is the message that John the Baptist and many people around the world have preached and still preach today to a world that is in urgent need of Good News.

Sadly, we have a lot of people in our churches that have decided to take the easy way, sitting in the pews, believing they can do nothing and doing nothing. Charles Wesley, using the letter to the Ephesians said: "Wake up you sleeper and the light of Christ will shine upon you". I think many people can't sing in a strange land because they have just stopped believing in the Advent message. They can't sing in strange land, not because it is a strange land, but because it is a strange message.

The times demand that we, as Christians, reclaim the Good News of Advent. The times demand that we, as Christians, reclaim the message of Zephaniah and Isaiah of hope and encouragement knowing that God is with us no matter what. And if God is with us, who can be against us?

Diego Orsini

All contents copyright 2003 by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. Permission is granted to United Methodist congregations, individuals and groups to reproduce and distribute this devotional without charge. All other use requires the advance permission of the editor.