John the Baptist is an interesting character. He was not someone who kept up with the latest fashion. We are told he wore strange clothes, ate insects and lived in the desert. And yet John was very popular as we hear that ‘all of Judea’ came to him. There was obviously something very attractive about John. People could see something in him; something that inspired them; something that gave them hope. John is clear that he is not the one they are looking for; rather he is someone who is pointing to the one they are looking for. John shows the way for people, he is a signpost to God.
The world says to God, ‘we no longer need you, we know what is best’. And then we look at the wilderness of our modern world and hear the voice of one crying, “Prepare a way”. How do we prepare for welcoming God’s love into our hearts? God is crying out for us to welcome him again and again. It is us who are blocked; we put so many things in the way. John is urging us to clear the path, to let go of all the things that are preventing us from experiencing God’s love. John is calling people out from despair into hopefulness.
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