Wednesday, December 20, 2017: He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.  With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Luke 1: 16-17

In this passage, Gabriel, an angel from God, is speaking to Zechariah informing him of the birth of his son John. Just like people of today, Zechariah didn't believe what the angel said, even though the angel told him of John's great purpose-- that John was to announce the birth of Jesus: The Christ, our Lord and Savior. John did accomplish his mission, but it took persistence, stamina and boldness. He never backed down.

Who are the forerunners of Christ today? It's all of us who are born-again believers.  We must now prepare the people for Christ's Second Coming.  Like John the Baptist, we are the ones God chose to spread the good news: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have all been gifted with talents to be used for His glory, and it takes commitment as we strive to stay on task and always be devoted to the cause.  The work can be grueling at times, but like John, we must never give up.  Distractions can also get in the way but keeping our minds stayed on the task at hand will brings results that will never be for-gotten for generations to come.

This is what it was like for John the Baptist. He warned the people to repent so they could be prepared for the anticipation (or Advent): the birth of Jesus. All who listened and believed in the coming of the Son of God, were reconciled back to the Father and had everlasting life.

Prayer:  Father God, please lead and allow me to have the boldness of John the Baptist to prepare today's people to receive within their entire being the love of Jesus. Open their hearts and minds to ask for forgiveness of their sins and the desire to live a life that glorifies you. In Jesus’ precious name I pray, Amen!

Creative Call-to-Action: Familiarize yourself with scriptures by attending worship and Bible Study, and by committing to personal time with the Lord each day. Challenge yourself to share with at least two other people about what Advent means to you this week. Remember: it’s not always what you receive, it's what you bring.

   —Minister Sandy Clark