Reading: Luke 3:1-6 (NRSV)
Song: Comfort, Comfort All My People (lyrics here)
Reflection
The ministry of John the Baptist is an important one for us to reflect upon during the Advent season. Among other things, John reminds us of the important role of the herald in God’s coming kingdom.
Heralds are the ones who bring important news. They go ahead of a traveling dignitary or royalty and prepare their subjects for the visit. The royal arrival may be a peaceful one, but can it also bring judgment to a rebellious people. In that light, the word of the herald can sometimes be good news, but it can sometimes be a warning.
John’s ministry is both. The coming of the Messiah is a gift, and his herald message echoes the promise of Isaiah:
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” (Isaiah 52:7)
But John also brings a prophetic warning to those who use power to oppress and subdue God’s people. He quotes another passage from Isaiah which reminds us that Jesus came to turn the established order on its head:
"...as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, 'The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.''" (vv. 4-6)
Both the announcement of the gift and the call to repent, strangely enough, are words of comfort, at least to those who have ears to hear. The offering of peace and invitation to turn from sin are both gifts of mercy from a God who looks at the damage wrought by sin and human cruelty and says, “Enough!” The words of the herald announce not only a royal visitation, but the coming of a new kingdom altogether.
We still wait for that new kingdom to come in all of its fullness, and until that day we take comfort in the promises of the herald. And we, also, become heralds as we share the good news of Christ’s coming, as the carol encourages us:
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
groaning from their sorrows’ load.
Speak to all Jerusalem
of the peace that waits for them;
tell them that their sins I cover,
that their warfare now is over.
How might God call you to be a herald of his kingdom during this Advent season?
Spend some time today reading and thinking about the ministry of John the Baptist. How does his ministry resonate with you right now? How might God use you this Advent season to herald the good news of Christ’s coming?
You might also take some time reading and praying through Philippians 1:3-11, thinking of those for whom you are grateful to God. Who has served as a “herald” in your life, reminding you of God’s gracious gift or perhaps challenging you to follow Christ more closely? Spend some time in worship and gratitude before God for the heralds in your own life.