God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’” (John 1:6–14 NLT)
How do we prepare for something that has already happened?
When John was preaching to the crowds in the first century, he was pointing forward in time toward the arrival of the Messiah. He was a precursor, an antecedent, a prologue.
Except, now we are living after the lifetime of the person John was pointing to. Jesus has already come, lived, taught, died, resurrected, and ascended. We are not quite in the epilogue, though we certainly know what it contains – the restoration of all creation, the end of suffering and death, the endless reign of Christ as we celebrate in his Kingdom together. But here and now, in the liminal space between the worlds of John the Baptist and John the Revelator, how do we prepare for the Kingdom of God that is already well in hand?
The same way the people prepared before Jesus arrived on the scene. Repent of our sin and turn to God, not just in words but in how we live. Give to the poor. Feed the hungry. Love our neighbors. Care for the widows, orphans and unhoused. Be generous with the time, money, and resources God has given us.
All of this requires us to look beyond ourselves and our own interests and needs. Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw described it this way, “This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can.” While Shaw did not understand his mighty purpose in life to be loving God by serving his community, as followers of Jesus, we understand this to be among the highest callings we can have in this life.
To be clear – and I’m sure John would agree – these acts of love and service do not save us. They are simply the manifestation of the inward repentance in our outward lives, but they also do something else; these acts of love and service also make us more attentive to Christ in our world. It is only when we have eyes pointed outward and upward rather than inward and down at our own two feet that we can be open to seeing where God is at work all around us and inviting us to join in. We must look beyond our own spaces to where our sphere of influence interacts with the spaces occupied by others.
Are you keeping your eyes pointed upward and outward to be open to seeing God at work around you? As you make your way through the day, ask yourself where God is inviting you to join him in loving and serving others.
Michael Benson is the communications director for the North American Baptist Conference.