December 7, 2015

Monday: During the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness (Luke 3:2; NIV).

            “The Word of God came to John.” That formula introduces the ministry of 9 of the 15 writing prophets. It seems clear that the Word of God is central to what a prophet does. That’s important. So often we think of prophets in terms of peering into and foretelling the future. To be sure there’s a future aspect to the prophets’ work.  But look more closely at John: he is a prophet whose task is “to turn the hearts…to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17; NIV). John doesn’t predict the future; he calls Israel to repentance.

            Similarly, preachers today call people to repentance by proclaiming God’s Word. What we hear on Sunday can seem so ordinary. Few preachers create the same image as John did. Yet the work of God continues to go on, reminding us week by week that we are sinners, calling us to set aside our sins, to see things God’s way, and to embrace His plans and purposes, to prepare our hearts to receive our Lord.