Advent: The Light That Rises in the DarknessNäide

The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness

“Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, 'Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!'" Isaiah 40:3 (NLT)

John the Baptist was the first voice of Christmas. He didn’t wear any festive clothing, neither did he sing Christmas carols, nor light candles. His life was a voice – simple, honest, prophetic. He called people to get their hearts ready to recognize the One Who was already standing in their midst.

John’s world was noisy, full of political and religious controversies. And yet God chose the wilderness – a place deprived of any comfort but full of the truth. Since it is there, among the silence of the desert, that the voice sounds the clearest.

And today God calls us to be the voice in today’s wilderness – among indifference, cynicism, falseness, cruelty, and injustice. To be people who don’t just talk, but live the way others can hear the Gospel through them. To be the voice of hope where fear reigns. The voice of the truth, where it’s more convenient to remain silent. To be the voice of compassion where society is tired of pain.

To be the voice of John means to point not to your personal self but to Christ. We’re called not to save but to prepare the way for the One Who saves. When we speak, minister, love, we remind this world that the Light is already on its way.

Ask yourself:

• Where can I today become the voice of God’s hope for others?
• What “wildernesses” around me need the word of life?

Prayer:

Lord, please, turn my life into the voice that leads others to You. Teach me to tell the truth with love, to act with mercy, and to live with hope. May people hear You through me. May people be full of hope after communicating with me. Amen.