Lamp Light 

“John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness,

preaching a baptism of repentance.”

Mark 1:4 

          As the train left the station, a young man stood up and preached “fire and brimstone” from the Shady Grove Station to Metro Center.  Since, this was my first ride on the Metro train in Washington D.C., I thought it odd they offered that kind of service.  My son thought this “street preacher” was horning in on his dad’s job, so elbowed me to get up and take over. 

          Most in-your-face self-appointed prophets make us uncomfortable.  They just don’t seem civilized.  No doubt, I would have felt the same about John, dressed in his camel’s hair tunic.  The difference between my Metro evangelist and John is that you had to go out of your way to hear the Baptizer.  He set up his pulpit in the middle of a desert wilderness that was located nowhere near a metro stop.  You had to walk a long way to get there.  People did; but why?  What were they looking for? 

          I think they were looking for a new beginning, a fresh start, a clean slate.  The changing of a calendar into a New Year reminds us of just how much baggage we carry around; how many regrets, how much guilt, how many disappointments.

          John offered a fresh start, but more than that he would point to one who could show us how to finish.  That’s why scripture remembers John.  He was the first one to say, “Look to Jesus”.  He would not be the last.

Lord, as we begin this new year help us to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith so that we may see you more clearly, follow you more nearly, and love you more dearly day by day.  Amen