Following worship one Sunday, Marty...
Illustration
Object:
Following worship one Sunday, Marty spoke with the pastor. He said, "I know you did not intend to hurt anyone but I found parts of your message offensive." The first thought to enter the pastor's mind was where did Marty get the idea that preachers were not to offend their listeners.
The prophets of old told it like they saw it. They did not seem concerned with hurting someone's feelings with their message. On this second Sunday of Advent we encounter John the Baptist. He looked the part of an Old Testament prophet with his camel's hair jacket, leather belt, and weird diet of bugs and honey. He had an urgent message to deliver, "Prepare the way of the Lord." Jesus would soon be on the scene so the people had better change their lives to be ready and in tune when Jesus arrives.
What would John the Baptist tell us as we prepare for Christmas? Maybe that we should spend more time serving the needy than shopping at the mall. Or that we should care for the "least of these" instead of buying expensive gifts for people who have more than most people in our world. That message would certainly be offensive to many of us. John the Baptist stands before us "proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."
The prophets of old told it like they saw it. They did not seem concerned with hurting someone's feelings with their message. On this second Sunday of Advent we encounter John the Baptist. He looked the part of an Old Testament prophet with his camel's hair jacket, leather belt, and weird diet of bugs and honey. He had an urgent message to deliver, "Prepare the way of the Lord." Jesus would soon be on the scene so the people had better change their lives to be ready and in tune when Jesus arrives.
What would John the Baptist tell us as we prepare for Christmas? Maybe that we should spend more time serving the needy than shopping at the mall. Or that we should care for the "least of these" instead of buying expensive gifts for people who have more than most people in our world. That message would certainly be offensive to many of us. John the Baptist stands before us "proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."
