For my high school years, I attended a boarding school here in Kenya. At that school I became friends with a quality chap named Robert whose parents were serving in Zambia. They moved up to the town where our boarding school was. Many times in the two years they were in Kijabe I'd go down and experience their generous hospitality. I'm so thankful for people like that, who come into our lives and make it better! It's been six years since graduation from our boarding school. I'm still friends with Robert, and his family has still shown that same generous hospitality to me in various ways over the years. One of Robert's many brothers was flying back to the States a few weeks ago to share the Christmas break with his family. Robert's mom asked if I would like to send any Christmas presents to my family in the States. Naturally, you can't pass up on such a speedy courier service from here in Kenya when the normal postal service can take on average anywhere from 3-6 months to get your parcels to the States.My family had no idea what was coming. Yesterday a parcel arrived at their post office in Utah with no name in the sender box, just an address from somewhere in Roseburg, Oregon. That box of presents would be heralding Christmas from a son thousands of miles away in Kenya. My mom is going to place the presents underneath their Christmas tree, signaling the coming of Christmas day when they can open their presents.
Two thousand years ago someone else was signaling the coming of a parcel the size of a baby from a far away place as well. "John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.... 'After me comes one who is mightier than I.'" Whilst that parcel which I sent to my parents heralds the coming of a certain day where they can open gifts, John's ministry in the wilderness was heralding something so much more significant.
We as humans can often get caught up heralding the coming of things that pale in comparison to the very thing that John was heralding. During this Advent season, I pause to think about the things that I point to in my life. Do I point to/speak of things that have such little significance to the kingdom of God, or do I point to the One who ushered in that very kingdom? John had a very important ministry; he prepared the way for the One who was to change history forever. We too are called to be messengers. We are called to prepare the way for the coming of our Lord for the second time. What are you pointing to today?
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