December 14, 2014 3rd Sunday of Advent
The Jewish leaders went out into the wilderness to find out just who John was. There was some confusion. I reminds me of our granddaughter Naomi, she has Julie and me confused—she calls me grandma and Julie Grandpa. When they were leaving after Thanksgiving, I was putting Naomi's coat on and Beth told her to give grandpa a hug. Naomi headed over to Julie and I pulled her back and said, “I'm Grandpa.” She looked back at me and said very businesslike, “I'm Naomi.”
This is our third Advent reading featuring John the Baptist. John was clear who he was and who he was not. Not the Messiah, not Elijah, not the prophet; he was the voice of one calling in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. The important thing to note is that John heard God's call and acted upon it. It is also worth noting there is no record of John hearing an audible voice nor is there an account of an angel coming and telling him what he is to do