Passage:

⁷⁶ And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
⁷⁷ to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Luke 1, New International Version

Ponder:

Christmas is an exciting season, especially for us Filipinos. It’s like the pinnacle of all celebrations in the entire year and we put so much effort preparing for it.

We become so preoccupied with buying gifts, doing grocery, or decorating our homes.

But what if we get so caught up preparing to celebrate that we forget to prepare ourselves for the Person behind the celebration?

If Christmas is the day to remember the arrival of Christ to the world, then how did God prepare the world for the arrival of Christ?

In this chapter, we can see that before God sent Christ, He called John the Baptist first.

Before the Messiah arrived, he raised up a Messenger.

And the greatest preparation was done to pave the way for the greatest revelation of God’s Son.

So dear messenger of Christ, how’s the preparation going?

Practice:

Prepare to share the gospel with your friends and family this Christmas. Jesus is the greatest gift you can share with them.

Prayer:

O, Lord, may I be like John the baptist who will prepare your way to the heart of the people around me, especially this season.