It seems a funny thing to have to do -- introducing Jesus, all over again.
After all, we're coming off of a prolonged period of introductions. With Advent we spent four weeks getting ready to greet him, then at Christmas he celebrated his birth and with Epiphany we followed the Magi from the East as they came to bring him greetings and blessings.
And yet, this Sunday here is John the Baptist giving us yet another introduction...and with good reason!
In many ways the Christmas season is all about introducing us to the Christ child, but on Sunday John the Baptist wants us to know Jesus the Messiah.
Now, I don't mean for those to sound like two different people. Because they are not. It is just that they represent different stages in the life of our savior that emphasis different aspects of the narrative of our faith.
The Christ child comes into this world in much the same way as any other baby -- full of promise, wonder, and love. In the case of the Christ child it is the promise of God's love miraculously breaking into this world; it is God's eternal promise coming to fruition once and for all.
Then suddenly the narrative jumps forward three decades into the future and here we are with a full grown Jesus the Messiah -- preaching and teaching, calling disciples and doing miraculous things in the name of God Most High. It is a jarring jump forward and so John the Baptist is here to help smooth that rocky transition. He introduces us to Jesus all over again that we might know him (he's more than just a promise now!) and what he is up to (so that we too can follow him!).
So come join us this Sunday at FCC Scottsdale as we are reintroduced to Jesus, our Lord and Savior, all over again!
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