Posts tagged John the Baptist

The Nativity of John the Baptist was one of the first festivals to be included on the Church’s calendar. Also of note is that this is one of only three birthdays the Church recalls (the other two being that of Jesus and the virgin Mary) as all other saints are commemorated on the day of their death.

John, the name given to him by the angel, means “God’s gracious gift”, and John fulfilled the promise of this name by heralding the arrival of the long-promised Messiah.

Today we remember John, the forerunner, but especially the faithfulness of God, whose plan of salvation came to fruition in His Son. From a priestly family, John’s birth was marked by the angel for his special role. In the visit of the virgin Mary to Elizabeth, John kicked in the womb, stirred at the very presence of Jesus.

The Lord knows that we will all have moments where we will need to be reminded of the identity of Jesus; of who he really is. He sees our weakness, even in the face of his direct revelation. But HE HAS MERCY ON US in these things.

And as St. Paul tells us in the epistle lesson today, IT IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST who will sustain you till the end. Look; he has made you anew in the waters of your rebirth. Look: he sustains you in the witness of John the Baptist. Look! He gives you his body and blood to eat and drink in order that you might be FED the blessings of forgiveness he has to give you!

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

You see, the question we first start off with; this hypothetical situation about “what if Jesus came to earth now: would anyone believe him?” And our follow up question, asking the same thing about John the Baptist? Well, they are fundamentally flawed questions. Because they neglect to take into account one variable. And really, it is the only variable that matters.

That variable? The Holy Spirit.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor