In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"     Matthew 3:1-3

         As we live out our lives from day to day, sometimes we are so wrapped up in our own little worlds that we do not see the big picture. In doing so, we risk the danger of missing what really matters. John the Baptist saw the big picture, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. In preparing the way of the Lord, John pointed to one far greater than he, proclaiming that Jesus Christ came into the world to free humankind from sin and death.
         Some years ago there was a very popular song entitled, "Born Free." Occasionally we still hear it today - "Born free, as free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows, born free!" The music is very impressive, perhaps even inspiring, but the lyrics could not be farther from the truth. We are not born free. Rather we are born into sin and death from which we can in no way set ourselves free. God in Christ was willing to get down into the middle of the mess that humankind made of things and bleed a way out for us.
         As a father of four children I can tell you, flat out - there is no situation in this life in which I could, under any circumstances, willingly sacrifice the life of any one of them to save others. Certainly, there are circumstances in which I could sacrifice my own life to save others, but never the lives of my own children. John the Baptist knew that God the Father loved us so much that He was willing to have his only begotten Son die for us.

Almighty God, "teach me wisdom in my secret heart...fill me with joy and gladness...restore to me that joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit."(Psalm 51)

Contributed by Tom and Jeanne
Sunday August 26, 2007
Liturgical Year C Week 39