John the Witness - Ever since Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office, presidents and chief executives in the private sector have sought to use the first hundred days of their new term to achieve immediate victories, set the tone for the future, and provide clarity and motivation to their teams. John 1:19 is the first day of Jesus’ first week of public ministry. Instead of clarity and motivation, however, the first seven days of Jesus’ public ministry begins with confusion and misidentification. “Who are you?” John the Baptist is asked by a delegation of religious authorities. His answer—his testimony—not only sets the stage for Jesus’ public ministry, it also gives us our marching orders as witnesses of Jesus in our own place and time. Join us this Sunday as we turn to John 1:19-34.
The New Year is a great time to revisit the story of Jesus, because our hope for the future is only as secure as our grounding in the person and work of Christ for us. Even though this Gospel isn’t about us, it is for us—Jesus is the Word who is life, and that life is the light of all men. No matter what future you are staring down this New Year, I want you to have the unshakable confidence that the Word which spoke life into being holds your life in his hands and the darkness will not overcome it.
