“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.” John 1:6-8
Voices. Quiet small whispers and bellowing bravado. They are in our ears all day long. Messages that cajole, encourage, inspire, disgust and defeat us. Words that tell us to hate, love, buy, sell, quit and never quit. At the end of the day, in the blackness of the night, they bounce and echo and reverberate through our heads and hearts.
These voices are wrapped in blue jeans, Armani, and priestly vestments. They have big smiles and toothless grins. They offer firm handshakes and vulgar salutes. They speak evil curses and empty promises.
To whom, or what do we listen? What guides us? What captures our imagination and motivates us? What corrects us and calls us to something better, something more? God gives a witness. He gave a witness.
Listen for the one who points to the Light. God’s desire is that all might believe in the Light, in whom there is life. This light is the Word who has come and He is for everyone. He is not a light for the righteous, or the clean, or the self-improved. He is a light for the 99% and the 1%. He is the light of the 3rd world and the 1st. He is the light for the Hindu, the Muslim, the Catholic and Atheist.
And God sends his messengers, like John, so we can all believe. Whether the messenger comes in camel hair, or smoking camels, or as a grade school girl singing “Jesus Loves Me”; they lead us to the Light.
The messenger is not the Light. The messenger is important yet inconsequential. The messenger may lose his head, but the Light shines on. We need to hear the the story of the Light. We need to believe in the light. The true messenger of God points to the light. The witness bears witness of the light and the life He brings.
Father, I praise you for the Light, who is life. I thank you for the messengers who have pointed to you and helped make you known to me. I pray that today, I may hear the right voice and the rest you will silence with your truth. I pray that in the meditations of my mind, there will be quiet and clarity. Let me see your Light that I might believe in your light again, each moment. Amen.