The Wonder of Humble People Pointing Beyond Themselves

Deb Grant, the pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Dickinson, Texas, authors a daily email she calls ELOGOS. Here is today's installment:

Luke 3:15-16
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

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It was pop artist Andy Warhol who said that everybody would have 15 minutes of fame - a reference to the explosive and fleeting nature of celebrity. In today's culture, 15 minutes of fame could be pandered by clever marketing people into a fortune. Ordinary people become Youtube icons or action figures. John the Baptist was a retro prophet for a people who hadn't seen or heard from a prophet in hundreds of years. He could have had his own talk show in a heart beat. Instead he waves off the fame and does simply what he was born to do –point to Jesus. As we watch celebrities rise and fall and feel the ebb and flow of our own successes and failures, we are wise to consider the historical wonder of a humble man doing his job with integrity so that the world will be ready to recognize the Savior of the world.

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Lord, when all is said and done, may it be said of me, that I pointed to Jesus.
Amen.

If you would like to subscribe to ELOGOS, send Pastor Grant an email at: revdeb@jazzwater.com. Here is her web site.