John 1:6-8. 19-28 

A man came, sent by God.His name was John.He came as a witness,as a witness to speak for the light, so that everyone might believe through him.He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light.

This is how John appeared as a witness. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ.’ ‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’ ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No’. So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?’ So John said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied:a voice that cries in the wilderness:Make a straight way for the Lord.

Now these men had been sent by the Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, ‘Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?’ John replied, I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’ This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.

 Reflection

John had a very clear understanding of his role. He was to prepare the way for Jesus, who was about to begin his public ministry. John’s teaching and exhortations attracted attention and the people responded by flocking to hear him. John called the people of his time to raise their heads from their daily work, to put aside their worries and distractions, and to focus on preparing for the coming of the Messiah. His personality and teaching were magnetic and people responded.  

We have things in common with the people who responded to John. Their lives were a daily battle for physical survival; we often have to battle to raise our hearts and minds above the daily demands of work and family, and these things often swamp our spiritual lives; for some of us there is indeed a daily battle for physical survival for ourselves and our family. This can be especially the case at Christmas, where the demands of the year ending, Christmas celebrations, financial pressures and preparing for holidays can mean Advent and its meaning are on the periphery and out of focus. 

We don’t have John the Baptist in our streets or in the nearby countryside. Who or what is there to call us daily to begin preparing for the great feast of Christmas, to help us to raise our eyes beyond the ordinary demands of our lives? 

In Aotearoa New Zealand we have our own harbinger of Christmas all around us, especially in the North Island. The early settlers, so used to snow in their home countries in the Northern Hemisphere, must have been astounded when they saw for the first time the pohutukawa trees, which they had previously hardly noticed, become covered in bright red flowers during Advent. In some parts of the country those flowers are already present, and in others the flowers are about to appear. They are our own indigenous call to prepare for the great feast of the Incarnation. If we use their image in our prayer then they become powerful signs for us as we see them in our daily lives, as John was a sign to the people of his time of an imminent coming of the Messiah. 

It is all a matter of association. We can choose to associate pohutukawa flowers with Advent and preparation for Christmas. We can also choose what Santa Claus means to us at Christmas. For most people he probably just means shopping and presents. But if we choose to see Santa as a reminder of John’s call to “make a straight way for the Lord”, then we reclaim him from the commercial world and give him a John the Baptist quality in reminding us about the true nature of the season.  

Wherever we live there will be something which can act as our own personal “John the Baptist call” to prepare for the feast of the Nativity, if we give it that association.  If we seek John the Baptist in our lives, because we really want to hear his message, we will find him and perhaps in a rather unexpected form.