Who is this Kid?

When I walk through the halls of the Preschool Ministry, oftentimes I hear a child asking their mother or father, “Why?” Sometimes not just once but multiple times in a row, expecting an answer every time. It always makes me smile it reminds me of when I was little.

I remember my mother sending me to school a year earlier because my “why’s?” were never satisfied. As I grew up, my “why’s?” became more and more elaborate and unanswerable. I couldn’t wrap my head around a response that would answer my questions about my own purpose in life.

As a young adult, I met some people that listened to my inner dilemma and pointed me to the One that gave me my purpose and could answer my questions about my life and destiny. These people offered me their friendship and loved me, but they did not want the attention on them instead, they pointed me towards Christ through the love that they showed me.

I love the story of John the Baptist’s birth from the disbelief of his father Zacharias to the miraculous pregnancy of his mother Elizabeth an old, barren woman. John didn’t want the focus to be on himself but instead on the Son of God. John’s birth was only a part of God’s bigger plan to pave the way for His Son. The people wondered what God’s plan would be and what events would unfold through this child born from a barren woman. God’s intentions were to make people question and wonder about His plans to use one child to bring focus to another Child since John was only preparing the way for Jesus. The book of Luke unfolds God’s plan to point us towards Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Christmas is the opportunity to share the story of another miraculous birth. We need to repeat this story to our children and point them to ask for themselves why Jesus is the ultimate answer to all our questions.

Questions for Thought

1. In light of your own circumstances, what are you questioning that is truly the work of the Holy Spirit pointing others to Christ through you?
2. How does the birth of John the Baptist prepare the way for the coming of Jesus’ birth?

Daily Challenge

Search in your daily life for ways to purposefully point others towards Christ through your words and actions.