Jesus the Lamb of God

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1.29)

How do we relate to Jesus in a world that does not know Him? Surrounded by men and women who have no true knowledge of Jesus the Messiah how do we live, speak, be? John the Baptist was sent by the Holy Spirit to proclaim a baptism of repentance in the wilderness. He set himself on apart with the passion for God’s Holiness. In the wilderness men, women and children found him. And as they watched him consumed by His righteous abandon to God they surrendered their lives once again to the one true Lord. They repented of their failures, their sins, and found forgiveness in the symbol of baptism. Their spirits were washed clean by the love of God as the symbolic water washed over their faces.

It is here we find Jesus and our calling. We find the answer to our question. We meet Jesus as our Sovereign God, our loving Creator who redeemed us by becoming the perfect sacrifice. Only His blood can atone for our sin. Only His death can pay the price for our failure before our Holy God. Only in the presence of the cross can we feel His redemption wash over us as we crumble at the foot of His sacrifice.

This is where we bring people. We bring them with us to the waters of repentance. We stand in the wilderness like John, now before the crucified Lord and say, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” We make Jesus known were He is still unknown so men, women and children may choose for themselves.

Jesus, wash my life again as I worship You. Let me speak to the nations that You are the lamb of God!

Jesus the Light

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1.5)

Light is dangerous. It comes to us in various ways, matchsticks, lightbulbs, the sun. To live our lives we absolutely need illumination. We would stumble painfully through life—if life would even be possible—without a light that radiates through and anchors our existence. In this way, light is crucial and beloved. But light is not tame. It can burn our skin as we beneath it too long. It can sear our fingertips if we hold it directly. It exposes the deformities that darkness so easily veils. This can produce in the hearts of humanity a momentary discomfort or an immense fury.

As time turns minutes to days, weeks to lifetimes, men and women turn small pockets of darkness into ever-engulfing shadows. Sin seeks not only manipulate the darkened lives of humanity, but to control us through crippling blindness. We look at the dictators and cultural corruptors and ask ourselves, “How did humanity fall so far? How disabled can we become?”

Ultimately, wicked humanity cannot stop the brilliance of Jesus the light. The darkness sealing men and women’s souls must yield to His unstoppable radiance. He cannot be vanquished. All men, women and children will stand in the light of Life and, as His Spirit moves through the darkest caverns of our souls, He will call us to freedom, to healing, to intimacy. He calls us to the danger of peace, the all-consuming fire of His Holiness, the indestructible passion of His enduring love.

Jesus, thank you for calling me into your light and not leaving me to be overcome by the darkness of my own sinfulness