Dear Christian friends:

Our text today tells about John the Baptizer. God sent John ahead of Jesus to prepare the Jewish people to accept the Savior who will come soon. We, too, are preparing our hearts and homes for Jesus' coming.


Many of you say, "No!" (Show how the anxious try to get ready.) A few perhaps say, "Yes." (Show how they act.) A few of you are smiling and thinking, "No, no, if that's all one does, he is not ready for Christmas."

We fell sorry for many, many, some we know, who prepare for Christmas like that. But be careful! We, too, are tempted to become very worried about such preparations. So, I ask you again: Are you really ready for Christmas?

So what should we be doing to get ready for Christmas? How did John the Baptizer prepare the Jewish people for Jesus' coming? He showed people their sins and wrong ideas, and wrong values. He showed people their selfish, greedy, and love of money. They love money and earthly things more than truth, righteousness, love and kindness.

John himself denied himself earthly riches and things to help people understand about that. The Bible says he wore clothing of camel's hair and a leather belt and ate locusts and wild honey. John refused earthly riches and comforts to impress people not to love and hunger for such things, but to hunger for truth, love, justice and righteousness.

Many people understood their wrong ideas and false values and confessed their sins and let John baptize them. So, we also should prepare our hearts and minds for Jesus' birth by trying to understand our wrong ideas, wrong ways and false values.

Ask yourself some hard questions: Do I love money and earthly comforts and pleasures too much? Do I lie, steal or cheat to get more money? Do I fail to give for church and charity as I ought because I want more nice things for myself? Have I done my duty as a father, mother, husband, or wife?

Have I done my duty at work? My duty for society? My duty to my country? My duty for the deaf community?

Churches are short of money. Why? The government is short on money. Why? Lottery! We must have gambling to support now in Ohio and Michigan. If we ask ourselves hard questions like these we will see our many wrong ways and false values.

We will confess our sins and seek God's mercy in Jesus whose birth we now prepare to celebrate. Eagerly we sing, "O holy Child of Bethlehem come to us we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in: Be born in us today!"

Amen.