Saint Athanasius Lutheran Church

John the Baptist, the prophet of... joy! Bet you didn't see that coming. Joy is not what we often associate with John. He is the fiery preacher of repentance. Most pictures of John show him very serious and stern. So what joy, what relief, these words bring! I forgive you. That is why John was baptizing. To give this joy. No, you cannot always rejoice at what is happening in the world and what is happening in your life, but you can always rejoice in who you are: a forgiven child of God. That's why Christmas, after all. Jesus was born into our life here, so that we might be born again into His life there. That was John's joy. That is our joy. And so we rejoice, always.