A devotional by Kay Pflueger
“The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”—“a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” And so, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
– Mark 1:1-4 (NIV)
In the first chapter of Mark, we meet John the Baptist. He was the appointed messenger who was spoken of in the Old Testament by the prophet Isaiah. John’s role was to herald the coming of the Messiah—to prepare the way for the Lord. His voice was heard loud and clear after 400 years of silence and lack of prophecy to the nation of Israel.
He was called by God to come out of the wilderness to preach and to teach. His message was clear: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:7-8 NIV)
The past few years have been particularly noisy ones in our world, filled with many voices clamoring for attention and wanting to be heard. Voices shouting for equality, for unity and reform in our government, for answers in our global health crisis. Like John the Baptist, those voices had a message to proclaim.
We as Christians need to be concerned about equality in our nation. We should seek a government that works together and for the benefit of all people. We long to be free from the effects from the pandemic. However, I have found it hard to hear those messages above all the noise. It has become an “I can’t see the forest for the trees” kind of situation for me as they were drowned out by all the clamoring.
Social media has made it difficult to sort the voices that need to be heard from those that are echoes. The news channels seem to share those voices that are the loudest but are not always the ones with a true message of hope. We are wandering in the wilderness. We are confused by what we see and hear. We don’t know who to listen to or whom to trust.
The past few years have been particularly noisy ones in our world, filled with many voices clamoring for attention and wanting to be heard. Voices shouting for equality, for unity and reform in our government, for answers in our global health crisis. Like John the Baptist, those voices had a message to proclaim.
We as Christians need to be concerned about equality in our nation. We should seek a government that works together and for the benefit of all people. We long to be free from the effects from the pandemic. However, I have found it hard to hear those messages above all the noise. It has become an “I can’t see the forest for the trees” kind of situation for me as they were drowned out by all the clamoring.
Social media has made it difficult to sort the voices that need to be heard from those that are echoes. The news channels seem to share those voices that are the loudest but are not always the ones with a true message of hope. We are wandering in the wilderness. We are confused by what we see and hear. We don’t know who to listen to or whom to trust.
Facebook is filled with echoes—posts being shared without thought—just for the sake of “likes”. Instagram is filled with influencers who live for those clicks regardless of what harm their posts are causing. What the world needs is not more of those echoes; but rather, more voices that can be heard above all else. Voices that stand up and declare what is right. Christians are called to be different and not to echo what the world is sharing.
John the Baptist stood out. He did not follow “social media” to decide what to wear, what to eat, what to say. He was different and because he was different, people listened. He used his own voice to proclaim the good news.
The true message of who Jesus Christ is as our Lord and Savior needs to be heard. We are called to be a voice not an echo.
Let’s Pray: Lord, fill us with the desire to share Your message with everyone. Make our voices loud and clear enough to be heard above the noise in our world. We are not to be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but rather we are to proclaim it to all the world. Open the ears of those who need to hear Your Voice through us. In Jesus’s Name we pray. Amen.
Song of Reflection: “I Am Not Ashamed” (song) by Heritage Singers. Listen to it here.
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Author Bio:
Learning to read as a young child opened a world of adventure for Kay Pflueger. She came to realize words can have a unique power and beauty.
Kay recently completed a Copyediting certificate program and is currently pursuing a Creative Writing certificate. Her leisure time is spent with her married son and three grandchildren or in writing, reading, or trying new recipes.
She is an avid baseball fan who looks forward every summer to following her favorite team, the Chicago Cubs.
Kay is active member of Victory Lutheran Church in her hometown of San Diego, California and she enjoys writing devotions to be shared on the church website as well as on her personal social media.
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Connect with Kay:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.m.pflueger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irishsweetpea/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pflueger_kay
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9793471-kay-pflueger
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