Clapping hands for Jesus

Have you ever seen Barney or Elmo or a magic show? Before the star of the show walks onto the stage, another person is there to tell you they're on their way.

When Barney or the magician comes in, you clap and cheer. Then everyone quiets down to watch the show. In this week's Gospel (Luke 3:1-6), John the Baptist is like the person who gets you ready to see Barney.

But John has a much more important person to get everyone excited about: Jesus.

John the Baptist was in the desert when he heard Jesus was going to start teaching people about God. Right away, John went all over the country, saying, "Get ready for Jesus! Fill up the valleys and cut down the mountains, and make a straight road for Him to travel!"

When you hear someone say the Elmo show is starting, you feel so happy you can't sit still! By the time Elmo walks out in front of you, you're already clapping and yelling -- and you're glad that all the other kids around you are just as excited!

In a way, John the Baptist was like a kid at a show. He heard that Jesus was getting ready to start teaching people, and he just had to tell everyone. John wanted everyone to be as excited about learning from Jesus as he was!

After you've clapped for Barney or the magician for a while, you stop, so you can watch the show. You don't want to miss anything! John didn't want anyone to miss what Jesus had to say, either.

When John said to smooth out mountains and valleys into a road for Jesus, he meant that everyone should stop fighting and forgetting about God, so they could listen to everything Jesus taught -- and remember it.

If John the Baptist were alive today, he'd be a good person to have at a show. But instead of cheering for Barney, John would be saying, "Let's give a big hand for...Jesus!"

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me to get as excited about you as I do about Barney or Elmo! Amen.

(12-04-97)

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