Today’s Reading: John 1:14-18

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. – John 1:14

Full of love for his creation, Jesus became one of the created. He did not just appear, he grew in the womb of a young woman who had a heart for God. Knowing her heart was fully devoted to Yahweh, she was chosen to be the first to greet the Messiah. She fed him, took care of him, and raised him. With the heart of a mother, she loved the One who was full of unfailing love. Out of faithfulness to God, she raised the One who was full of faithfulness.

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. – John 1:6-9

John the Baptist played a very important role in preparing the way for the ministry of Jesus. The prophets had told God’s people that a Messiah was coming, but time had passed and their hearts were not ready for his arrival. Someone needed to get their attention with the message of repentance.

John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me. From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” — John 1:15-18

Who prepared the way for you? Is there someone whose involvement in your life brought you to a place of readiness to receive Jesus? Last week, I shared the story of our neighbors inviting us to church, and how my life was changed by the gift of church shoes. Today I would like to tell you about my first pastor and the impact he had on my life.

When we started attending the Nazarene church in Bloomington, Indiana, we met Pastor Mark and Lucy Barnes. They mentored my parents and discipled them in their new faith, and they generously loved both me and my sister. When my father received his call into ministry, Pastor Mark gave him his first ministry assignment. And when the Barnes family moved to Alabama to pastor a different church, he invited our family to join them there. A year later we moved again when Pastor Mark was called to pastor in Rock Island, Illinois. My father served as his youth pastor for more than six years. Our families vacationed together and did life together.

So who was Pastor Mark to me? He was the patient pastor who let me come into his office to ask him questions when I didn’t understand what I was reading in the bible. He was the friend who made me laugh, and whose smile told me how much I meant to him. Under his preaching, I gave my life to Jesus and never turned back. He was the one who baptized me, and he was a great example of what it meant to respond in obedience to God’s call. Decades later, when Scott and I attended our first district superintendents’ gathering; he was there to hug me and tell me how proud he was of us both. He was like a father to me and I never once questioned his love for me.

On July 24th, 2021, Reverend Mark Barnes quietly slipped away from this life and into the arms of Jesus. Over the next few months, I processed his role in my life and grieved my loss. I am eternally grateful for his investment in my life. I am thankful for the role he played in my journey of grace, and I miss him terribly. I wish I could have one more opportunity to tell him just how much he meant to me.

Who is your John the Baptist? Whose investment in your life prepared the way for Jesus to come in and do a transforming work in you? Can you look back and see how God used someone else to reveal Himself to you? Perhaps this would be a great day to thank them for the impact they have had on your life.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month — a great opportunity to let the pastors in your life know how much you love and appreciate all they do for the church, and for the impact they are having on your life. Let’s encourage our pastors this weekend and let them know their hard work is making a difference!