“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

It seems that the main character in this passage is a prophet, which is intriguing. As with so many in the Christmas account, this prophet has a task.

He is tasked with giving people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sin.

That sounds like evangelism to me. It also sounds rather poetic.

The rising sun. From heaven to shine. Living in darkness and the shadow of death. The path of peace.

A regular wordsmith in action.

And why? All because of the tender mercy of God.

All who follow God have the same task – share the gospel.

God wants people to know him. God wants to have a relationship with them. So, for those who already do know him, what are we doing about getting on with the task?

I know when I was younger I used to carry around gospel tracts. They weren’t large so I could easily fit them in my handbag and carry it around with me anywhere.

Maybe I should take that up again. Seems like a good way for me to share the gospel being “prepared in season and out of season”.

It says that the prophet lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry. Just because he was hiding away, doesn’t mean that I have to do the same.

Yours with a handbag and not afraid to use it,

Alison