In today’s Advent reflection, we meet John the Baptist as Matthew introduces him—the last of the Old Testament prophets and the one called to “prepare the way of the Lord.” John’s whole life reminds us what real purpose looks like: he wasn’t the star, and he never tried to be. Like a fullback clearing the path for someone else to shine, John knew his calling was to point people to Jesus, not himself. In a culture obsessed with spotlight and recognition, he shows us that true joy comes from serving, from humility, and from helping others see Christ. We’re not the hero of the story—Jesus is—and our job, like John’s, is simply to make His path straight by loving, serving, and guiding others toward Him.

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Well good morning. It’s good to be with you this Thursday morning as we continue together in our Advent season. It’s great to continue in God’s Word.

Today we’re going to be looking at Matthew—and I paid attention this time, y’all. Remember how I said sometimes our devotional guide will cut a passage in half? You’ll get one part one day and the rest the next day? So when I saw today was Matthew 3, I thought, “Okay, they’re about to chop up Sunday’s reading.” And sure enough—that’s exactly what they did. So today is Matthew 3:1–4, and tomorrow we’ll be in Matthew 3:5–12 to finish the section.

So today, we’re getting the introduction to John the Baptist. Tomorrow, we’ll hear his actual sermon.

Let’s read Matthew 3:1–4:

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.’”
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

So here we see the beginning of our time with John the Baptist. John is really the last of the Old Testament prophets. Jesus Himself says at one point that there was no one born of woman greater than John the Baptist. And John came to do exactly what Isaiah said: prepare the way of the Lord.

There are two images I always think of when it comes to John.

The first is from football—so forgive me if football isn’t your language, but it fits too perfectly. When Scripture says “prepare the way of the Lord,” I always think about a position you don’t see much anymore: the fullback.

Growing up playing football, I wanted to be a fullback. I was a lineman—slow and not very likely to ever touch the ball. But fullbacks? They occasionally got to run the ball or catch a pass, but really their whole job was this: lead blocking.They exist to open up the path for the tailback. They run through the line, find the first person in the hole—usually a linebacker—and hit them so the tailback can run free.

Fullbacks don’t get the glory. They don’t rack up the yards. Their job is to make space so someone else can shine.

And that brings me to my second thought about John the Baptist:
John understood that his life was not about himself.

John was a great preacher. People came from all over to hear him. He had disciples. He had a following. He could’ve built something huge around his name. But he didn’t. Because he knew his job wasn’t to draw attention to himself—it was to point the world to Jesus. His whole purpose was to prepare the way.

That takes humility. That takes selflessness. Because let’s be honest—don’t we all want to be the star? Don’t we all want our name in lights? Don’t we want to be the center of the story?

But John shows us what real life looks like.
Real life isn’t found in being the star.
Real fulfillment doesn’t come from being the hero.
Real joy comes from serving—especially serving Jesus.

If we try to be the star, we’re going to get it wrong. We’re not the hero. We’re broken, imperfect people. Jesus is the hero. Jesus is the Savior. Jesus is the One who deserves the spotlight.

One of my favorite lines from Brennan Manning in The Ragamuffin Gospel says,
“Christianity is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.”
That’s us. We’re not the bakery—we’re the beggars pointing toward the bread.

John the Baptist understood that. His life was not about being the one in the spotlight. His life was about being the fullback—clearing the path, serving faithfully, pointing others to Jesus.

And you know this if you’re a parent—your joy isn’t in your Christmas presents. Your joy is in seeing your kids’ joy. We live for others. We serve others. That’s where real life is.

Our culture tells us it’s all about us. But Scripture tells us it’s all about Jesus. And our purpose, like John’s, is simply to make His path straight—to help others see Him, know Him, and follow Him.

So today, serve others. Prepare the way for Jesus in someone’s life. Point someone to Him.
Because that’s where life is found.

Tomorrow we’ll look at John’s sermon—and John does not pull punches. So get ready.

Hey, thanks for being with us. Have a great day.