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Gospel Reading for December 07, 2025 – Matthew 3: 1-12
RECOGNIZE
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
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People went to be baptized by John the Baptist to signify repentance for their sins. This was John’s way of preparing the path of the Saviour.
Truly, there is no better way to allow Jesus to come into our lives without first repenting for our sins. No one is sinless, therefore, we need Jesus to save us so we may have the chance to someday enter into eternal life. But before we may be saved, we should at first RECOGNIZE our need to be saved. After recognizing, we need to accept, then we need to repent.
God made it easy for us to reconcile with him – no interactive voice response, no appointments to make, no exams to take, no licenses to acquire, etc.. Jesus gave his apostles the authority to forgive sins in his name (John 20: 23), assuring us that when we go to confession with sincere repentance, God has forgiven us.
Lord, may we always want to remain reconciled with you!
