Reader TTS

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'” _Matthew 3:1-3_ One of my favorite moments in C.S. Lewis’ _The Lion, the Witch, and

the Wardrobe_ is when the beavers tell the Pevensie children that Aslan (the great Lion – and Christ figure of the book) is “on the move.” In other words… Advertise on TGC Something is up.

The prophecies are coming true. The moment we’ve been waiting for is here. John the Baptizer’s role is much like that of the beavers in the _Narnia_ book. He is telling Israel to get ready.

God is up to something! The promises are coming true. The Messiah – God’s anointed King – is coming! Advent is a time of preparation for the Messiah’s coming. We put ourselves in the place

of the faithful Jews of the first century, awaiting with eager expectation for God to act decisively to forgive sins, to end their exile, to restore the world. And yet, we also await the

Messiah’s return – Jesus’ Second Coming. How do we prepare for Jesus’ coming? We would do well to follow John the Baptizer’s command: _Repent!_ PRAYER: _Almighty God, give all of us grace to

cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which you Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day,

when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one

God, now and forever. Amen._ TREVIN WAX is vice president of research and resource development at the North American Mission Board and a visiting professor at Cedarville University. A former

missionary to Romania, Trevin is a regular columnist at The Gospel Coalition and has contributed to _The Washington Post_, _World_, and _Christianity Today_. He has taught courses on

mission and ministry at Wheaton College and has lectured on Christianity and culture at Oxford University. He is a founding editor of The Gospel Project, has served as publisher for the

Christian Standard Bible, and is currently a fellow for The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He is the author of multiple books, including _The Thrill of Orthodoxy_, _The

Multi-Directional Leader_, _Rethink Your Self_, _This Is Our Time_, and _Gospel Centered Teaching_. His podcast is _Reconstructing Faith_. He and his wife, Corina, have three children. You

can follow him on Twitter or Facebook, or receive his columns via email.