E-mail messages. Text messages. Voice mail messages. Pop-up messages on our computer screens. Messages on billboards and kiosks. Announcements that come to us through the media of radio, TV, newspapers, and magazines. In today's society, it is hard to escape the barrage of messages that seem to confront us at every turn - some welcoming and some not so.

Luke 3:1-6 invites us to listen to a message being delivered by someone shouting in the desert, challenging us to "get the road ready for the Lord!" At a time when we are seeking peace and respite from the harsh noises of the world, do we really want to hear the voice of someone shouting at us with a command to prepare for something? Aren't our "To Do" lists already crammed with more tasks than we can reasonably manage? And what exactly does it mean to "get the road ready?"

Perhaps it is precisely because we feel so over-committed with our day-to-day cares that we need to pause and listen to this messenger who approaches us with shouts and loud cries. The LORD All-Powerful has sent this messenger to us (Malachi 3:1). He is on his way to us, coming to deliver God's promise of salvation.

John the Baptist was a prophet who preached in the desert not long before Jesus himself came to be baptized by John. This reference to the desert serves as a reminder of the exodus and the place where Israel was formed to be in a covenant relationship with God (Exodus 19:5, 6). John's appearance in the desert and calling people to turn back to God and be baptized represents the hope of restoration in a new exodus. By challenging God's people to be renewed, John was preparing the way for everyone to "see the saving power of God" (Luke 3:6, CEV).

John's father, Zechariah, prophesied that his son would "go ahead of the Lord to get everything ready for him" and "tell his people that they can be saved when their sins are forgiven" (Luke 1:76b, 77, CEV). In setting the stage for Jesus' public ministry, John exhorted the people to get ready for something new that God was about to do. And his message challenges us today to be open to ways in which we, too, can "get the road ready for the Lord" (Luke 3:4b, CEV) and let God's light "shine to guide us into a life of peace" (Luke 1:79b, CEV).

As the forerunner to God's promised Messiah, John comes to us and announces God's redemptive purpose. In the midst of today's avalanche of messages, the one from John the Baptist is to be heeded. Don't hit that delete key!