Remember John?

Millions of people stand in line for hours to see the latest dramas on the Broadway stage or on the movie screen. Yet these same people miss the greatest drama of all: The story of Christmas.

Perhaps we miss the drama of Christmas because the story has become too familiar. We know the lines by heart. Perhaps we see the people in the Christmas story as merely characters and not real people at all. The Christmas story is a nice story, but it's not real-life, so it doesn't mean much to us today.

Maybe if we went backstage and met some of the characters, Christmas would have more meaning for us now. Look, there's one of the cast: John the Baptizer!

John is quite a he-man! Medium height. Muscular. His skin is dark, well-tanned by the desert sun. His brown hair is long and unkempt. His eyes flash with a fanatical fire. His voice sounds like the roar of a mighty lion.

John is a cousin of Jesus. Unlike Jesus, John was raised in a wealthy home. His father was a priest. As a young man, John spent a lot of time in the wilderness. Now John has come out of the wilderness and is preaching a fiery message many people find hard to accept: "Repent of your sins! Be baptized! Straighten up your life and live right with God, because the Messiah is knocking at the door!"

God chose John to play a major role in "The Drama of Christmas." First, John's task is to wake people up. Wake up to the fact of sin in your life and the need to change your selfish lifestyle and turn to God. Wake up to the power of goodness and divine love that is at work among you. Wake up and behold God-in-the-flesh!

Second, John's task is to pave the way from the heart of God into the heart of man. The king of heaven has arrived on Earth, and wants to become a part of our daily living. So we are to clear the way of any obstacles that might hinder his coming.

Finally, John's job is to play second fiddle to Jesus Christ. When John has done his task, and Jesus arrives on the scene, John steps aside, fading into the background as Jesus stands in the spotlight of human history.

We can learn much from John the Baptizer: (l) We, like John, have been chosen by God. (2) We have the same task as John; we are to proclaim to all peoples that King Jesus is among us and that they repent of their sins and turn to Godly ways. (3) We, ourselves, are to be prepared to receive Jesus into our hearts and lives.

All the characters in the Christmas drama were real-life people like us, sinful and flawed, faced with difficult times and hard choices. Challenged by God to turn away from the ways of darkness and to live in the light. Like John, we are to point to the Christ as we fade into the background. Jesus Christ was real to John; let Jesus Christ be real for us!

The Rev. Dr. Don Kuehle is a retired United Methodist minister who lives in Jackson.