Imminent Arrival of the Judge

John the Baptist is known for preparing the people for Jesus. How did he do so? Did he tell them to clean up their acts? Not really. Did he preach love and understanding? Not quite. Instead, he preaches harshly about repentance. John knew something that we would do well to be reminded of today: On every day throughout our lives, we are called to repent because we know that the Kingdom of heaven is near. Our judge draws near every day... and he declares us not guilty. That's the perfect way to kick off Advent!