BROADCASTS.com

b'(Is.49:3,5-6;\\xa0\\xa0 Ps.40:2,4,7-10;\\xa0\\xa0 1Cor.1:1-3;\\xa0\\xa0 Jn.1:29-34) \\xa0 \\u201cI am made glorious in the sight of the Lord, and my God is now my strength!\\u201d \\xa0 John the Baptist testifies that Jesus is \\u201cthe Son of God,\\u201d the One upon whom he has seen \\u201cthe Spirit come down and remain.\\u201d\\xa0 And we are all His servants, made holy only in Him.\\xa0 John declares his own servitude, speaking of \\u201cthe one who sent [him] to baptize with water,\\u201d and stating, \\u201cA man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because He existed before me.\\u201d\\xa0 His witness to Jesus and the strength he takes from Him is clear, as is the case with St. Paul, who declares himself \\u201ccalled to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,\\u201d and goes on to say that, indeed, all the Church is \\u201ccalled to be holy\\u201d in Jesus Christ.\\xa0 This call from the Lord to be His servant, and that it is through His servants the Lord shows His glory, is prophesied in strength by Isaiah in our first reading, showing that even before Christ came to be born among us He indeed existed and through Him the Father called His servants, His children, to Himself.\\xa0 For Isaiah speaks for God, saying, \\u201cI will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.\\u201d\\xa0 Here he speaks of Jesus; here he knows even in his time of the salvation the Lord brings. And David in our psalm echoes the same theme of the servitude of Christ and the servitude in Christ to which all are called, and which acts as a light to this world.\\xa0 \\u201cEars open to obedience you gave me,\\u201d proclaims the great and humble king, and sings as if in the voice of Christ: \\u201cIn the written scroll it is prescribed for me, to do your will, O God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!\\u201d\\xa0 What great blessing it indeed is to share in the servitude of Jesus, to have His song placed in our mouths, to make our lives \\u201ca hymn to our God.\\u201d\\xa0 He makes us His own and we share in the blood that flows through His veins when we place ourselves in the service of the Lord. The Lord calls.\\xa0 He is among us now and has made His salvation known.\\xa0 Through the prophets, through the Baptist, through His apostles and martyrs and saints \\u2013 through \\u201call those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ\\u201d He reveals His glory day to day.\\xa0 It is His desire that we be strong in Him as we join to Him and are baptized by Him with the Holy Spirit.\\xa0 His grace and peace He would leave with us, His glory He would reveal through us, if His servants we would make ourselves this day.\\xa0 Find your strength in Him, brothers and sisters.\\xa0 He stoops toward you and hears your cry, and will instill His song of praise in your hearts, to be declared to all the world. \\xa0 Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. \\xa0 Music: "Miracle" from\\xa0Listening to the Lamp, ninth album of\\xa0Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. \\xa0 ******* O LORD, may we all testify that Jesus is the Son of God; by Him may all souls be saved.\\xa0 YHWH, ears open to obedience give us that we might be your servants, that we might be as the Body of your only Son, doing your will in all things, ever making Him known.\\xa0 Let all we do testify to His presence in our midst that salvation may come to all men, even to the ends of the earth.\\xa0 Your apostles, your prophets, please make us, crying out your way, calling all to holiness in the Lamb of God. Jesus is the One who is greater than us, greater than any man who has walked this earth, for only He is your Son, dear God; only He sanctifies the human race by His blessed sacrifice.\\xa0 Let our lips not be restrained, but let us declare His glory to all souls. You have stooped toward us, O LORD; through Jesus you have shown us your glory.\\xa0 Your Servant you have called and sent among us that we all might become your servants in Him.\\xa0 O let your law be so in our hearts and the doing of your will our delight!\\xa0 Alleluia!'