Gospel:  John 1:  35-42 -- This gospel shows Jesus beginning his public ministry.  He calls his first disciples to be among his closest followers.

“Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked by, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 
The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus….”

Every day we are changed by the people and information that enter our lives.  We aren’t the same persons we were yesterday.  And we will be changed tomorrow.  But how are we changed? 

Can you imagine what John, Andrew, and Peter said when they reminisced about the first day they met Jesus?

They must have reflected on all that happened before the day they followed Jesus…about their time with John the Baptist….about how John the Baptist had readied them to meet Jesus…..

Then they must have reminisced about what it was that Jesus said and did …that made John and Andrew want to follow Jesus and then bring Peter to him.  The gospel doesn’t give us any hints as to what went on when John and Andrew spent time with Jesus.

What are those things that beckon to us to move forward in new ways in our lives?  How do we discern which signals to follow and which signals to reject?  How is it that we ready ourselves to follow the paths that God has laid out for us?

Many people say that we need to center ourselves and take time for reflection, so that we are ready for the signal or “call.”  And that is all true. 

We have just had our time of preparation during the season of Advent.  The Savior has come, and God is present among us.

In this New Year we will meet many people and receive much information that can lead us forward on the path that God has planned for us – if we just listen to the right signals, the right people, the right circumstances….so that we move forward in goodness and grace….to help bring about the kingdom of God on earth.

My wish for all of us is that through our preparation for the birth of the Savior…we are now ready to move forward on our personal journeys…..following the right signals to find Him and stay with Him in 2005.