Read Luke 3:7-18 with your family.

John had been wandering around the countryside teaching about the new world of God before Jesus started his ministry. Many people thought John must be the Messiah, the chosen one, but he constantly told them that someone else was coming, someone who as more special than John believed himself to be.

In today’s story John describes how Jesus will treat everyone, and how Jesus will challenge everyone. John knew Jesus would make some people very happy and some quite angry, and John was not about to tell it differently. He knew Jesus would be talking hard truths to folks, and that following the teachings of Jesus meant people had to change their behaviour and share with each other. That would be the start of God’s world being built properly.