When you travel, do you play the license plate game? The goal is to spot license plates from all 50 states. My wife and I completed the challenge during our travels this summer, but it took a trip of 12,000 miles. When I am driving out of state, I often imagine passengers in passing cars shouting, “Look, it’s a Florida license plate! We need that one!” I doubt that happens very often since Florida is one of the easiest plates to find. Our state joins others like California, Illinois, and Colorado as having some of the most prolific interstate vehicles. The ones that we have the most trouble spotting are usually Alaska, Hawaii, and Delaware; so, when we started a new trip yesterday, we were amazed to spot a plate from Alaska before getting 100 miles from home!
Imagine looking for a Messiah instead of a license plate. You and other searchers have spotted religious leaders, prophets, philosophers, and many frauds, but you are still looking for a Savior. Then, one day, a crazy man who lives out in the wilderness and eats bugs claims to have spotted him. He announces, “I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:34 ESV) Do you believe him? Does he win the “Spot the Messiah Contest”? That is the question you must answer this Christmas season. Has the Messiah been found? Is Jesus the Savior of the World that men and women have been looking for since the Fall into sin?
Completing the license plate challenge doesn’t make any difference to my life, there isn’t a prize or reward. However, spotting the Messiah is different. How does it change your life?