Babies usually bring great joy with their arrival. Kinfolks and friends are overjoyed for the family. This will be true of John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. However, the joy will be multiplied in this case, and not just because they are given John as a surprise blessing later in life. John has a crucial role to play in the coming of God's promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. He will reach many hearts that the religion of the day could not touch. His life from the womb will be one that is dedicated to God's Messiah. He will identify himself by his diet and his habits as one specially consecrated to the work of God. But unlike the ascetics of the desert who withdrew from sinful people, John spoke with the Spirit and fire of God and drew them to his message and made them ready to meet Jesus. With the birth of any child, let's pray that he or she will bring glory to God and bring many others to come to know his Son.