<div dir="ltr">
<div class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-gE m_-43567596378979945gmail-iv m_-43567596378979945gmail-gt"><table class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-cf m_-43567596378979945gmail-gJ" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-acZ m_-43567596378979945gmail-xD"><td colspan="3"><table class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-cf m_-43567596378979945gmail-adz" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-ady"><div class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-ajy"><img class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-ajz" id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-:1ft" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif" alt=""></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-:1k9"><div class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-qQVYZb"></div><div class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-utdU2e"></div><div class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-btm"></div></div><div class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-"><div class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-aHl"></div><div id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-:1fu"></div><div id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-:1kd" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-ii m_-43567596378979945gmail-gt"><div id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-:1k8" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-a3s m_-43567596378979945gmail-aXjCH m_-43567596378979945gmail-m164307e575765c69"><u></u>
<div id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740ac-designer" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740body" style="font-family:Arial;line-height:1.1;margin:0px;background-color:rgb(235,235,235);width:100%;text-align:center"><div class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740divbody" style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial;line-height:1.1;width:100%;background:rgb(235,235,235) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;text-align:center"><table class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740template-table" style="font-size:13px;min-width:auto;background:rgb(235,235,235) none repeat scroll 0% 0%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="left"><tbody><tr><td width="100%" valign="top" align="center"><table class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740template-table" style="font-size:13px;min-width:auto;max-width:650px" width="650" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" bgcolor="#ebebeb"><tbody><tr><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout_table_4b5019eb274e4ca8591e4ba93dd367b141d0b380" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" width="650" valign="top" align="center"><table class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-table m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740root-table" style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" width="650" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-margin24272" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row24272" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740widget m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740_widget_picture" align="left"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-padding24272" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740image-td" width="650" valign="top" align="left"><a href="http://wordonfire.emlnk1.com/lt.php?s=f4b404287914110dac7009c89e87fa0d&i=1931A2529A29A1269814" style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;color:rgb(237,119,34);display:block;min-width:100%" target="_blank"><img src="http://wordonfire.imgus11.com/public/4b960868d8cca37f5b0fa9ef087f3099.png?r=569897663" alt="" style="display:block;border:medium none;outline:medium none currentcolor;opacity:1;margin-right:0px" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-CToWUd" width="313" height="154"></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-margin24275" style="padding:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row24275" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740widget m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740_widget_html m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740style24275" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-padding24275" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:0px 30px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740html_div23812" width="590" align="left"> <p style="color:white;font-family:Sorts Mill Goudy;font-size:4px;line-height:1.5">Your daily Gospel reflection...</p>
 </td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-margin24277" style="padding:5px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row24277" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740widget m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740_widget_text m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740style24277" style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-padding24277" style="padding:30px 30px 20px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740text_div23814" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740td_text m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740td_block" style="color:inherit;font-size:12px;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:Arial" valign="top" align="left"> <div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:26px"> <div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;text-align:center"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-style:italic;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:26px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:italic"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-style:italic"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:26px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:italic"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:26px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:italic"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:italic"><span class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-aBn"><span class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-aQJ">Sunday, June 24, 2018</span></span></span></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b><br></div>
 </div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-margin24276" style="padding:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row24276" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740widget m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740_widget_picture m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740style24276" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" align="center"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-padding24276" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:20px 30px 0px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740image-td" width="590" valign="top" align="center"><a href="http://wordonfire.emlnk1.com/lt.php?s=f4b404287914110dac7009c89e87fa0d&i=1931A2529A29A1269871" style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;color:rgb(237,119,34);display:block;min-width:100%" target="_blank"><img src="http://wordonfire.imgus11.com/public/7e2867fcaf0c2ddd581483e5e17f4d20.png?r=1569624798" alt="" style="display:block;border:medium none;outline:medium none currentcolor;width:221px;opacity:1;max-width:100%" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-CToWUd" width="221"></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-margin24273" style="padding:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row24273" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740widget m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740_widget_html m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740style24273" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-padding24273" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:30px 30px 0px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740html_div23810" width="590" align="left"> <p style="color:black;font-family:Avenir Next;font-size:20px;font-weight:500;line-height:1.25;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase">Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist</p>
 </td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-margin24274" style="padding:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row24274" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740widget m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740_widget_html m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740style24274" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-padding24274" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:5px 30px 0px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740html_div23811" width="590" align="left"> <p style="color:rgb(237,119,34);font-family:Avenir Next;font-size:18px;line-height:1.25;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase">Luke 1:57-66, 80</p>
 </td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-margin24278" style="padding:5px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row24278" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740widget m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740_widget_text m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740style24278" style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740layout-row-padding24278" style="padding:10px 30px 30px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740text_div23815" class="m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740td_text m_-43567596378979945gmail-m_-7472396828059866740td_block" style="color:inherit;font-size:12px;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.5;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:Arial" valign="top" align="left"> <div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5"> <div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">Friends,
 <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>today’s Gospel celebrates the birth of John the Baptist.</b></span> I think it’s 
fair to say that <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>you cannot really<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"> understand Jesus </span>without 
<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">understanding John,</span> </b></span>which is <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>precisely why all four Evangelists tell </b><b><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)">the
 story of the Baptist a</span>s a kind of overture to the story of Jesus.</b></span></span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>John
 did not draw attention to himself.</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>Rather, he presented himself as a 
preparation, a forerunner, a prophet preparing the way of the Lord. </b></span>He 
was summing up much of Israelite history, but </span></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">stressing that this 
history was open-ended, unfinished.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">And
 therefore, how powerful it was <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>when, upon spying Jesus
coming to be baptized, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God."</b></span> No 
first-century Israelite would have missed the meaning of that: b<span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>ehold 
the one who has come to be sacrificed. </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Behold </b></span></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:italic">the</span></b></span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b> sacrifice, which will sum up, complete, and perfect the Temple.</b></span> Moreover, <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>behold </b></span></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:italic">the</span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> Passover lamb, who sums up the whole meaning of that event and brings it to fulfillment.</span></b></span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">And
 this is why <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>John says, "He must increase and I must decrease."</b></span> In other
 words, the overture is complete, and now the great opera begins. <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>The 
preparatory work of Israel is over, and now the Messiah will reign.</b></span></span></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div>

<br></div>