John 1:6-8, 19-27. This is the assigned Advent reading for today. Advent is preparation for Christmas—the coming of Jesus Christ. Admittedly a bit confusing that a Sunday dedicated to preparing us for Jesus directs us to a story about John the Baptist. This passage tells us more about who John isn’t than who he is. It’s John’s list of all the things he is not. In this we find one of the most important messages of Christmas and it’s one of the most relieving messages in the Bible.