 John the Baptist fulfills the prophecies of Isaiah. The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. And the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. In the season of waiting and deja vu, the season of being in between history and destiny, of being at the threshold once again of new life, the bizarre suspension of time and these rituals around candles and hymns, trees and lights as we embody these conflicting and competing realities. We enact the promise of life breaking through. The incarnation and resurrection suddenly blur together. Both divine moments of life, distinct and yet familiar. It is a piece of God that transcends all understanding with us, making those paths level before us so that our eyes can stay on God's salvation. John the Baptist fulfills the prophecies of Isaiah.