Be Amazed: Recognizing God Present Among Us

Advent culminates in a shift from anticipation to recognition: Christ is already among us. Drawing from John 1, the narrative begins with leaders pressing John the Baptist for identity and control—“Are you the Messiah? Elijah? The Prophet?” John refuses every label and instead adopts Isaiah’s voice—“Make straight the way of the Lord”—signaling that his purpose is not to be the center but to clear the path. Those leaders assume they will identify God on their terms; they miss that before anyone can recognize who God is, they must release assumptions about how God will show up. John’s startling line—“Among you stands one you do not know”—names the scandal and the invitation: God’s nearness is often hidden in plain sight.

John then moves from denial to declaration: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” This title foreshadows sacrifice, deliverance, and peace. God’s presence is not merely proximate; it is purposeful—Christ comes not to avoid sinners but to remove sin. The text insists that God is revealed, not discovered. The Spirit descends, the Father identifies the Son, and faith takes root through testimony rather than self-assured deduction. Understanding follows revelation; sight follows being shown.

This recognition reshapes daily life. God often arrives without spectacle—in the ordinary, the routine, the unfinished. The problem is not divine absence but misdirected attention. Expecting power, people overlooked humility; expecting distance, they missed nearness. The call is to look close before gazing far, to notice Christ’s work in homes, workplaces, congregations, and uncertainties. Like John, the task is simple and prophetic: point and say, “Look.” Not everything changes about Jesus when someone points, but everything changes in how people see him.

This season invites amazement: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; deserts bloom; bones live; fires refine without consuming. Hope does not wait for perfect conditions. It recognizes that God stands beside us before we are ready, acts before we ask, and remains present in trial as well as triumph. The question is not whether God is here, but whether we will notice—and testify.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Release assumptions to recognize God. Assumptions blind us to God’s unexpected arrival. Those who demanded certainty missed the Messiah because they defined what God must look like. Spiritual clarity comes when control is surrendered and Scripture, not preference, sets the frame. Humility makes room for recognition. [53:38]
• 2. God stands unnoticed in ordinary places. “Among you stands one you do not know” reorients attention to the near and the ordinary. God’s presence often lacks spectacle, yet transforms those with eyes to see. Awareness grows as we attend to small mercies, quiet promptings, and unnoticed neighbors. [56:59]
• 3. Behold the Lamb who removes sin. John’s proclamation names Jesus’ mission: removal, not avoidance, of sin. This is deliverance with a cost, love proven in sacrifice, holiness that draws near to heal. True peace flows from this Lamb—redemption that breaks guilt’s grip and opens a new future. [56:59]
• 4. Revelation precedes deduction in true faith. John recognizes Jesus because God reveals him—the Spirit descends and identifies the Son. Faith is birthed by divine initiative and confirmed by trustworthy testimony. Reason has its place, but sight begins when God gives it, and the heart responds. [59:50]
• 5. Point others: “Look, the Lamb of God.” Witness is not spectacle; it is direction. Nothing about Jesus changes when someone points, but people’s vision does. Love invites others to see what God has already made present—near, sufficient, and merciful in the midst of real life. [62:48]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [41:44] - Candlelight service reflections
• [47:05] - 70th anniversary celebration
• [50:03] - Congregational prayer and intercession
• [53:38] - Advent shifts from waiting to seeing
• [56:59] - “Among you stands one you do not know”
• [59:50] - Revealed, not discovered: how faith begins
• [62:48] - God’s nearness in ordinary life
• [65:56] - Be amazed in deserts and trials
• [68:17] - Closing hymn: O Come, All Ye Faithful

1. In John 1:19-23, who comes to question John, what titles do they ask him about, and how does he answer? What scripture does he use to describe himself?
2. In John 1:26-27, where does John say the Messiah is in relation to the crowd, and what does John say about his own worthiness?
3. In John 1:29-34, what signs does John give that identify Jesus, and how does he summarize his testimony?
4. “Nothing about Jesus changes when someone points, but everything changes in how people see him.” What simple action does John take, and what immediate effect does it have on people’s perception? [01:02:48]

1. The leaders push John with “Are you the Messiah? Elijah? The Prophet?” What does this reveal about their assumptions and desire for control, and how could that keep anyone from recognizing God’s work? [53:38]
2. “Among you stands one you do not know.” What does this teach about how God often shows up—nearby, ordinary, without spectacle—and why might that be easy to miss? [56:59]
3. “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” What does the title “Lamb of God” say about the kind of peace Jesus brings—removing sin rather than avoiding sinners? [56:59]
4. If “faith is born from testimony, not from deduction,” how should reason and evidence relate to revelation and the Spirit’s work in forming faith? [59:50]

1. Before people can recognize who God is, they must release assumptions about how God will show up. What is one expectation you carry about how God must act that might be blinding you right now? What would it look like to surrender it this week? [59:50]
2. “Among you stands one you do not know.” Where might this be true along your daily routes—home, work, errands, church? Try “looking close before you gaze far”: what 5-minute practice could help you notice God nearby each day? [01:08:17]
3. “Look, the Lamb of God” names Jesus’ mission to remove sin. Where do guilt or shame still cling to you? What concrete step will you take to bring that to Jesus this week (confession to God, a trusted friend, making amends)? [56:59]
4. Witness is not spectacle; it is direction. Who needs a simple, gentle “Look” from you this week? What is one natural way you can point them to Jesus (sharing a story, inviting to pray, reading John 1 together)? [01:02:48]
5. If faith begins with revelation, not with figuring everything out, where are you waiting to understand everything before obeying? What is one small step of obedience you can take with the light you already have? [59:50]
6. Be amazed even in deserts and fires. Name one area of trial, waiting, or uncertainty in your life. How will you practice hope there this week, and which promise of God will you hold onto each day? [01:05:56]