Liturgical celebrations commemorating the birth of John the Baptist have been a part of the Church since the fourth century. The feast is celebrated six months before the birth of Jesus. The biblical accounts of the events that accompanied John’s entrance on the earthly scene and of Jesus’ statements about “the one who would come before him” help us to see why the early Church placed such importance on John’s birth. Jesus himself said that John is more than a prophet (Luke 7:26) and is the greatest of human beings (Luke 7:28). We honor John the Baptizer who, in the words of the Collect of the Day, “was wonderfully born and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance.”