John the Baptist is seen as having the singular purpose of pointing people, such as his own followers in this week’s reading of the Gospel, towards Jesus. But, in the third of her seasonal reflections, Margaret Atkins looks beyond the evangelists at the man and his mission St Augustine loved rhetorical contrasts. One of his favourites was that of John the Baptist and Jesus, the Voice and the Word. The Voice is short-lived, affecting only the ear, and empty without the Word; the Word is eternal, reaching right to the heart, and giving the Voice its purpose and power. John is the best man, Christ the bridegroom; John is the oil lamp, Christ the light from which it is lit. Augustine follows the evangelists in emphasising the Baptist’s humility: his sole purpose is to point away