Get your feet wet!

 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  Mark 1:4-8

As far as I know, John the Baptist has never appeared on any greeting card.  Which is surprising, since he plays such an important role in the life of Jesus and the beginning of his ministry.  But it may not be that surprising, since who would want to receive a card with a wild-eyed, bushy-haired, strangely dressed, locust-breathed fellow waving his arms and shouting for everyone to repent before all hell breaks loose.

But that's not what John is doing, at least here in Mark's gospel.  

He is not preaching repentance, and get right with Jesus should you die before the sun rises tomorrow.  He's calling people to be baptized.  And he does so by taking a moment, a story the listeners know all too well.  

He calls people to come out of the city, come out of the rural places, and gather on the edge of the river.  He knows, as they all do that life is not what they expected or wanted.  They are weary, they are in despair, they worry about the future.  They are trapped, they are locked in by their fears, they (like the ancestors in Egypt) are under the control of harsh taskmasters.  The Romans may not be forcing them to make bricks out of mud and straw, but they might as well have been.

And now, they stand on the edge.  Being called, challenged, encouraged to step into the water, to leave their lives, their burdens, their past behind.  Yes, step in to be baptized, but also to symbolically walk through the waters which will bring them to the other shore where hope, new life, new promises await.  

It's God's grace which creates the opportunity for them to turn their back on the past, and walk into God's future.  It is God's hope which washes their feet of their dreary lives up to this point.  It is God's love which will lap around their feet and tickle their toes as they break into great laughs of joy.  It is God who is calling, providing, pointing the way and promising to be with them on this journey.  Not with a pillar of cloud by day, or a pillar of fire by night,

but with the Beloved who steps into the water with them, and leads the way. 

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman