The Baptism

While reading the story of Jesus' birth and childhood this morning by the lake, I was struck by the following verse. I was not struck by its content, I was taken aback by its proximity to the birth of Jesus in the Bible.

John the Baptist left the woods and proclaimed a baptism and forgiveness of sins. He told the crowds to prepare for the arrival of the Lord. To clear the roads to fix the potholes, to make straight the path He would walk. Now because baptisms were popular, many people came to the river. John knew that they did not come with pure intentions and he told them that a splash of water would not deflect God's judgement. He told them it is you LIFE that must change, not your skin. It does not matter that you are a child of Abraham because those are a dime a dozen... what counts is your life. What do you do with it? Is it green and blossoming? Or is it deadwood for the fire?

The crowd was confused. They came for the water, not the life change. They asked Paul, "then what the heck are we supposed to do?"

Paul's instructions: to prepare the way of the Lord:

-Whoever has two tunics is to to share with him who has none.
-And whoever has food is to do likewise.
-Tax Collectors: Collect no more than you are asked to do. Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusations, and be content with your wages.

I opened my bible looking for the birth story... I opened it looking to be filled with hope and inspiration this morning. This is what I found. Whoever has two, give one away. Whoever has food, do the same. Be content with your wages, and do not extort money from others. This is the story that our world needs to hear. Everyone knows about the baby in a manger and the wise men and the "Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news." But have we read further? Because it is our LIVES that need to change. It is our lives that matter to the Lord. The water means nothing if it doesn't invade your heart and change it.

Merry Christmas, and may God bless your family and invade your heart. There are so many needs, and we have so much to give.

...keep spreading the love around...