John 1:6-8, 19-28

Thoughts:       Like a flash of lightning, John the Baptist streaks through the gospels.  His birth was miraculous.  His message was bold.  His lifestyle and his clothing were unorthodox.  His audiences were large.  His arrest was inevitable.  His death was tragic.
 
We can imagine his mother Elizabeth yearned for her only child to lead a more conventional life.  Probably, she wanted him to wear neat, traditional clothes, to eat well-balanced meals, to marry the nice Jewish girl next door.  Elizabeth must have trembled when John denounced King Herod for taking his brother’s wife.
 
Centuries later, we remember John as a man sent from God, sent to bear witness of the Light to come.
 
Discussion:      If you have no memory of your baptism, what have you been told?  Who baptized you?  When and where?  Who was there?
 
Activity:          Pay close attention to the next baptism you witness.  Remember what the congregation promises.
“With God’s help we will so order our lives, that this child, surrounded by steadfast love, may be established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.”