Mark 1:1-8 (NRSV)
Read Mark 1:1-8 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 1The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Verse 2As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
Devotion
John the Baptist will be forever marked by his diet and wardrobe: locusts, honey and a
camel-hair shirt. In the starkness of his lifestyle, we could easily forget that he says one of the most important things in the New Testament. Speaking of Jesus, he proclaims, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Even before Jesus begins his ministry, John the Baptist knows that Jesus' work will extend far beyond his brief life here on earth. John knows that Jesus' works involve the whole Trinitarian being of God. People like John the Baptist sometimes live on the margins. They sometimes don't quite manage to learn all the right social cues. They just sort of appear in our neighborhoods. Would you have let yourself be baptized by him? Yet, people on the margins are often the ones who understand Jesus' power the best. They often see the Spirit in ways the rest of us cannot.
Prayer
God, who are the baptizers in my neighborhood? Help us to see those who continually prepare the way for Christ to come into our lives and our hearts. Amen.