Last week we considered the pervasive snow globes of the season, and the ways that often they seem so removed from real life. Our text for today could yield one poignant snow globe scene and several grim ones.
The poignant one would be a man in rough garments baptizing people in a river. "The people of Jerusalem and all Judea went out to him and all the region along the Jordan. They were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins" (Mt. 3:6). I wonder why these people went out to him and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins? I wonder why they underwent this water baptism symbolizing their repentance for past sins?
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