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“Mom! Dad! Rachel cried out loud as she ran through the front door. Since she’d gotten older – 10 years old now – she was often out doing her chores with her friends or visiting the neighbors, many of whom were her relatives. “Mom! Dad!” “Quick, he’s coming!” Her mother, at work in the kitchen, put down the spoon and came around the corner. “What, dear?” her mom asked. “Who’s coming?” Her father, out back fixing his tools, ran inside as soon as he heard his daughter’s shout. He stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw Rachel. “What happened to you?” he shouted. There Rebecca stood….soaking wet and dripping on the floor. How did this happen?” her mother queried as she grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her daughter. Rachel could barely contain herself. “Miriam and I were down at the river,” she said. “All of a sudden, we could hear a man shouting. At first it seemed like he was talking only to himself, So Miriam and I were scared and hid behind the tall grasses. He looked funny, too! Wearing these strange clothes – not like yours, dad! We saw him eating strange things for lunch, Miriam said she thought it was bugs! - Not like the bread and olives you packed for me, mom. We thought we were alone, But then we saw other people - A lot of other people! - Coming down to the river. The man was telling people to come into the water, To shout out loud our sins and to be made clean by the water. So Miriam and I went in - The water looked so very cool and refreshing. At first, we didn’t know what to say, But after we thought about it for a while, we said we didn’t always obey our parents, And sometimes we were mean to our brothers and sisters and sometimes even to each other. The water felt good, so good, Rachel said. But you know, that wasn’t the best part! He told us, Mom and Dad, He told all of us that were there - There’s another man who is going to do more than just make us clean with water, a man of great power and might, who will do great things for us and for our people. I want to see who he is. He’s coming. The man in the river said so. Come on, let’s go!” Rachel looked at her parents, And wondered why they weren’t moving. She had never seen them like this. Rachel’s father stopped and sat down in the chair. Her mother caught her breath. Had she done something wrong? No, it didn’t seem like it – they weren’t even yelling at her for getting all wet. In fact, it almost looked like they were smiling. Rachel’s parents looked at their daughter, and saw the sparkle and the light in her eyes. Then they looked at each other. After all these years, they knew each other’s hopes and dreams. Could it be, they thought? Could this river man, This baptizer be talking about the promised One, the Messiah? Rachel looked at her father. His eyes were closed and he looked deep in thought. In his heart and mind, and could hear echoes from the great prophets, Words God gave to his people, Words he had heard old men say in the temple for many years. God will give us comfort… Every valley will be lifted and every mountain will be made low… God will come with might… God will feed his flock….. This was a time, he thought, when he and his people needed comfort, needed saving and the might of God. The only mighty ones around lately were the Roman invaders. The soldiers were every where, Taking his people’s flocks, taking their money, trying to take their dignity. Rachel heard him say – almost in a whisper - Save us, save us from violence, from greed, from our worst selves. Rachel turned to her mother, To ask her what her father meant. She, too, had her eyes closed and was lost in her own thoughts. And although Rachel couldn’t hear them, Her mother was also hearing words. But the first ones that came to her weren’t the words of Scripture. They were the words of anger, Words spoken out of fear and frustration many years ago. Her words. Her sister’s words. Words she wished she’d never spoken. Words that built a wall that grew taller with every passing year. A wall she wanted to tear down, But she didn’t know where to begin. Then she remembered the words of the Sabbath prayer her mother taught her. Heal us and we will be healed. Save us and we will be saved. Let the offspring of your servant King David be exalted by your saving power. Blessed are you, Lord of the Universe, who causes salvation to flourish. And now she formed her own words and spoke them aloud: Bring us healing. Bring us hope. Bring us peace. Rachel looked again at her parents. Her father was mumbling something about salvation and her mother was weeping. All she wanted to do was to get back down to the river. She threw off the blanket her mom had wrapped around her. Mom, Dad, what are you doing? What are you waiting for? Come on, let’s go! He’s coming! She grabbed their hands, and off they went, looking for the One promised to come among them. Amen. |