Mark 1: 1-8

no angels, no Mary, no shepherds, no wise ones.

How can Jesus get started in Mark? Mark is very keen to get

everyone on the page of the gospel. Everyone thinking about

their lives, repentance, forgiveness.

Mark starts the Jesus story with John the baptist, shouting, indeed

proclaiming a baptism - a change of heart, a change of being.

Not just water on the outside, change on the inside. One size fits all?

right? not so fast.

Yes John told them to be baptized but that was a beginning.

John the media star of the desert, camel hair clothes, locust breath said

he was only baptizing with water but one was coming ( no angels, Mary, shepherds, wise ones mentioned) who baptized with the Spirit.

In the PCUSA we require water baptism to join a church.

What of the spirit?

Do you have a sense of God's spirit in you? Does God's

spirit give you strength in your weakness and call you into question

when you think you have it all?

Are you baptized by this one who is coming?