Father Snort

When I was in middle school, my mom went away for a week's vacation, and while she was away, my dad and brother and I let things slide a bit around the house. We ate dinner in front of TV every night, and then we had a bit of cleaning up to do to prepare for Mom's return. We weren't afraid she'd not stay if the house wasn't clean. We loved her and wanted to honor her as she came home. That's part of what's going on with John the Baptist in the baptism he gave and in our lives as we are baptized. We're preparing with joy for Jesus' return. We could be spotless or messy, but without Jesus, we are empty. Just like the house could have been messy or perfectly tidy, but without mom, it wasn't our home.