Ready

"This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God," Mark 1:1.

Here's the beginning: the prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah? a prophet that lived 8 centuries before Jesus was born?). Yep. The Good News starts with God's message to Isaiah that one day long ago. OK. So what was the message? This: a voice would shout out from the wilderness: Get ready! Get the Lord's road ready! Make it straight! So just like that, baptizer John showed up in the wilderness and preached a baptism of changed hearts and lives. (That's how we get the road ready for the Lord!).

We remember with a brother or sister today when we prepared our lives to answer Jesus' call. (We ever continue to do so.) And, together, we give thanks to God for receiving us in Christ.