Clergy/Leaders' Mail-list No. 0-149

From 'Sunrise Sunset' (HarperCollins/Harper San Francisco), Rowland Croucher's book of daily meditations. Feel free to use or adapt it.

People from the whole Judean countryside were baptized by [John the Baptist] in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Mark 1:5.

You need to do two more things, said John:

(1) Be baptised! When a Gentile male became a proselyte Jew, he was first circumcised, then a sacrifice was offered, and then he underwent baptism, symbolising a cleansing from the pollution of one's past life. 'The baptism was not a mere sprinkling with water, but a bath in which his whole body was bathed,' writes William Barclay. How humiliating for these Jews to be told by John that they too needed such cleansing!

(2) Confess! Confession must be to oneself. The prodigal had to say to himself 'I'm a rotter!' (A man looked into a mirror and said 'You dirty little rat!' From that day he was a changed man!)

Second, confession ought to be made towards the one wronged. A husband and wife had a row. When one of them confessed it to their East African church, the pastor said 'You shouldn't have confessed that here, until you'd made it up between you at home first!' That's a humiliating process, but necessary for interpersonal healing. Then, confession must be made to God. 'The end of pride is the beginning of forgiveness.' Our cry is 'God be merciful to me a sinner!'

Lord I confess my sins against you and my utter loyalty to you, and I pray that in my baptism I may know the experience of new life in Christ. Amen.