#Wash
What do you do when you're tired and stressed? You relax in a bath or pool to wash aware the cares.
What do you do when you need a kick start in the morning? You wake yourself up with a shower to wash and revive you.
All of those are wonderful gifts for those of us with the privilege of easy access to fresh, clean water. After a bath, shower or swim, one can feel like a new person, ready to face whatever comes next.
On this 18th day of Advent the #AdventWord2018 is #wash, a word that evokes so many images and memories.
Without water we couldn't live, so it's not surprising that most of the world's religions use water in a variety of symbolic ways, including to wash. During Advent, Christians remember how John the Baptist baptised people in the River Jordan as a sign of repentance, turning away from sin and towards God. The ritual wash in the river water marked a new start, a change of direction for those who repented.
Remarkably, Jesus himself submitted to baptismal wash by his cousin John the Baptist. He did not need to do this, but he did. He wanted to be alongside all sorts of people, fully immersed in being human. The message of Christmas is 'God with us', wholly immersed in humanity, from the amniotic fluid of Mary's womb, through the washing of every day life as he got dirty like any of us.
Remarkably, Jesus himself submitted to baptismal wash by his cousin John the Baptist. He did not need to do this, but he did. He wanted to be alongside all sorts of people, fully immersed in being human. The message of Christmas is 'God with us', wholly immersed in humanity, from the amniotic fluid of Mary's womb, through the washing of every day life as he got dirty like any of us.
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