John the Baptist

Thunder is rumbling overhead which always reminds me of the voice of God. I looked up today's Bible readings in my small blue prayer book. I noticed that today we remember the beheading of St. John the Baptist. The wilderness man - the great prophet. He wore camel's hair clothing and a leather belt, and snacked on locusts and wild honey. I love honey, but I saw a dead cicada near our front porch yesterday, so to locusts I say, no thanks.

This John baptized Jesus in the Jordan river, but he was fully aware that he wasn't worthy to even lace Jesus's dusty sandals. In thinking about John the Baptist and his martyrdom, I remembered this engraving from our Barry Moser Bible:



I also love this rendering of the first page of Matthew ~ Christ in red lettering:



Otherwise, my stomach is upset and I'm making good use of the mug-with-lid from my Mom. Ginger tea is a source of comfort pairing perfectly with prayer, reading, writing, and thunderstorms.