“Here the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” says John the Baptist in today’s reading from the Gospel of John. It seems like a good instruction on this first day of Lent. How do we find and pay deep attention to the Lamb of God, our salvation, in this season of repenting and beginning again?
Perhaps a beginner’s mind would help. Pretend that you are out at the Jordan with the disciples of this strange character, John. You have been hanging out with him for awhile. He has been telling you to let go of all the ego-needs that have dominated your life, and he has baptized you in the river as a symbol of your change of mind and heart. You are waiting, wondering what is next now that you have cleared room in your life for something else. What do you see out here at the Jordan? What do you smell and taste? What are you hearing?
John points out this man, Jesus, who is not much to look at, but who has a strange draw. What does he look like? Who is with him? What do you hear, smell and taste? Here is the Lamb of God.
What do you do next? Do you turn immediately and follow him? Do you wait to see if John has anything else to say on the matter? Do you hesitate, suspecting that once you’ve committed to this “son of God” you will never come back?
What does he say to you today? How does what he says spell salvation? What happens next?