Out Our Way: The first robin of spring

"John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from all over Judea and Jerusalem were going out to him and being baptized in the Jordon River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, 'The One who is greater than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to even untie the thongs of his sandals! I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!'"

 - Mark 1: 5 – 8

Out our way, winter can be a long and dismal season. Goliath and I may still be riding in October - even in early November - but eventually the season of Alberta Clippers comes. When the sun takes a nosedive by 4 in the afternoon and it's time to plug in the car overnight, Goliath and I put the tack away for the season and wait for spring. But it can be a long wait, and even in a fairly mild winter, such as we had last year, winter is a season of darkness and gloom.

But although we may be deep in the midst of February and the wind is howling outside, we look at the calendar and can see that this isn't going to last forever. We can peek ahead to see May is coming, and know that sooner or later, spring and then summer will arrive.

In the same way, the prophets of the Old Testament spoke of a new beginning that was to come into the world in the form of the Messiah or Christ ... literally "the Anointed One of God." In the midst of the darkest "winter" of Israel's history - when Jerusalem had been destroyed, the Holy Temple burned to the ground and the Jewish people sent into exile in Babylon (modern day Iraq) - the prophets began to speak of the great King who would restore God's people. Though, to quote Shakespeare, it was "the winter of our discontent," it would not last. A new day was coming - not just to Israel, but also to the whole world. The Messiah would come and replace the kingdoms of men with the Kingdom of God. This was the promise of "spring" that made that long, harsh winter of despair bearable.

Now, out our way, there are signs we look for that spring is coming. The Dairy Queen re-opens and not that long afterwards we start to notice the sun is staying up longer, the snow is not staying on the ground as long, and then joy of joys: the first robin shows up.  

According to the prophets, a special messenger would suddenly appear and begin to tell everyone the Messiah was coming at last. According to the prophet Malachi, God would send this messenger "to prepare the way of the Coming One" (Mal 3:1). Further, Malachi identified this messenger as one who would come in the spirit of Elijah, Israel's greatest prophet (Mal 4:5). This would be the sign that the Messiah was coming at last.

Suddenly, John appears in the wilderness and begins to proclaim that NOW is the time. That the Messiah is on the way. It is clear that the Holy Spirit is with him, for the people flock out into the desert to see and hear the man. And what do they see? Back in the Book of 2nd Kings, the prophet Elijah is identified by his peculiar wardrobe: "a man wearing a garment of hair and a leather belt." That was as much his trademark as the coonskin cap of Davy Crockett! Now look how John is described. It is not a coincidence - and later Jesus would tell the disciples that John was indeed the fulfillment of that prophecy.

Nobody gets trough the whole calendar without winter being a part of it. Nobody gets through life without facing times of darkness and chill. But the calendar doesn't end with January. That's only the beginning. Winter will come to us all - but so will spring. 

As the winds of winter howl and the long dark night descends upon us this year, Goliath and I will keep our calendar open to May as a reminder that the snow will melt, the skies will clear and the sun will warm the earth again. Spring follows winter and not the other way around. So Goliath, old Pard, let's enjoy the summer and fall and not worry about winter this year. Spring is only a few pages away.

(John Bruington and Goliath can be reached at [email protected]. Copies of "Out Our Way," "Bruin Town Tales" and a study on the Book of Acts can be found at http://www.havrepres.org.)