From Sunday’s Lectionary, John the baptist explains himself by quoiting from Isaiah… “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’…” So part of God’s plan for the world comes by the voice of someone shouting in the wilderness. How do I respond to such voices? Generally I walk by. If it’s a voice I don’t want to hear, I shut my ears. But even a drunken rant from somebody on the street has some import, if only “my life hurts”. For many people’s lives are hurting right now, and the Great Separator of disease has amplified hurts that have been there for decades. A few days or weeks ago there were some TV shows about the plague (the 17th century one). And guess what? People in poverty were more likely to get it than rich people.
Meanwhile, before dawn and in a modest rain, the Trail was almost deserted – a b it of wilderness near at hand. A few small bits of snow were still visible on tufts of grass in sheltered spots beside the track.