Barabas and Elizabeth are playing Parcheesi at the kitchen table.  Barabas rolled the dice.

“Yes!” shouted Barabas.  “I rolled doubles!  Let’s see . . . two sixes and two ones.  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!  Ah ha!  Send your last man back, to the beginning.  That gives me 20 more and I still have the rest of my doubles.  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20!  And 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6! I’m home!   I win!”

Barabas was very happy!  He is very good at Parcheesi!  “This is fun! Wanna play again?” he asked.

Elizabeth looked up and shook her head.  “I don’t think so.  That is the fifth game you won.  I’m tired of Parcheesi.”

Barabas suddenly realized that Elizabeth was not having nearly as much fun as he was having!  So he said “Okay! Let’s play ‘house’.”  Barabas knows that Elizabeth loves to play house, even though, being a boy, he doesn’t.

Elizabeth brightened up and said “Okay!  You be the daddy and I’ll be the mommy.  And Jeter can be our baby.  We can pretend I just got home from work and you can ask me how my day at work was.”

Barabas said “How was your day at work dear?”  “It was terrible and I am hungry, but  I am too tired to fix supper.” said Elizabeth.

“Well then, I will cook supper for us.”  And Barabas made some popcorn in the microwave and he poured two glasses of juice in Uncle Floyd’s plastic stemware.  And then he got two pieces of candy for their dessert.  And a doggy treat for the baby.

Uncle Floyd was busy doing his bills at the computer in the next room, but he was also listening to Barabas and Elizabeth in the kitchen.  He was thinking about how nicely they play together, and how pleased he is with Barabas.  He was also thinking that that popcorn smelled mighty good, so he got up and went to the kitchen.

“Hello Uncle Floyd.” said Elizabeth.  “Would you like to be a pretend guest at our pretend supper?”

“I reckon that would be mighty nice, as long as the popcorn is not pretend!.  Thank you son,” he said as Barabas handed him a plastic stemware glass of juice.   “How was YOUR day at work?” Elizabeth asked Uncle Floyd.  The three of them had a fun time playing together. 

Shortly Uncle Floyd excused himself to get back to the bills at the computer.  He thought about how Barabas is so good at Parcheesi and also how Barabas knew it was time to play a game that Elizabeth likes because she was tired of losing at Parcheesi.  That was very kind of Barabas, to do what is good for the others..  So he said “Son, I reckon I am well pleased with you.”  And Uncle Floyd tousled Barabas’s hair.  Sons (and daughters)  need to hear that sometimes.

When Jesus saw that John the Baptist was baptizing many people, Jesus himself went into the water with all the others to be baptized also.  He did not NEED to be baptized, because Jesus was a person without sin.  Jesus is the ONLY person without sin.  But nevertheless, he got baptized with the others.   He did what was good for the others.   Then God, who most certainly was watching, spoke the words “You are my Son, the Beloved: with you I am well pleased.”  But instead of tousling Jesus’ hair, he sent the Holy Spirit down in the form of a dove. 

Sons, and daughters, need to hear that from time to time.  Even Jesus!   THE END

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