Luke 3:1-6, 15-17 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler[c]of Abilene,2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.3He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,4as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,16John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
“Simplicity”
First in a series, “’Tis the Season for…”
· God’s part - salvation; our part - preparation
· A simpler life: removing obstacles
· A simpler heart: reordering priorities
Key Verse for the Week
Every valley shall be filled and every mountain shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. – Luke 3:5-6a
Questions for Conversation and Reflection
What are the obstacles in your life that block your willingness to receive God’s presence? What will you make sure not to miss this Advent and Christmas season?
Possible next best steps for you…
· Set aside time every morning to pray for the day, asking God to show you what matters most in the day’s activities and tasks.
· Add the daily Advent devotionals on the Scripture + Shared app to your routine during the Advent season.
· Help wrap gifts for our Tree of Angel recipients on Saturday.