Scripture: Luke 3:1-3
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Thought for the Day: What was John doing in the wilderness? As the Gospel writer of Luke opens this chapter, we find contrast between the highly organized society under Roman authority and the wilderness. In that part of the world, there were plenty of cities and towns, but there was also plenty of desert. I doubt John was just wandering aimlessly in the dunes. Instead, he was probably a member of a desert community, of which there were many. These were often made up of those who had made the conscious choice to distance themselves from Roman society. For the Jewish community, it was a struggle to maintain faith under Roman occupation. Some suggest that John had been a part of the Essene movement, the desert community that gave us the Dead Sea Scrolls. What’s fascinating about the Essenes was there use of baptismal pools. A cleansing ritual was a daily part of the community’s beliefs. John is called by God, and he takes this ritual of baptismal cleansing on the road. My takeaway from John’s calling to exit the desert is this – God works within community, but God is never tied exclusively to any one community. At any point, God may call someone to take the Gospel message on the road.
Prayer: Teach me to take your rituals and practices beyond my own community. O Lord, be my guide as I share the Gospel wherever you wish it to be shared. Amen.
STILL AN OPPORTUNITY TO SIGN UP
