Scripture: Luke 3:4-6
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Thought for the Day: John the Baptist comes to the Jordan river were he embodies or fulfills what the ancient prophet had spoken. These words are often heard associated with events that changed the course of a culture or even the world. Originally these words were offered during the time of the Babylonian Exile, but the Gospel writer used them again as Jesus came on the scene as an adult. Though I would agree that those two events were beyond significant, I have come to believe we narrow our vision of the present when we link a passage entirely to a historic event. God was coming, and the prophet was inviting people to make a way for God’s presence to be received. Don’t you imagine those words could be said to most anyone at any moment in history…including the present? The God I meet in Jesus is not limited to a few historic moments. Oh sure, those are essential and help us to view all of life. But God seems to still come with the same unrelenting and unconditional love today. And if that is the case, I say to you: Prepare the way of the Lord…
Prayer: Whatever I can do to make the world around me, including my own heart, a bit more receptive, I pray for it to be so. Teach me, O God who brings salvation, so that my heart is both approachable and accessible. Amen.
