Scripture Scribbles: December 05, 2021

the Gospel

Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,

when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,

and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,

and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region

of Ituraea and Trachonitis,

and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,

the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.

John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,

proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,

as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:

A voice of one crying out in the desert:

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

make straight his paths.

Every valley shall be filled

and every mountain and hill shall be made low.

The winding roads shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth,

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

the devotion

“The word of God came to John…”

Do you believe that the word of God can come to you?

Do you believe that God has something He wants to say specifically to you?

Well, the truth is “at every time and in every place God draws close to man” (CCC 1).

At every time and in every place!

That means 24/7 God is drawing near to YOU! He wants to speak His infinite and merciful love into your heart and into your life. That is truth and that is real.

In the Gospel, we hear that the word of God came to John while he was in the desert. In the other Gospel accounts we hear that John wore simple clothing and fasted. Essentially, his mind, body, heart, and soul were completely free of any and all distraction. He was uniquely open to receive God.

As we enter into this second week of Advent, only 20 days away from Christmas, I’m sure we are all beginning to feel the busyness and noise that engulfs us this time of year. Although it is good and necessary to prepare the food, decorations, gifts, etc., how much time do we put into preparing our hearts for what is to come? More than anything else, Christmas is the celebration of a Savior being born for us. God becoming man to walk the earth with us and ultimately restore us to life with God our Father.

What if during this Advent season, we took ourselves away “into the desert,” into a state of quietness and receptivity? What would this “desert” look like for you? How often can you get there? Remember, He uniquely wants to speak to you.

When we step away from all that consumes us and give that time and space to God, He will speak - His word will come to us.
That is truth and that is real.

Today’s devotion was written by Kaitlin Gilday.