Luke 3:2-6 NIV
…the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”
After his time spent with the teachers in the Temple in Luke 2, Jesus vanishes from the public eye for the rest of his childhood. It is John the Baptist that later prepares the way for his return, as prophesied in Isaiah 40. There are many different ways this ‘poem’ could be read, but for us as a church I wonder if it is a challenge to do all that we can to prepare people to receive Jesus. How can we smooth the way for our communities?
Father, help us by your Spirit to prepare the way for those around us to receive Jesus as you did with John.
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