Tuesday, December 4, 2018
by The Craw Family (Charlie, Jacob, Jason & Sarah)
Luke 3:1-6

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 of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around 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,
“The voice of one crying out 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 be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
“The word of God came to John . . . in the wilderness.”
This passage reminds us how we feel more connected to God’s creation when our family is vacationing in
the “wilderness”, whether it be the mountains of north Georgia or at the beach on Hilton Head Island. In
those moments when we wander outside at nighttime amazed by the abundance of stars, most of which
are absent from our city sky. Or while in awe of the intensity and beauty of an electrical storm off the
coast – the lightning dancing across the sky, the rolling sound of thunder reminding us of God’s presence in the universe. Or while taking a sunrise stroll on the beach and watching dolphins diving in and out of the waves just before the sun peeks above the horizon, signaling the dawn of a new day our Creator has made. It’s during moments like these when life slows down for a moment that we stop and appreciate the beauty in nature and all that God has created. During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season it’s often difficult for us to slow down, to take a couple minutes to reflect on the meaning of the Advent season, and prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ. We’re challenging our family to take a few minutes each day this Advent season to reflect on God’s grace and salvation and prepare the way for the Lord.
Will you join us?
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24