Hello Again,
Read Luke 7 and 8
In our chapters from the last two days Jesus has been interacting with lots of different people: Jewish elders, Centurion servants, a grieving crowd, a grieving widow, John the Baptist’s messengers, the woman who anoints his feet, women who helped provide for Jesus’ ministry, great crowds, his mother and brothers, his disciples, a man possessed by a legion of demons, Jairus-a synagogue leader, a woman suffering from hemorrhages, and more crowds.
In the midst of these interactions we also get Jesus’ parable about the sower and the seed scattered on different kinds of soils. We also hear from Jesus that those who are his true kindred, and those who have good soil in their hearts are those who hear God’s word and put it into action.
As you look at these chapters, what stories stick out to you? What human responses to Jesus surprise you? What responses remind you of your own responses to Jesus? Where do you find yourself in these stories?
Pick one story and character and put yourself in his/her shoes. Reflect on what it was like to encounter Jesus in that story. How are you encountering God, or preparing to encounter God this Advent season like the character you chose?
How are you challenged by these stories to hear God’s word and put it into practice? In what ways does the soil of your heart need to be cultivated in order to better hear and apply God’s word this Advent season?
Grace and Peace,
Matt