Gospel 2 | Luke 3:1-6 (with Tom Gastil)

Opening Song:
Prepare Him Room by Rita Baloche

Lyrics:
Who is man that You would care for us
You clothed Yourself in flesh to draw us near
In sinful men You've made our hearts Your home
To make Your glory known Your redemption clear

Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room
For nothing else compares with You
Restore the joy of our salvation Lord
Prepare our hearts for more of You

No greater love has anyone than this
To sacrifice the gift of Your only Son
So we lay aside all the earthly things
And all that comes between this great divide

Passage:
1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
4 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.
5 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,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
(Luke 3:1–6 ESV)

Musical Reflection:
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (PICARDY)

Reflection Notes:
Adapted from a medieval French folk tune, PICARDY was later arranged by esteemed English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams as a congregational hymn. The minor tonalities and scalar phrasing are very reminiscent of chant and serve to create a hushed environment in which to reflect on the rich text.

Prayer:
O Lord Jesus Christ, at your first coming you humbled yourself because of our sins. At your second coming our sins will be done away with by your mercy, and we will be numbered with your saints in glory everlasting; through your merits, O blessed Savior, with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.
A prayer from the ancient Mozarabic church (ca. 400–600 CE). The Mozarabs were Christians who lived in Hispania (modern-day southern Spain).