Luke 3:1-2 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar–when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene– during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.

Three things speak to me from this passage that probably most people would consider somewhat arcane. The first is that Luke is the only NT writer to be careful to place his narratives in historical context. Dating systems were different in different regions, just as Japan is about to finish the 23rd year of the reign of the current emperor, so official documents list this as the year 23. To help all his readers understand when he was talking about, Luke gives not only the year of the Roman emperor, he also specifies who was in authority in each of the regions in which he expected to be read. The second thing is that his dating is only by year. Life was much slower then! Today we routinely deal with seconds and smaller, and the pace of life is frantic for many if not most people. With the historical context established, Luke gives us the most important information: the Word of God came down to John. Apart from that, none of the other information has any real importance. Since John was a common name even then, Luke specifies that this is John the son of Zechariah that he is talking about, since most people didn’t have family names as such. Right after saying this, Luke puts John in Biblical context as well, pointing out that he was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Thus, the total lesson from this passage is that nothing happens in isolation; every­thing is interrelated, and God has known about it from before time began.

This is an important thing for me to remember, especially at this time of year when everything seems so frantic and I find myself longing for a pause button, at least. However much I might think I would prefer to have lived in a slower time, I would doubtless miss a great deal about our present age, and in any case I am where and when I am, as God has ordained it. I need to remember my historical context, and remember that I don’t know my future context, and so trust God with the present moment, one moment at a time. I need to remember that what is really important is God, His plans and my obedience to Him. I am to make use of the opportunities He gives me, without being anxious over what moments I might have missed. I am to let Him use me to bless those around me, without attempting to take credit for those blessings or to manipulate others through them. It all comes down to what He told me just over a year ago now: rest, relax, rejoice. I’ve still got a lot of room for growth in that!

Father, thank You for all You enabled us to do yesterday. Thank You for the little children coming to the church in the morning, and for the opportunity to bless them and the teachers who were with them. I pray that the seeds planted would bear rich fruit in Your timing. Thank You for the people we could visit around noon, and the impact we could have on them. I pray that they would realize that everything You have given us is available to them, and they would reach out to You to receive it. Thank You for all the people we could touch through sending out our newsletter by email. There too, I ask that Your purposes be fulfilled. Today, too, is a packed schedule, especially for Cathy. Help us take each moment from Your hand as You give it to us, delighting in You so that You may delight in us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!