Hello everyone! Welcome back! My name is Elyse Brooklyn and this is Scattering Flowers, a podcast where we scatter flowers of faith.
Hey, guess what?
Today is the 100th episode of Scattering Flowers podcast! Woohoo! How exciting is that?
Thank you all that listen.
I love that you spend time listening to the daily gospel readings with me.
Pretty cool.
I think 100 episodes is something to celebrate, so I want to do a giveaway of a bunch of surprises.
I will pick two winners to get a fun gift in the mail.
All you have to do is visit my website scatteringflowers.com and email me from the tab on the bottom.
Just send me your name and I will choose a winner and email you back.
You can also subscribe from there too, and get daily episodes straight to your inbox.
Now, let’s get into our Bible reading for today.
Today is Thursday, August 29th, and we will be reading Mark 6, 17-29.
Follow along in your Bible if you have one.
Now, let’s read Mark 6, 17-29.
For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her.
For John said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.
And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not.
For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe.
When he heard him, he was much perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
But an opportunity came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his counters and officers and the leading men of Galilee.
For when Herodias' daughter came and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl, Ask for whatever you wish, and I will grant it.
And he vowed to her, Whatever you ask me, I will give it, even half of my kingdom.
And she went out and said to her mother, What shall I ask?
And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, Saying, I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.
The king was exceedingly sorry, because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to break his word to her.
And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head.
He went and beheaded him in prison, and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
When the disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Today’s gospel reading is about John the Baptist being beheaded.
We all know what that means, so luckily I won’t need to give you any detail.
Yuck! But when I was sitting thinking about what to say for today, I was kinda hard because this story is sad.
The word gospel means good news, so why is such a sad story of someone’s head on a platter included in the good news of the Bible?
Even though death of people we care about is hard and not a fun subject, the death of John the Baptist teaches us that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
That is the full gospel, full good news.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, thank you for knowing everything that has happened, will happen, and for being with us in it all.
Thank you for your love.
In Jesus name, Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
I’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers, and don’t forget to enter the 100th episode giveaway by sending me an email.
Good luck! See ya!