Hello everyone! My name is Elise Brooklyn and this is Scattering Flowers, a podcast where we scatter flowers of faith.
I’m so happy to be with you reading the Daily Gospels together.
Let’s get started! Today is Monday, January 6th, and we’ll be reading Matthew 4, 12-17 and 23-25.
Follow along in the Bible if you have one.
Now let’s read Matthew 4, 12-17 and 23-25.
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.
And leaving Nazareth, he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled.
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.
So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those affected with various diseases and pains, demonics, epileptics, paralytics, and he healed them.
And great crowds followed him from Galilee, and the deck of Polis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
I recently learned about fireflies.
These tiny creatures use bioluminescence to create light.
That means they make their own glow.
Lightning bugs flash for a special reason.
It’s how they talk to each other and find mates.
In the winter, firefly larvae burrow deep into the ground.
The soil keeps them warmer than the air above.
When spring comes, the fireflies wake up, they start to glow again, and get ready to light up the summer nights.
In today’s gospel, Jesus went to where John was arrested to continue to shine a light.
He preached the truth, and he told the disciples they would do the same.
We are just like them, too.
We can all be like fireflies.
We can use our light to talk to others, and let our light shine.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, thank you for coming to the world to show us how to shine our lights into the world.
Let us glorify you in all we do.
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.
See ya!