![]() He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. f 14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,ġ5for he will be great in the sight of Lord. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. e 10Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering,ġ1the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.ġ2Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.ġ3But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, * Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. d 8Once when he was serving as priest in his division’s turn before God,ĩaccording to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. c 6Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.ħBut they had no child, * because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years. 5In the days of Herod, King of Judea, * there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ![]() This season we join with other believers to rest in God’s never-ending love, faithful presence, and sure promises.1Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, a 2just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, b 3I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus,Ĥso that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.Īnnouncement of the Birth of John. Will you respond like Mary did? Will you surrender to God’s will and look to others for help and support? Christmas is a time to reflect on the past, rejoice in the present celebration of our Savior’s birth, and prepare for the future in dependence on God and interdependence on others. She then returned to Nazareth more prepared for that holy night six months later when, with only Joseph by her side, she gave birth to Jesus.įor each of us, the past year came with unexpected news, significant changes, and an uncertain future. Three months later, Mary witnessed the birth of John the Baptist. Mary, a young teenager, made the three- to four-day trip to share her news with Elizabeth, an older woman, who also received unexpected news of motherhood.Īs the two women greeted one another, Elizabeth immediately began to encourage Mary and praise God for the coming of the promised Messiah. Would you be as quick to accept news of a sudden, radical change to your life? Mary models for us not only submission to God’s will but the need we have for help and support from others who have experienced similar disruptions in their lives. Mary humbly responded to Gabriel, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord may it be done to me according to your word” (1:38, NASB). As the angel Gabriel explained this miracle to Mary, he announced news of another miracle: six months earlier, Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, conceived a child in her old age (Luke 1:36). What is your first response when some unexpected news suddenly invades your life? Mary was perplexed when told she had been chosen the mother of the long-awaited Messiah despite the fact that she was a virgin. And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” She exclaimed with a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb!… For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby…leaped for joy. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ![]() In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah, and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. ![]()
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