Preparing for Christmas
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Fear And Questions
READ: Luke 1:57-66 The Birth of John the Baptist 57The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son.58Her neighbors and relatives heard how wonderfully good the Lord had been to her, and they all rejoiced with her. 59 When the baby was a week old, they came to circumcise him, and they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father.60But his mother said, “No! His name is to be John.” 61They said to her, “But you don't have any relative with that name!”62Then they made signs to his father, asking him what name he would like the boy to have. 63Zechariah asked for a writing pad and wrote, “His name is John.” How surprised they all were!64At that moment Zechariah was able to speak again, and he started praising God.65The neighbors were all filled with fear, and the news about these things spread through all the hill country of Judea. 66Everyone who heard of it thought about it and asked, “What is this child going to be?” For it was plain that the Lord's power was upon him.
FEAR AND QUESTIONS Zechariah and Elizabeth’s friends and relatives will never forget John’s birth. John’s birth was far from ordinary. They must have been shocked when they learned Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a child. Then they expected the baby’s name to be “Zechariah,” since most boys would take their father’s name in that day. That didn’t happen either. Elizabeth and Zechariah obeyed God and called him “John.” Elizabeth and Zechariah confirmed it separately. Then the crowd was shocked to hear Zechariah speaking and praising God for the first time in months. No wonder the “neighbors were all filled with fear.” It’s was clear God was up to something. They knew that the Lord’s power was already on John. The events surrounding John’s birth made it clear to the people that God had special plans for John’s life. News of his birth spreads as God draws people to the one who would prepare the way for Jesus.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank you for your obvious hand in the events surrounding John the Baptist’s birth. Thank you for experiences that show us that you are present and active in the world. Thank you for the ways you’ve shown yourself in my life in the past. Amen.
DIG DEEPER: Ask a friend to describe a personal experience orchestrated by God and how he/she feels about it. This experience caused Zechariah to praise God and we’ll read his song of praise and prophecy tomorrow.
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