Luke 1:1-38
Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
8 Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty,9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. 10 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” 19 The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”
21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, 25 “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
What does the passage say?
As far as birth announcements go, there could not have been any two in history as significant as these. The time has finally come when God would send the messenger and the Messiah to his people, and he reaches out and shows his plan to two different individuals. And, interestingly enough, there are two different responses to the revelations. Zechariah is a priest among many priests. He normally serves in the temple twice a year. On this occasion, he is chosen by lot to serve in the holy place. This may very well have been the only occasion on which this happened. What are the odds? Then, while serving, an angel appears and announces that Elizabeth will bear him a son in their old age. Hello — something very special and supernatural is happening here! Yet, in the midst of this mind-boggling event, he doesn’t trust that what Gabriel has revealed is really true. “How can I be sure of this?” he asks.
On the other hand, when Mary, a young girl, is told that she will fill the most exalted mother’s role n history, she accepts what has been revealed to her, accepts her very special circumstance, and moves steadfastly forward, knowing that she can depend on the truth and provision for her that come from God alone
God has reached out and blessed both Zechariah and Mary with something they would never have imagined. One responds with incredulity. The other knows that God is God, and she depends on the certainty that what God says he will do, will be done.
What does the passage say to you and me?
July 4th in this country is Independence Day, a day of great celebration of our freedom. We Americans love our freedoms, our rights, our independence. We talk and hear about these great freedoms all the time, especially in an election year. We truly do live in a great country, but how often do we celebrate our dependence on God for all that we as Americans enjoy? Within the scope of history, America has been around a very short time to occupy such a preeminent place in the modern world. And we puff up our chest and think of how great we are. Could we have accomplished this merely by our own fortitude and the sweat of our brow? Most certainly not! In fact, if God had not been a watchful and powerful presence with this nation over the past two hundred plus years of our history, we likely might not be celebrating our independence today at all.
All in all, we are dependent upon God all the time, whether we think about it or not, and whether we acknowledge it or not. Many times, this dependence rests in the most elementary of things. Today, for instance, he gives us another day. He has ordained the sun to shine in the heavens and the earth to turn in its orbit. We woke up this morning to a wide range of freedoms that most people around the world do not enjoy. We did nothing to somehow deserve these blessings, and it would be impossible for us to somehow provide them if we did. They are out of our realm. They come from God alone.
Today, in the midst of our independence celebration, we should take a moment and thank God that he is so worthy of our dependence for his continued guidance and direction for our lives, for us individually and as a nation.
Let’s Pray
Father,
You are so great and such a majestic provider for us and this nation. We admit that we sometimes fail to realize our dependence on you and your provision for us as we go through each day. Give us pause to reflect on your great goodness to us. Give us insight in the midst of our celebration of independence to appreciate our ultimate dependence on you for everything good. With grateful hearts, we thank you for this special day that you have provided. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
* Contributed by Steve Wright
What are your thoughts?
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