Consider: What would be your first response if an angel visited you?
Learn: Read Luke 1:5-17. In order to prepare for this coming Sunday’s sermon, it’s important to remember the events that led up to the text that we will be learning from on Sunday. Today and tomorrow we are going to take a brief look at the opening events of Luke’s gospel.
What was the life situation for Zechariah and Elizabeth? They followed God faithfully, they were an older couple, and they had no children, because Elizabeth couldn’t have children. As we see in verse 13, they had been praying for children, but God had yet to give them a child. They were the ones God chose to bless.
Aren’t you struck by the mercy of God shown to them! God could have chosen anyone to bless with John as their son. Yet God decided to choose this needy couple, this couple who prayed for but had no children, this couple who was faithful but may have felt forgotten. God gave great mercy to them. God not only promised them a son, but great joy and gladness at his birth!
God shows this great care and concern for all his people, even and especially the least of these, like this couple. God is merciful, gracious, and loving to all his children.
Apply: How has God shown his mercy to you? Rejoice and be glad in that mercy.
I Commend Joy! 